Most Popular Elizabeth Taylor Movies

Who doesn’t love Elizabeth Taylor? An Old Hollywood icon through and through, Miss Taylor has been in some fantastic films throughout her very long career. Ignoring her rather drama-filled personal life, there are many popular Elizabeth Taylor movies that are wonderful to watch and have stood the test of time, even today. A stunning actress with a wide range, I’ve always felt that Liz Taylor doesn’t nearly get enough credit for her talent than she deserves. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she’s had quite an interesting life. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t also talented. She was!

Below, I’ve put together the most popular Elizabeth Taylor movies that are still remembered today. As a note, these aren’t the best Elizabeth Taylor movies. Rather, they’re the ones that have stood the test of time and are still quite big today. They’re perfect films to watch for anyone interested in seeing more of Liz Taylor movies, or for those who are looking for popular films to watch that were made back in the day! All movies listed below are feature films that Taylor had a large role in (The Flintstones, as a result, won’t be here), ranked from most popular to least!

The Most Popular Elizabeth Taylor Movies Today

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

• Genre: Drama
• Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
• Directed by: Mike Nichols

The most popular Elizabeth Taylor movie today, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? also happens to be one of her best performances — if not her absolute best. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? tells the story of an academic couple who reveal their deepest secret to a pair of newcomers during an all-night booze fest, per TCM. When the movie was released in 1966, it was a huge success at the box office and grossed about $33.7 million after being made on a $7.5 million budget.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was also praised by critics when it was released. It was nominated for a whopping 13 Academy Awards; it won five. Elizabeth Taylor won an Oscar for her work in the film for Best Actress in a Leading Role, her fifth time nominated and her second time winning (after winning Best Actress for Butterfield 8). It’s still an incredible movie that every movie lover needs to experience at least once!

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

• Genre: Drama
• Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson
• Directed by: Richard Brooks

Truly one of the best movies Elizabeth Taylor ever made, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a riveting story about a dying plantation owner who tries to help his alcoholic son solve his problems. Taylor is 100% at her best here. When the film was released in 1958, it grossed about $17.6 million at the box office after being made on a $2.3 million budget. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was also nominated for six Academy Awards — Taylor was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role — though unfortunately, the movie didn’t take home any wins. However, the film is still considered to be one of the most popular Elizabeth Taylor movies today!

Giant (1956)

• Genre: Drama / Western
• Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Sal Mineo
• Directed by: George Stevens

By far one of the best movies she ever made, Giant also happens to be one of the most popular Elizabeth Taylor movies today. The film follows a Texas ranching family who fights to survive changing times. The cast is stellar, and the movie is still incredibly riveting to watch now. Back when the movie was first released, it was a huge success at the box office and grossed about $39 million. Considering it only cost about $5.4 million to make, Giant made a huge profit!

Giant was nominated for 10 Academy Awards back in 1956, including Best Picture. While George Stevens won for Best Director, Elizabeth Taylor was unfortunately not nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Cleopatra (1963)

• Genre: Biography / Drama / Romance
• Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown
• Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

One of the most iconic Elizabeth Taylor movies — who doesn’t think of her in her Cleopatra outfits? — Cleopatra is still considered to be one of her more popular movies today. The film follows the Egyptian queen Cleopatra as she tries to use her beauty to conquer the Roman Empire. Cleopatra was one of the most expensive movies ever made at the time, mainly because of high production costs and production troubles. It even almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Despite all of this, the movie was a huge success at the box office, grossing about $57.8 million in the US and $40 million worldwide. However, the movie studio still took a loss because of its pricey production and publicity campaigns.

Regardless, Cleopatra was loved by audiences then — and it’s still loved by audiences now! Back in 1963, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, though it only won four Oscars. Taylor, unfortunately, was not nominated for her role as the beautiful Egyptian queen.

A Place in the Sun (1951)

• Genre: Drama / Romance
• Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Raymond Burr
• Directed by: George Stevens

A Place in the Sun tells the story of an ambitious young man who wins an heiress’s heart, though things turn ugly when he has to deal with his ex-girlfriend’s pregnancy. An incredibly tense yet riveting film, A Place in the Sun is still quite popular today — and it also was back when it was first released in 1951. The film grossed about $7 million at the box office and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. It took home six Oscars, including Best Director. While Liz Taylor is exceptional here, she wasn’t nominated for her performance in A Place in the Sun.

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

• Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
• Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift
• Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

While not nearly as popular today as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Suddenly, Last Summer is still considered to be one of the most popular Elizabeth Taylor movies. It also happens to be one of her best performances. I feel like I’ve said that a lot here! Anyways, Suddenly, Last Summer follows a dowager (Hepburn) as she tries to buy a lobotomy to silence the woman (Taylor) who has witnessed her son’s murder. Taylor and Monty Clift are back together here, which is always wonderful. The movie, popular today, was also popular with audiences in 1959, as it grossed about $9 million at the box office!

Suddenly, Last Summer was also nominated for three Academy Awards, including an Oscar nom for Elizabeth Taylor for Best Actress in a Leading Role. However, she didn’t win — though she did win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama that year!

Popular Elizabeth Taylor Movies + More Nostalgic News

Comment below what you think about this list of the most popular Elizabeth Taylor films. What film here is your favorite? Or do you prefer more underrated, less popular Taylor gems that aren’t listed here? Hit the comments below with your thoughts!