Opinion

Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011

She was one of the last survivors of Hollywood’s golden age — an era when the term “movie star” truly meant something.

Simply put, Elizabeth Taylor — who died yesterday at 79 after years of failing health — lit up the universe.

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz called her “the most incredible vision of loveliness I have ever seen in my whole life.”

Doubtless she benefited from the evolving cinematic technology of her time, but she was also a compelling dramatic actress who leaves behind a range of unforgettable performances.

She grew up on screen, first capturing hearts at age 12 in “National Velvet,” then going on to star in such classics as “Father of the Bride,” “A Place in the Sun,” “Raintree County,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Giant” and “Butterfield 8,” winning a Best Actress Oscar for the latter.

But it was her stunning performance in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” in which she co-starred with then-husband Richard Burton and for which she won her second Oscar (she was nominated for three others), that cast aside any doubts about her talent.

The on-screen drama, of course, was regularly eclipsed by her tempestuous private life — which included eight marriages (twice to Burton), two near-fatal illnesses and multiple personal tragedies — though by contemporary standards the tumult all seems a bit quaint.

Taylor, it also must be noted, was an AIDS activist before it was cool; her passing truly marks the end of an era.

RIP.