The Jet-Set Homes of Beloved Silver Screen Star Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor, one of Hollywood's all-time greats, passed away early this morning in Los Angeles after a career that spanned more than six decades, earned her two Academy Awards, and cemented her legacy as one of America's most beloved entertainers. A serial spouse who famously married seven men, Taylor bounced between properties with similar whimsy. Born in 1932 to American expat parents in North London, she spent the first years of her life in the United Kingdom at Heathwood House, the family home (above). The 5,092-square-foot brick Georgian, built in 1926, featured six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and expansive gardens tended by Elizabeth's mother, Sara Taylor. In 2008, the home came to market for over $10M and quickly sold. Despite her British upbringing, it wasn't until she came to America in 1940 that her many love affairs with real estate were kindled.

? Taylor lived briefly at the Hotel Bel-Air (above), where then-husband Nicky Hilton was the manager. They were married for less than a year before divorcing, which is when Taylor moved out on her own, to an apartment block at 1060 Wilshire Boulevard in L.A. that's now been replaced with new construction. Her downstairs neighbors in the building were star couple Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.

? Once married, Taylor and second husband Michael Wilding began a haphazard house hunt that involved purchasing a Beverly Hills home in the summer of 1952 for $75K—$600K in today's dollars—and spending another $40K sprucing it up, before abandoning the house two years later for the comfort of an even more opulent home at 1375 Beverly Estate Drive (above). She and Wilding decided to buy after scaling the fence surrounding the property for an impromptu open house. As luck would have it, architect George MacLean had designed the home with Taylor in mind.

? After Taylor divorced Wilding in 1957, she took up with film producer Mike Todd. Todd tragically died in a private plane crash the following year, but not before sharing a penthouse with Taylor at New York's 715 Park Avenue (above). The building, set on the southeast corner of 70th Street and Park Avenue, was built in 1948. The apartment—which, according to the brokerage Corcoran, once also served as the home of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous host Robin Leach—features two bedrooms and a 775-square-foot terrace that probably served as a garden for green thumb Taylor.

Photo: Reportair
? Taylor went on to marry Mike Todd's best friend, crooner Eddie Fisher. Fisher and Taylor soon purchased a getaway in the Swiss mountain town of Gstaad, which was becoming increasingly popular with jet-setters in the 60s. Taylor entertained a slew of stars at Chalet Ariel, including Julie Andrews, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, and Roger Moore, and retained ownership of the property after divorcing Fisher in 1964.

? Taylor was enamored with the snows of the Swiss Alps, but that didn't keep her from sunning herself on occasion. For those purposes, she and fifth husband Richard Burton splashed out for not one, but two, villas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Joined by a bridge modeled after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice (above), the residences were operated as a bed-and-breakfast, after Taylor sold the property in 1990, before it fell into disrepair.

Photo: dbking/Flickr
? In 1976, Taylor fell in love with Virginia politician John Warner and shacked up with him at his 2,700-acre Atoka Farm and his Georgetown pied-a-terre, a lavish red brick Georgian (above) near the famous Dumbarton Oaks estate. Warner's long hours as a U.S. Senator led to their divorce in 1982, and Taylor soon moved back to the West Coast.

? Since the early '80s, Taylor had been living in this stealthy two-story in Bel Air, Calif. Shrouded in trees and located at the end of a long driveway, the private home looks to be a fitting getaway for the aging starlet. Her bedroom occupied the entire second floor of the house, which is reportedly furnished with 18th-century antiques, Aubusson carpets, and an impressive collection of Impressionist paintings.

? While spending much of her time in L.A., Taylor also kept a house for a time in Palm Springs, a seven-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot spread that she used for frequent entertaining. Today, the house regularly hosts weddings for couples drawn to the celebrity history and stunning grounds of the 1.5-acre property. In 2010, the home changed hands for $5.2M.
· Elizabeth Taylor, Lifelong Film Star, Dies at 79 [NYT]
· Elizabeth's Homes [Dameelizabtehtaylor.com Fansite]
· 715 Park Avenue [Streeteasy]
· The Decline of Casa Kimberly [A Tramp Abroad]
· Elizabeth Taylor Once Called Virginia Home [FairfaxStationPatch]
· SOLD! The Liz Taylor Estate 5.2M [Palm Springs Bank Owned]