Dame Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79.

Known in later life for her charity work and love of tweeting, it was her glittering film career as one of the cinema's most beautiful stars many will know her best for.

Although she picked up two Best Actress Oscars for 'BUtterfield 8' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in the 60s, Elizabeth is perhaps most known for her portrayal of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra in 1968.

Not only was the film a big deal for the British-born star in a professional sense, it was also the place where she met Richard Burton - a man who she would have a turbulent relationship with until his death in 1984.

Her cinematic career began to quieten in the late 70s, and in the 1980s she starred in a number of TV series including 'General Hospital' and 'Hotel'.

In 1992 she was credited as the voice of Maggie Simpson in cartoon series 'The Simpsons' - voicing the only word she ever has, "daddy" - and she made a spectacular return to film in 1994 comedy 'The Flintstones' where she played Fred Flintstone's demanding mother-in-law Pearl Slaghoope.

Her final role on television was as the voice of Sarah in 'God, the Devil and Bob'.

Gone but not forgotten, plans have been in the work to do make a big-screen version of Elizabeth's eccentric life - she was married eight times to seven different men - with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angelina Jolie reported to be in the frame.

However, last year she snubbed the plans, writing she was having "too much fun" being alive and a film about her should only be done when she had passed.

She wrote on her twitter page: "Hold your horses world. I've been hearing all kinds of rumours about someone being cast to play me in a film about Richard and myself.

"No one is going to play Elizabeth Taylor, but Elizabeth Taylor herself.

"Not at least until I'm dead, and at the moment I'm having too much fun being alive...and I plan on staying that way. Happiness to all."