Erika Slezak

Additionally, she has won many Soap Opera Digest Awards, including one for Favorite Couple with Mark Derwin in 2000. She has broken her back five times, has survived a brain tumor, and has faced life-threatening bouts with pneumonia twice. She has won the "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Daytime Emmy in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, and 1996 (the most won by any daytime actress). She suffers congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart pumps insufficient amounts of blood throughout the body. Viki also found out that she had two long-lost daughters: Megan (played by Jessica Tuck from 1989 through 1992) and Natalie (Melissa Archer); this is in addition to her other children, Kevin (most recently played by Dan Gauthier), Joey (Bruce Michael Hall), and Jessica (Bree Williamson). As of January 2005, Elizabeth Taylor is in ailing health. She has also had to go through the process of many divorces (such that her full legal name is now Victoria Lord Riley Burke Riley Buchanan Buchanan Carpenter Davidson), the deaths of loved ones, breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Elizabeth Taylor's hand and foot prints are immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater and she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6336 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Victoria, who is known as "Viki", has had to live with Dissociative Identity Disorder (also known as DID). In the early 1980s, she moved to 700 Nimes Road in Bel-Air, California, which is her current home. Slezak's character has gone through many tragedies. Though she was thrilled with this honor, Taylor cracked, "I've always been a broad, now I'm a dame.". She portrays Victoria "Viki" Lord on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live, a role she has depicted since March 17, 1971. She received the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 1999, and may now be addressed as "Dame Elizabeth.". She is the daughter of actor Walter Slezak. And in 2002, she was a Kennedy Center Honoree.

Erika Slezak (born August 5, 1946 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress of Austrian descent. The following year, 1993, she received the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 1992, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated $50,000,000 to fight the disease. She also created her own AIDS foundation.

She helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) (http://www.amfar.org/) after the death of her former co-star and friend, Rock Hudson. Taylor has devoted much time and energy to AIDS-related charities and fundraising. She also launched two perfumes, "Passion" and "White Diamonds," that together earn an estimated $200,000,000 in annual sales. Taylor has also acted on stage in revivals of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (1982) and Noel Coward's Private Lives (1983), the latter she starred in with former husband, Richard Burton.

She has also appeared on a number of TV programs, including General Hospital, All My Children and The Simpsons (as the voice of Maggie). And in 2001, she played an agent in These Old Broads. In 1985, she played movie columnist Louella Parsons in Malice in Wonderland and appeared in the mini-series North and South. Elizabeth Taylor has also appeared a number of times on television, including the 1973 made-for-TV movie with then husband, Richard Burton, titled Divorce His - Divorce Hers.

She and Todd had one daughter, Elizabeth Frances Todd, called "Liza," (born August 6, 1957). And in 1964, she and Fisher started adoption proceedings for a daughter, who Burton later adopted, Maria Burton (born August 1, 1961). Taylor and Wilding had two sons, Michael Howard Wilding (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward Wilding (born February 27, 1955). Taylor has been married eight times to seven husbands: hotel heir Nicky Hilton (married May 6, 1950-divorced January 29, 1951); actor Michael Wilding (married February 21, 1952-divorced January 26, 1957); producer Mike Todd (married February 2, 1957-his death March 22, 1958); singer Eddie Fisher (married May 12, 1959-divorced March 6, 1964); actor Richard Burton (married March 15, 1964-divorced June 26, 1974); actor Richard Burton (2nd Marriage) (married October 10, 1975-divorced July 29, 1976); senator John Warner (married December 4, 1976-divorced November 7, 1982); and teamster construction-equipment operator Larry Fortensky (married October 6, 1991-divorced October 31, 1996). And it was during the filming of that movie that she worked for the first time with future husband, Richard Burton, who played Mark Antony.

In 1963, Taylor became the highest paid movie star up until that time when she accepted $1,000,000 to play the title role in the lavish production of Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. She was nominated for Raintree County (1957), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Elizabeth Taylor won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performances in BUtterfield 8 (1960) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). Considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, she also gained great respect as an accomplished actress.

Taylor is famous for her beauty, violet eyes and raven hair. She attended school on the MGM lot and University High School in Los Angeles, where she received her diploma on January 26, 1950. National Velvet was a big hit, grossing over $4,000,000 at the box-office, and she was signed to a long term contract. After a couple more movies, the second on loan-out to 20th Century Fox, she appeared in her first leading role and achieved child star status playing Velvet Brown, a young girl who trains a horse to win the Grand National in Clarence Brown's movie National Velvet (1944) with Mickey Rooney.

This drew favorable attention. Her first movie with that studio was Lassie Come Home (1943). They let her contract drop and she was signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine for Universal.

They settled in Los Angeles, California, where Sara's family, the Warmbrodts, were then living. Her mother took the children first, while her father remained in London to wrap up matters in the art business. After England entered World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. At the age of three, Elizabeth began taking ballet lessons.

Sara retired from the stage when she and Francis Taylor married in 1926 in New York. Her father was an art dealer and her mother a former actress whose stage name was Sara Sothern. Her American parents were both originally from Arkansas City, Kansas. Taylor was born with dual British and American citizenship.

She prefers her given name to be pronounced Eee-lizabeth. Her given and middle names were in honor of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor, who was born Elizabeth Mary Rosemond. Though sometimes referred to as "Liz," she is not fond of that name. She was born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor in Hampstead, London, England, the second child of Francis Lenn Taylor (December 28, 1897-November 20, 1968) and Sara Viola Warmbrodt (August 21, 1896-September 11, 1994). Her older brother is Howard Taylor (born 1929). Elizabeth Taylor (born February 27, 1932) is an English-born Academy Award winning actress.

Pearl Slaghoople. The Flintstones (1994) (Universal) .. Nadina Bulichoff. Il Giovane Toscanini (1988) (RAI) ..

Marina Rudd. The Mirror Crack'd (1980) (Associated Film Distribution) .. Lola Comante (uncredited). Winter Kills (1979) (Avco Embassy Pictures) ..

Desiree Armfelt. A Little Night Music (1977) (New World Pictures) .. Queen of Light. The Blue Bird (1976) (20th Century Fox) ..

Lise. The Driver's Seat (1974) (Rizzoli Film S.p.a.) .. Barbara Sawyer. Ash Wednesday (1973) (Paramount) ..

Ellen Wheeler. Night Watch (1973) (Avco Embassy Pictures) .. Jimmie Jean Jackson. Hammersmith Is Out (1972) (Cinerama Releasing Corporation) ..

Rosie Probert. Under Milk Wood (1973) (Altura Films International) .. aka X, Y and Zee. Zee Blakeley ..

Zee and Co. (1972) (Columbia) .. Fran Walker. The Only Game in Town (1970) (20th Century Fox) .. Courtesan (uncredited).

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) (Universal) .. Secret Ceremony (1968) (Universal) Leonora. Flora Goforth. Boom (1968) (Universal) ..

Martha Pineda. The Comedians (1967) (MGM) .. Leonora Penderton. Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) (Warner Bros.) ..

Helen of Troy. Doctor Faustus (1967) (Columbia) .. Katharina. The Taming of the Shrew (1967) (Columbia) ..

Martha. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) (Warner Bros.) .. Laura Reynolds. The Sandpiper (1965) (MGM) ..

Frances Andros. The V.I.P.s (1963) (MGM) .. Cleopatra. Cleopatra (1963) (20th Century Fox) ..

Gloria Wandrous. BUtterfield 8 (1960) (MGM) .. the real Sally Kennedy (uncredited). Scent of Mystery (1960) (Michael Todd Company) ..

Catherine Holly. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) (Columbia) .. Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) (MGM) ..

Susanna Drake. Raintree County (1957) (MGM) .. Leslie Lynnton Benedict. Giant (1956) (Warner Bros.) ..

Helen Ellswirth/Wills. The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) (MGM) .. Lady Patricia. Beau Brummell (1954) (MGM) ..

Ruth Wiley. Elephant Walk (1954) (Paramount) .. Louise Durant. Rhapsody (1954) (MGM) ..

Jean Latimer. The Girl Who Had Everything (1953) (MGM) .. Rebecca. Ivanhoe (1952) (MGM) ..

Anastacia "Stacie" Macaboy. Love Is Better Than Ever (1952) (MGM) .. Angela Vickers. A Place in the Sun (1951) (Paramount) ..

Kay "Kitten" Dunston. Father's Little Dividend (1951) (MGM) .. Christian prisoner in arena (uncredited). Quo Vadis? (1951) (MGM) ..

Kay Banks. Father of the Bride (1950) (MGM) .. Mary Belney. The Big Hangover (1950) (MGM) ..

Melinda Greyton. Conspirator (1949) (MGM) .. Amy March. Little Women (1949) (MGM) ..

Susan Packett. Julia Misbehaves (1948) (MGM) .. Carol Pringle. A Date with Judy (1948) (MGM) ..

Cynthia Bishop. Cynthia (1947) (MGM) .. Mary. Life with Father (1947) (MGM) ..

Kathie Merrick. Courage of Lassie (1946) (MGM) .. Velvet Brown. National Velvet (1944) (MGM) ..

Helen Burns (uncredited). Jane Eyre (1944) (20th Century Fox) .. Betsy at 10 (uncredited). The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) (MGM) ..

Priscilla. Lassie Come Home (1943) (MGM) .. Gloria Twine. There's One Born Every Minute (1942) (Universal) ..