# Elizabeth Taylor's Mother Shaped Her Life

> Elizabeth Taylor's mother controlled her career and personal life from childhood.
- Title: Elizabeth Taylor's Mother Shaped Her Life · Vanity Fair
- Summary: Elizabeth Taylor's mother controlled her career and personal life from childhood.
- Keywords: elizabeth taylor, sara sothern, hollywood, childhood, mother daughter, acting career, beverly hills, Vanity Fair
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/elizabeth-taylor-mother
- Author: Estrella Albendea Ruiz
- Published: 2026-11-07T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elizabeth taylor, sara sothern, hollywood, childhood, mother daughter, acting career, beverly hills
## Early Life
Elizabeth Taylor was born in England to an American family in 1932.
## Hollywood Beginnings
Taylor started ballet lessons at age three and made her film debut in 1940.
## Mother's Influence
Sara Sothern pushed Taylor into Hollywood to fulfill her own unfulfilled acting dreams.
## Early Career
Taylor landed her first film role at age 10 in There’s One Born Every Minute.
## Family Tensions
Taylor's father became abusive, causing her lifelong TMJ issues.
## Personal Rules
Sothern taught Taylor she could not sleep with any man until married.
## Childhood Struggles
Taylor described her childhood as lonely after her parents spent all her earnings.
## Key takeaway

Elizabeth Taylor's mother Sara Sothern shaped her early career and life choices.