Elizabeth Taylor Dies: 8 Memorable Elizabeth Taylor Moments

She was a Hollywood film legend- known as much for her off-screen private life as her on-screen acting roles. On Wednesday the iconic Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79, leaving behind a vast body of memorable work in the entertainment field, much of it dating back to Hollywood's golden age.

From her youngster role in the movie "National Velvet" to her tongue-in-cheek work on "General Hospital", Taylor never deemed herself "above" taking on a role. In fact, she was lucky enough to be in the position to be able to pick and choose the roles that she actually wanted.

Here is a look at some of Elizabeth Taylor's most memorable roles:

"National Velvet" (1944). Taylor was only 12 years old when she starred as Velvet Brown in this classic movie alongside Mickey Rooney. But a fall from a horse while filming this movie haunted Taylor with lifelong back problems.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958). She and pretty boy Paul Newman sizzled as an unhappy Southern couple trying to find their way to happiness. Taylor starred as "Maggie the Cat," a lonely wife who tries to get to the root of her alcoholic husband's problems.

"Butterfield 8 "(1960). Taylor won her first Oscar for role of Gloria Wandrous in this movie, in which she played opposite hubby Eddie Fisher.

"Cleopatra" (1963). It may have cost a fortune to make- making it a financial flop- but this movie spawned four Academy award wins- and a love affair between Taylor and co-star Richard Burton.

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966). She teamed up with real-life love Burton again for her role in this film as an alcoholic wife.

"General Hospital" (1981)- A longtime fan of the popular soap, Taylor joined "General Hospital" back in 1981 in the role of Helena Cassadine. Sure it was campy- the Cassadine's had a machine that controlled weather- but it was all in good fun. "GH" star Anthony Geary (Luke) recently revealed he and Taylor had an ongoing off-screen relationship. How did we miss that one?

"The Flintstones" (1994)- Taylor played Pearl Slaghoople- Wilma Flintstones' mother- in the live-action version of the popular 1960s animated series. Why, you ask? Hey, if Halle Berry and Rick Moranis could appear in it, why not an actress from Hollywood's golden age?

BFF of Michael Jackson- Sure, they were an odd couple. But Liz and the late King of Pop were the best of friends. She even stopped by his house during his infamous 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. While many of us couldn't relate to their relationship, it seemed to be a match made in heaven.