Shining Through Scandal: The Incredible Life Of Elizabeth Taylor

She Was Groomed To Be A Star

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By the time she turned 15 in 1947, MGM had already groomed Elizabeth Taylor to become the superstar that she was. She was publicly portrayed in a more mature light as the power of her attraction grew stronger. MGM had her go on a date with football champion Glenn Davis and she was briefly engaged at age 17 to William Pawley, Jr. Even Howard Hughes reportedly offered to build her a movie studio and give her parents a six-figure sum of money if she agreed to marry him. In 1964, Taylor told LIFE, “I only had two ways of running from everything. Go to college or get married.”