Elizabeth Taylor: Her life on TV

Dame Elizabeth Taylor is quite rightly best remembered for her groundbreaking charity work and glittering Hollywood career. With two Oscars and eight marriages under her belt, the Hampstead-native's TV work is easily forgotten amongst the showbiz glitz and glamour that her big-screen career generated. While she may not have had a stand-out role on the box to match the likes of Cleopatra or Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, her TV outings demonstrated Taylor's tireless passion for her art, her sense of humour and her ability to illuminate the small screen in the same manner she did with her illustrious and celebrated cinematic career.

Not surprisingly, during the height of Taylor and Richard Burton's headline-generating tumultuous marriage, TV bosses wanted a piece of the pair's fame and the final result was the TV movie Divorce His - Divorce Hers in 1973. The two-parter mirrored all too closely the couple's real-life relationship as it centred on a crumbling breakdown of an 18-year marriage. Further made-for-TV roles followed with parts such as Edra Vilnofsky in the star-studded Victory Entebbe, the gloriously OTT gossip monger Louella Parsons in Malice In Wonderland and gambling expert Alice Moffit in the humorous Western Poker Alice. Her most recent TV movie was the fabulously camp These Old Broads, where Taylor headed up a blockbuster cast of Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds and Joan Collins.

One of Taylor's most memorable TV turns was a brief but brilliant cameo in The Simpsons episode 'Lisa's First Word'. The episode famously featured the first vocal outing for the youngest of the Simpsons clan, Maggie, and Taylor was responsible for the famous "Daddy" scene at the climax of the episode. Her turn was much loved by fans of the series and she was voted the 13th best ever guest star in a poll by IGN. You may not have immediately recognised Taylor's dulcet vocals as she was forced to re-record the part numerous times to downplay her natural sexy tones. She would go on to appear in the comedy institution once more a year later when she cameoed as herself in the classic 'Krusty Gets Cancelled Episode'. Another less well known cartoon outing came in 1992 when she cropped up in an episode of Captain Planet. Taylor's role linked in with her HIV charity campaigning and the episode focussed on a character named Todd, played by Neil Patrick Harris, who was persecuted by the villainous Verminous Skumm after becoming infected with the illness

However, Taylor's TV roles weren't solely TV movies and cartoon cameos. She had a starring role in the hit '80s mini-series North and South. Featuring Patrick Swayze, Kirstie Alley, Johnny Cash and Robert Mitchum, it's well worth hunting down on DVD if you can get hold of a copy. She also famously made what she described herself as a "camp" cameo in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital, appearing in five episodes as Helena Cassadine. She donated her fee for the appearance to charity and brought record-breaking ratings to the show, while her co-stars spoke openly about Taylor's generosity in starring in the programme, which boosted the image of daytime television. Taylor went on to shoot similar cameos in the likes of All My Children, Hotel, sitcoms The Nanny and Can't Hurry Love, and the US version of British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, High Society.

> Obituary: Elizabeth Taylor
> Elizabeth Taylor dies, aged 79
> Stars pay tribute to Elizabeth Taylor
> Elizabeth Taylor on Hollywood, sex and marriage
> In Video: Elizabeth Taylor's movie roles
> In Pictures: Elizabeth Taylor on screen
> Elizabeth Taylor: A Life In Pictures