What are Dame Elizabeth Taylor's major accomplishments?

She would say that her major accomplishments are that she has survived and that she has four children that have grown up well in spite of the unequaled worldwide attention that was focused on her during their childhood.

Dame Elizabeth has of course done much more than survived. She was the first celebrity to lend her name to the battle against HIV/AIDS and not only did she lend her name to the cause, she traveled the world raising money and awareness, and appeared before the US Congress and the UN General Assembly insisting on more government involvement to stem the pandemic.

A partial list of her awards, honors, and accolades as an actor and activist include:

1957
Academy Award nomination, Best Actress - Raintree County
Golden Globe Award, Special Achievement Award

1958
Academy Award nomination, Best Actress - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
BAFTA nomination, Best Foreign Actress - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

1959
Academy Award nomination, Best Actress - Suddenly, Last Summer
Golden Globe Award, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Suddenly, Last Summer

1960
Academy Award, Best Actress - BUtterfield 8
Golden Globe Award nomination, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - BUtterfield 8

1966
Academy Award, Best Actress - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
BAFTA British Film Academy Award, Best British Actress - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Golden Globe Award nomination, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Golden Globe Award, Henrietta Award (World Film Favorites)
National Board of Review Award, Best Actress - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Actress - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1968
BAFTA nomination, Best British Actress - The Taming of the Shrew
BAMBI Award - Hubert Korda Media

1969
Golden Globe, Henrietta Award (World Film Favorites)

1972
Berlin International Film Festival, Silver Bear for Best Actress - Hammersmith Is Out
David di Donatello Award, Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniero) - Zee and Co.

1974
Golden Globe Award nomination, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Ash Wednesday
Golden Globe Award, Henrietta Award (World Film Favorites)

1977
Hasty Pudding Theatricals (Harvard University) - Woman of the Year

1980
Simon Wiesenthal Distinguished Service Award

1981
Special Outer Critics Circle Award; Debut - The Little Foxes
Tony Award nomination, Best Actress (Play) - The Little Foxes

1985
Cecil B. DeMille Award - Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globe Awards)
Commandeur De l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - France
Women in Film Crystal Award

1986
Film Society of Lincoln Center - Gala Tribute

1988
The Legion d'Honneur for her work with amfAR - France

1992
The Prince of Asturias Award for her work with amfAR - Spain

1993
AFI Life Achievement Award
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

1998
Screen Actors Guild - Life Achievement Award

1999
BAFTA Fellowship Award

2000
Dame of the British Empire - United Kingdom
GLAAD Vanguard Award

2001
Presidential Citizens Medal

2002
Kennedy Center Honoree

2005
BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in International Entertainment

Date unknown:
-Humanitarian of the Year from the Starlight Foundation in Los Angeles
-Marian Anderson Award
-Motion Picture Star on the Walk of Fame (6336 Hollywood Boulevard)

And if that is not enough, she is also a bestselling author and the creative force behind the most successful line of "celebrity" fragrances in history.

One might say that Dame Elizabeth Taylor has accomplished more in her career than any other of her contemporaries and certainly more than the "stars" of today.