Elizabeth Taylor’s estate discovered the legendary star secretly and privately visited AIDS patients in their time of need.
Barbara Berkowitz, Taylor’s lawyer and co-trustee, said that as she was putting together the Oscar winner’s archive, new information was unearthed. It was revealed Taylor took her AIDS activism to heart by choosing to dedicate her time to better the lives of AIDS patients, without wanting the cameras to glorify her efforts, according to a recent interview with People, published Aug. 2.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 23: Elizabeth Taylor file photo. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage) Getty Images
“With AIDS, she did some of [her advocacy], obviously, public-facing,” Berkowitz said. “But one of the things we’re finding now as we put together her archive is that she used to visit patients.”
The legendary actress donated her time from the bottom of her heart, not wanting recognition, according to People.
Actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 – 2011) stars in the MGM film, ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof’, 1958. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Tim Mendelson, co-trustee of Taylor’s estate and her executive assistant from 1990 onward, said, “She was happy to be anonymous.”
Speaking about Taylor’s true heartfelt devotion to the cause, he added, “If she showed up for events, obviously that wasn’t private. But AIDS was specific because AIDS wasn’t sympathetic, and so it needed her face to get people to turn around.”
Mendelson went on to say that part of why Taylor co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985 and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991, was because she empathized with AIDS patients facing social stigma.
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 15: Elizabeth Taylor dressed as Cleopatra without the head wear, in a black Fortuny pleated dress with a plunging neckline and a serpent clasp defining the empire waist. (Photo by Bert Stern/Conde Nast via Getty Images)
He noted that she implemented a policy ensuring that 25% of all likeness and image royalties from her estate go to ETAF, which is part of her legacy that continues today.
Taylor’s life was touched by AIDS when she witnessed the devastating effects of the disease within her inner circle of friends, including her “Giant” co-star, Rock Hudson, who died in 1985, according to People.
“She wasn’t photographed because she made it all about the patient and not all about her,” Berkowitz said. (RELATED: ACLU Announces Lawsuit To Protect Black And Transgender Prostitutes’ Right To Give People HIV)
“I used to volunteer at Cedar-Sinai in the pooch program with my big golden retriever, and I was assigned to the AIDS unit,” she recalled. “The patients love to hear that I was associated with Elizabeth. And I would call her afterwards to tell her, just [about their] admiration. They were so grateful to her.”
