What Elizabeth Taylor's Grandchildren Look Like Today
"I never planned to acquire a lot of jewels or a lot of husbands," Elizabeth Taylor told Kim Kardashian for Harper's Bazaar a little more than a month before the screen icon's death in 2011. "For me, life happened, just as it does for anyone else." But her star-making role came when she was just 12, in the 1944 film "National Velvet," and the girl with the violet eyes went on to have a career, and love life, that has become the stuff of legend.
Taylor won the Academy Award for best actress in a leading role twice, for "BUtterfield 8" in 1960 and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1966. Later in life, Taylor became a passionate advocate in the fight against AIDS in the late eighties and early nineties, when few other notable people were involved. Seeing the disease affecting her friends and loved ones, Taylor told The Advocate in 2010, "I remember complaining, 'Why isn't anybody doing anything? Why isn't anyone raising money?' And it struck me like lightning: 'Wait a second, I'm not doing anything.' ... All I see is how much more has to be done."
Beyond her enduring legacy with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, the star is often most remembered for her stunning beauty and marital adventures — Taylor took eight trips down the aisle in total! From her marriages, Taylor had four children and 10 grandchildren, many of whom today share not only her good looks, but also her passion for advocacy.
Elizabeth Taylor was married 8 times
Not everyone can say they've been lucky enough to marry their soulmate. Elizabeth Taylor did it twice. The White Diamonds entrepreneur married first at 18, to hotelier and Paris Hilton's great uncle Conrad "Nicky" Hilton in 1950. The union lasted two years. With her second husband, actor Michael Wilding, Taylor had two sons, Christopher and Michael. She had daughter Liza with producer Mike Todd, her third husband. After Todd's death in a plane crash, Taylor found herself in the arms of Todd's best friend, singer (and Debbie Reynolds' husband!) Eddie Fisher, who became Husband #4.
It was #5, Welsh actor Richard Burton, her co-star in the 1962 epic bomb "Cleopatra," that Taylor married and divorced twice, but always regarded as one of her most significant relationships. "Attentive, loving — that was Richard," Taylor said in the 2009 book "Furious Love." "From those first moments in Rome, we were always madly and powerfully in love. We had more time but not enough."
Two more husbands followed, Senator John Warner of Virginia and construction worker Larry Fortensky, but Taylor's focus in her later years remained firmly on her family and philanthropic work. "I have never felt more alive than when I watched my children delight in something," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2011. Well, we're certain Taylor would be proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren today.
Elizabeth Taylor's first grandchild, Laela Wilding, is a graphic designer and yoga teacher
Laela Wilding, daughter of Elizabeth Taylor's first child, Michael Wilding Jr., and Johanna Lykke-Dahn, fondly remembers not only the great advice her famous grandmother imparted over the years but also the haircuts. "She liked cutting people's hair," Laela told A&U: America's AIDS Magazine. "She would look at you with a sidelong glance and say, 'Oh honey, get me the scissors.' And she would start with a little snip here, a little snip there. She was very artistic. She had a great eye."
Laela, a graphic designer and yoga instructor in Portland, Oregon, was inspired early on by her grandmother's activism and today serves as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Seeing Taylor be one of the first to wear the red lapel ribbon for AIDS awareness at the 1992 Academy Awards made a big impression. "She wore it proudly, and she wore it the rest of her life," Laela told People. "She took what became an important symbol and helped create a bigger movement around it because she had the ability to reach so many people."
More than the good works and fame, though, Laela fondly recalled in separate remarks to People all of the love and tenderness she remembered from her grandmother — as well as "lots of snuggling."
Naomi deLuce Wilding got close to her grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor, later in life
Growing up in London, Naomi deLuce Wilding, Laela Wilding's sister, saw her famous grandmother mostly on holidays. It was Elizabeth Taylor's appearance in London in 1992 at a tribute concert honoring Queen's Freddie Mercury that brought them closer. "I knew that she was sort of a spokesperson for HIV and AIDS ... but I grew up in Wales, and [AIDS] was not in the news quite as much," Naomi told A&U: America's AIDS Magazine. "The reaction of the crowd ... was really a kind of a turning point for me of understanding how beloved she was in that community. The things she said, the reaction that she got, the cheers, there's no way of describing that surge of support and emotion and togetherness."
Naomi moved to Bel Air soon after and lived with her grandmother, giving her a chance to see the legendary glam up close. "I remember sitting on the floor of her dressing room and just watching her get ready — just [watching] this sort of transformation unfold," Naomi shared with Today. Yet no matter how bejeweled Elizabeth Taylor was, she was always just grandma, according to Naomi: "Just because somebody is a superstar doesn't also mean that they can't be a loving, squishy, delicious grandma who was always welcoming us in."
Naomi runs the Wilding Cran Gallery in LA with her husband, Anthony Cran, and is also an Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation ambassador.
Caleb and Andrew Wilding, Elizabeth Taylor's grandsons, have mostly stayed out of the spotlight
Elizabeth Taylor's second son, Christopher Wilding, is the father of Taylor's first grandsons, Caleb Wilding (above left) and Andrew Wilding (above right), with his former wife, Aileen Getty (above, second from left). Getty, the granddaughter of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, struggled with drug use in the 1980s but found a pillar of support in her mother-in-law when Getty revealed her HIV diagnosis in 1985. "My own family was not very supportive at that time, but Mom [Taylor] was incredible," Getty told The Advocate, adding, "There are not many people like Elizabeth Taylor who are out on the streets working for the silent masses. Her love is unconditional ... Her tough love works wonders. ... Her instinct to love has given me the power and will to live. I love her ... my Mom ... my angel."
Christopher and Aileen adopted Caleb in 1983, and Andrew was born a year later. Aileen lost custody of her children for a time but regained visitation after rehab and a year of being drug-free. Caleb and Andrew have kept lower profiles in adulthood. Caleb is known to be a big fan of motorcycles, like his cousin Tarquin Wilding, while Andrew has worked as a filmmaker and cinematographer.
Elizabeth Taylor's grandson, Tarquin Wilding, has another famous grandparent
Tarquin Wilding, half-brother of Naomi deLuce Wilding and Laela Wilding and the third child of Elizabeth Taylor's son, Michael Wilding Jr., is grateful for his family: "I often think about how lucky I am to have been born into a group of such wacky, caring, sensitive people," he told Town & Country in 2017. Fame is in his family on both sides: The father of his mom, Brooke Palance, is the Academy Award-winning "City Slickers" actor Jack Palance.
A filmmaker and motorcycle enthusiast, Tarquin has also dabbled in acting, appearing most notably in a 2015 episode of Showtime's "Shameless." His grandmother, though, inspires his continued work as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation: "My grandmother was a total badass! I can't help but be inspired by her unbreakable courage and boundless generosity. I want to continue her legacy, and be a part of the fight towards securing a better future for those living with HIV/ AIDS, and to one day see an AIDS-free generation!"
Grandson Lowell Wilding is working on the Elizabeth Taylor Archive
For many of Elizabeth Taylor's 10 grandchildren, furthering her legacy of outreach and activism is a calling dear to their hearts. Lowell Wilding is expanding on this with the compilation of the Elizabeth Taylor Archive, a special project he's working on for the Elizabeth Taylor Trust.
The son of Taylor's second child, Christopher Wilding, and his second wife, Margaret Carlton, Lowell is an ambassador with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and holds the memory of his grandmother close to his heart: "I was always in total awe of the good my grandmother was able to accomplish in her lifetime. She could so easily have done nothing, like so many others. Instead she fought, she cared, and she worked for people suffering with HIV/AIDS. I hope to do whatever I can to preserve and continue that legacy."
From its launch, the foundation's mission has been to "provide direct care, along with love and moral support, to the most vulnerable patients." Established with money Taylor earned from selling photos of her last wedding to Larry Fortensky, the foundation's operational costs continue to be funded by Taylor's trust.
Quinn Tivey, Elizabeth Taylor's grandson, shares her striking eyes and passion for advocacy
Elizabeth Taylor was just "grandma" to Quinn Tivey, the son of Taylor's daughter Liza Todd and artist Happy Tivey. "We would lay in bed together, watching movies, chatting — she would give me advice. Those are some of the ways I remember her most," Quinn told The Hollywood Reporter.
His grandmother's devotion to fighting AIDS continues to motivate Quinn, an ambassador with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and also co-trustee of her estate, a role Taylor personally requested that he take on. "I want to continue her work," Quinn said to People in 2013. "I'm inspired by her chutzpah and her fearlessness."
In addition to his work with the foundation and Taylor's estate, Quinn has worked in film and TV production and is pursuing an MBA. He also has a clear perspective on who his grandmother was and her impact on the entertainment industry: "She was one of the most defining individuals in popular culture of the modern era. She changed Hollywood. She changed the fragrance industry. She changed the way that celebrities perform activism."
Elizabeth Taylor's grandson, Rhys Tivey, inherited her flair for the arts
Rhys Tivey, Quinn Tivey's brother, shares his grandmother's love of creativity and the arts. A musician who earned a bachelor's degree in jazz performance from New York University, Rhys has put his skills to good use in the New York City public school system, working with after-school nonprofit organizations.
He also cares deeply about HIV/AIDS activism and is an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Describing the "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" star's approach to her philanthropic work, Rhys told Town & Country, "My grandmother wanted to go right for the jugular of the problem. She always wanted to do the hardest and most unlikely thing first."
A devoted vegan, Rhys is happy to lend a hand and join his cousins to further the work of their grandmother's foundation. "The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation supports hundreds of organizations providing life-saving work around the globe. I try to do whatever I can to help the foundation and continue my grandmother's work, sometimes representing at events and speaking on behalf of the organization," Rhys said to Vegan Food & Living. "Lending my voice to advocate for legislation needed to help end the HIV epidemic in this country is something I'm honored to be able to do."
Elizabeth Carson is named after her grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's daughter, Maria Burton, is the mother of Taylor's namesake grandchild, Elizabeth Carson. Carson has shared cherished memories of special times she spent with her grandmother while growing up. "For my junior and senior prom, she did my hair and makeup," she said to Town & Country. "Once, while we were discussing makeup, I told her we should go to Sephora, which turned out to be a terrible idea. We had fun for the first 15 minutes, but then she was recognized, and we quickly had to be escorted out."
A social worker in New York, Carson also serves as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. In her work for the foundation and in her professional life, she often sees the impact Taylor made. "My grandmother used her fame to her advantage to gain public attention for a disease that people were not only fearful of but often in total denial about," Carson has said. "I work for the Department of Child Protection in New York City, and, I have to say, whenever I hear of a baby born from an HIV+ mother test negative because of advancements in medication and prevention, I am literally brought to tears. I often say a silent thanks to my grandmother because if not for her, and other advocates with her shared passion, this may not have been the case today."
Richard McKeown is Elizabeth Taylor's last grandchild
Richard McKeown's mother, Maria Burton, was adopted by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But the process of Maria's adoption from Germany actually began during the tail end of Taylor's fourth marriage to Carrie Fisher's dad, Eddie Fisher. After their divorce, Richard Burton stepped in, and Maria became Taylor's fourth child.
Maria was born with a hip problem, and Taylor saw her daughter through 22 operations. "I want her all the more because she's ill," Taylor said upon meeting baby Maria (via WalesOnline). "Maybe I can do something to help." In 2004, Maria filed a restraining order against Richard's father, Tom McKeown, and fled with Richard to her mother's home in Bel Air.
Not much is known today about Richard, who was named after his grandfather. But the last of Elizabeth Taylor's 10 grandchildren did attend high school in Idaho and has been active on Facebook in the past, sharing his interest in video games.
Elizabeth Taylor's great-grandchildren and other famous relatives are following in her philanthropic footsteps
Many of screen legend and jewelry queen Elizabeth Taylor's children and grandchildren are today carrying on her legacy of philanthropy, as are some of her other famous relations. Taylor's great-grandson Finn McMurray, son of Taylor's granddaughter Laela Wilding, is an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. He told Town & Country, "We're all genuinely interested and engaged in this fight and are dedicated to continuing her work."
For many years, Taylor was close with pop star Michael Jackson, who asked Taylor to be his daughter Paris' godmother. Today, Paris Jackson is an ambassador for the foundation and has traveled internationally to raise awareness about the cause. She shared with People how inspired she is by Taylor: "Elizabeth was a real badass. ... Her story is an example of how one person can have such a profound and positive effect on the whole of humanity."
Taylor's stepdaughter from her marriage to Richard Burton, Kate Burton, has appeared in big roles on shows including "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal." Of her work as a ETAF ambassador, Kate said, "I have always been devoted to my stepmother ... Elizabeth put AIDS research on the map, and the lives of our friends and colleagues living with AIDS have improved immeasurably."
With Elizabeth Taylor's charitable legacy flourishing, her life and career continue to inspire new generations of fans. For Taylor, everything came down to her guiding philosophy: "You might as well live."