Another Tennessee Williams adaptation, SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959), is the complicated and confusing but well-acted story of a Southern matriarch (Katharine Hepburn, right) who believes her young niece (played by Taylor) is mad and wants neurosurgeon Montgomery Clift (right) to perform a lobotomy on her. 

Even More Memorable Quotations:

• "Isn't that what love is -- using people? And maybe that's what hate is -- not being able to use people." --as Catherine Holly in SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959).
• "Don't worry, doctor. Since I've been allowed to smoke, I've been a perfect lamb." --as Catherine Holly in SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959).
• "It's terrible, isn't it Steve? I say 'yes' too much when I shouldn't, and you say 'no' too much when you shouldn't." --as Gloria Wandrous in BUTTERFIELD 8.
• "I'm not like anyone. I'm me." --as Gloria Wandrous in BUTTERFIELD 8.
• "The way to prevent war is to be ready for it!" --as Cleopatra in CLEOPATRA.
• "Poor Georgie Porgie put-upon pie." --as Martha in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) (a .WAV file).

After being nominated three years in a row and coming up short, Elizabeth finally won her first Best Actress Oscar in 1960 for her performance as high-class call girl Gloria Wandrous in BUTTERFIELD 8, a film Taylor had adamantly avoided making.  Although some heavy moralizing takes away from the story and the performances of the supporting characters aren't always up to par, this is definitely a memorable Elizabeth Taylor role. 

One of the most expensive films ever made and originally running at six hours before being cut to a little over four for release, the epic CLEOPATRA (1963) was a box office disaster, yet managed eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning four technical awards.  Today the film is best remembered for the on-screen romance between Cleopatra and Marc Antony which lead to a highly publicized off-screen romance between Taylor and co-star Richard Burton, as well as Taylor's landmark $1,000,000 salary for the film -- a first for a Hollywood actress.

Music Clip:

"Main Title" (clip) from CLEOPATRA (1963) by Alex North (a .MP3 file).

In 1966 Taylor earned her second Best Actress Oscar for her role as a middle-aged, alcoholic house wife in the film adaptation of Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?  Co-starring Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis, this hard-hitting drama helped bury the Hollywood Production Code, earning 13 Academy Award nominations despite its use of such contraband words as "bastard" and "God-damned."

"Main Title" (clip) by Alex North (a .MP3 file).

(For help opening any of the multimedia files, visit the plug-ins page.)

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