I was never a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor, who died today of congestive heart failure, though not because I didn't think she was a good actress. By all accounts she was a great one - and one that knew how to be a celebrity and how to put fame to good use (consider everything this veteran actor did to help fight AIDS while another veteran actor, President Ronald Reagan, did not). I just never saw any of her films. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that, but it's the truth; I have seen many classic films, and I have idolized many actors I was too young to see the movies of in the theaters rather than on TV. But Elizabeth Taylor movies? I somehow didn't get to seeing any.
But she was a formidable presence in Hollywood, and she left an indelible mark on our culture. The AIDS fight was one aspect, and so was the way she carried herself in public. Despite her many marriages, despite her fluctuating weight, despite all of that, she still knew how to be a star - how to be Elizabeth Taylor - and while she may have lent herself to parody, she never parodied herself. She was who she was. R.I.P.
Now I have to see some of her movies.
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