Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor DBE (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s, and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. Taylor made the transition to adult roles in the 1950s, starring in the comedy Father of the Bride (1950) and receiving critical acclaim for her performance in the drama A Place in the Sun (1951). Described as one of the last stars of classical Hollywood cinema, Taylor's career spanned more than six decades, during which she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress and a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Off-screen, she was known for her glamorous lifestyle and for her philanthropic work, particularly championing HIV and AIDS causes. She was married eight times to seven men and had four children. Her personal life, particularly her eight marriages, was a frequent subject of public and media attention. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her seventh on its list of the greatest female screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. Despite continual health problems in her later life, Taylor devoted her time to philanthropy, for which she was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001.