As Catherine Holly, a young woman whose story no one wants to hear, Taylor gave one of her most harrowing performances.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), from Tennessee Williams’ play, follows Catherine as she is pressured to forget a traumatic summer, with Katharine Hepburn as her formidable aunt and Montgomery Clift as the doctor caught between them. Taylor plays Catherine’s fragility and her sudden, fierce clarity with equal conviction.
She was nominated for Best Actress for the role, and the film remains a powerful showcase for her dramatic range.
Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.