Survived a Near-Fatal Bout of Pneumonia "I was pronounced dead four times, so they could give me anything, just to see if they could make me breathe," Taylor later told Larry King of the incident in 2006. In 1990, the actress spent three months in the hospital with another near-fatal bout of pneumonia.
Over the years, her catalogue of ailments included a brain tumour, skin cancer, pneumonia and she underwent three hip replacements. One of the most debilitating of her ailments was scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. Taylor was born with the condition and suffered back problems all her life as a result.
What illness did Elizabeth Taylor have while filming Cleopatra?
Elizabeth Taylor's most dramatic health moment occurred half a century ago. While filming the epic flop “Cleopatra” in Rome, she contracted pneumonia and underwent an emergency tracheotomy so she could breathe.
According to media archives, she had been a regular smoker well into her fifties. An x-ray scan revealed spots on her lungs in 1975, but lung cancer was eventually ruled out.
Exploring The Life And Death Of Elizabeth Taylor | Our History
Did Elizabeth Taylor have C sections?
Later, while under sedation for a caesarean section, she was given a tubal ligation without her knowledge. As a child actress and product of the MGM studio system, Elizabeth was given pills to pep her up and pills to calm her down – starting her on a path that would see her in and out of rehab in later years.
Taylor's twin-set of lashes are thought to be the result of a genetic mutation at the FOXC2 gene. (Funny that a woman most men would describe as "foxy" was possibly affected by the FOXC2 gene!) An extra row of eyelashes is known medically as distichiasis (pronounced dis-tic-key-i-asis) and it's a rare disorder.
Did Elizabeth Taylor really have violet colored eyes?
Did Elizabeth Taylor have violet eyes? These days, thanks to colored contact lenses, anyone can have violet-colored eyes . Taylor didn't come by her purple peepers that way; the first tinted contact lenses weren't commercially available until 1983. Taylor's eye color was the real deal.
Elizabeth Taylor had scoliosis and suffered back problems all her life. In October 2004 she underwent spinal surgery to repair seven compression fractures in her spine. “My body's a real mess,” she stated in a 2004 interview at the age of 72. “I've become one of those poor little women who's bent sideways.
All other terms of Taylor's revocable living trust have remained private, as intended. It's rumored that the trust passed the majority of her assets to her children, grandchildren, and to various charities. Taylor's AIDS work saw her address the General Assembly at the United Nations.
In 1970, Taylor was treated for what was described as corrective surgery to stop slight internal bleeding, two weeks after she had undergone a gynecological operation in Los Angeles. Taylor underwent surgery again in 1973 to remove an ovarian cyst and to clear up a stomach infection.
Taylor famously donned the prop for the 1963 production of "Cleopatra." After filming, the wig was kept safe by British wigmaker, Stanley Hall, who then passed it on to a Hollywood makeup artist.
And, well, she must have loved playing that part, because Liz would infamously walk down the aisle eight times (to seven husbands, marrying Richard Burton twice) over the next 40 years. Her first wedding took place in 1950, at the age of 18, and she didn't stop until her last stint as bride in 1991, at the age of 59.
Not only had Taylor's spinal curve worsened to 53°, but she was also experiencing back pain so severe at times it would cause her to fall to the ground.
Green is reported to be the world's rarest eye colour. A 2014 American Academy of Ophthalmology survey found that just 9 per cent of people have green eyes, while 45 per cent have brown eyes, 18 per cent have hazel eyes and 27 per cent have blue eyes.
Taylor also had a rare genetic defect that resulted in her having two layers of eyelashes, which really helped give her colorful eyes that dramatic pop.
And it turns out that 7 percent of people with lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome also suffer from congenital heart disease. Taylor had a history of heart problems; she had surgery in 2009 to repair a leaky valve, and her death on March 23, 2011, was caused by congestive heart failure.
Albinism is a genetic condition that causes a reduced amount of melanin in a person's body. It often includes reduced melanin in the eyes. With very low melanin levels in the eye, the iris might appear blue or, in some instances, red or violet.
Having met at Mocambo nightclub — per Entertainment Weekly — in Los Angeles the year before, Taylor was only 18 when she wed then-23-year-old hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton on May 6, 1950. However, the ill-fated eight-month marriage began crumbling even before their 14-week European honeymoon was over.
