Doll-A-Day 62: Oscar Week: Elizabeth Taylor

Today's doll is the Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds doll by Mattel.

It's from the Timeless Treasures line of dolls, and was available in 2000. If you look closely you'll see that I was lucky enough to get mine years ago for $9.99.
  It's actually quite a good likeness, other than the fact that Elizabeth Taylor was a bit more zaftig than this Barbie body!

The box says the dress is a copy of one of her real dresses. She also has a ring, and a Swarovski crystal necklace.

The head mold was also used on the Cleopatra and Father of the Bride dolls, and I think they got the likeness even better. If I was any good at it, I'd try a repaint to improve her, but I'm afraid I'd ruin her and not have one at all. Someday I'd like to get a Cleopatra and a Father of the Bride.

Elizabeth Taylor was born in 1932,to an American family living in England. In 1939 they moved back to America to avoid the dangers of World War 2. Her mother was a former actress, but didn't originally think of getting Elizabeth into films, in spite of being told by friends and strangers alike that she should try to get her amazingly beautiful daughter tested for the role of Bonnie Blue Butler in Gone With the Wind. Finally though,she succumbed to the lure. Universal and MGM apparently almost fought over Elizabeth. Universal got there first, but fired her after a year of her seven year contract. They didn't know what to do with her and her grown up eyes. She was then signed to MGM. She had an uninterrupted career from child actress to adult actress, which happens to few people. 
  With "Cleopatra", released in 1963, Elizabeth became the first actor to be paid a million dollars for a movie. (Not coincidentally  it also became the most expensive movie ever made.The entire budget was originally only two million dollars! Eventually all the problems and delays left the budget at $44 million dollars, at that's at 1960's values. It's still considered one of the most expensive movies ever made when the price is adjusted for inflation.)

She was only joking when she asked for a million. She didn't want to work at the time and was hoping to put them off by asking for so much. Poor girl. They wanted her anyway. She ended up making more than a million, since she had it in her contract that she'd be paid more if the movie went past it's scheduled shooting time. (Of course it was WAAAY over!).plus she also got a percentage of the profits.

  Elizabeth won her two Best Actress Oscars, for Butterfield 8 in 1960 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe in 1966.

  Tomorrow we'll see another Oscar winner.