About the Book
Part memoir and part homage, My Elizabeth offers rare insight into a woman adored by millions but truly known to only a few. As a young man, yet unrecognized photographer Firooz Zahedi fell under Elizabeth’s spell; they became lifelong friends, and the relationship changed his life.
In My Elizabeth, the now-celebrated Zahedi shares with readers his unforgettable photographs of Elizabeth, collected for the first time in book form in this gorgeous volume. My Elizabeth presents a splendid personal tribute in words and images to the iconic Hollywood legend, including images that portray a period of her life that has been little documented. A compelling and moving testimonial to one of the world’s most fascinating women, complete with a preface from columnist Liz Smith and an introduction from Vanity Fair contributor Bob Colacello.
Read the review in Who Magazine
Table of Contents:
Contents: A Letter from Elizabeth Preface: Unmoderated Passion by Liz Smith Foreword: Illuminating Elizabeth by Bob Colacello Introduction: Always, Always by Firooz Zahedi The Embassy Iran New York and Andy Warhol Vienna Washington to Hollywood Bel Air Vanity Fair Amsterdam Cannes Venice The White House Husband Number Nine The Last Sitting The Museum Show Acknowledgments A Brief Chronology Index
About the Author :
Firooz Zahedi was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1949 and attended secondary school in England before moving to the United States in 1969 to study at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. After a short career as a diplomat in Washington, DC, he went on to attend the Corcoran School of Art and graduated with a degree in Visual Communication. He became a photographer for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine and moved to Los Angeles in 1978 with his friend, Elizabeth Taylor, as her personal photographer on a film set. In 1990 he signed a contract with Vanity Fair. His editorial work has appeared internationally on the covers of other magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Town&Country, Glamour, InStyle, Time, Architectural Digest, and Entertainment Weekly. His portraits, fine art photographs, and collages have been shown in prominent galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Basel, London, and Dubai as well as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach. Firooz and his wife divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles, New York, and Palm Beach.
Review :
Friend and acclaimed photographer Zahedi offers a private peek into Taylor's life from 44 into her 70s. Includes the Washington, D.C., years, jaunts in Montauk, New York with Halston and Andy Warhol and intimate photos of her children and stepchildren. There's Taylor making fried chicken, on a boat in Venice, on a trip to Iran. Daily Mail, November 15th, 2016 By 40, Taylor was an icon. Still enchanting men, she was the first actress to shatter Hollywood's notoriously thick glass ceiling: for Cleopatraa film that, ironically, almost bankrupted 20th Century Foxshe was to be paid what was then the astronomical sum of $1 million dollars. Firooz Zahedi's spectacular new book, My Elizabeth, has changed all that. Filled with dazzling images and a wealth of intimate detail, this revealing photographic memoir should be on every coffee table. -- Charles Shyer Vanity Fair, February 16th, 2016 In the photographic memoir My Elizabeth, out March 23, photographer Firooz Zahedi presents a rare glimpse into this lesser-known time of Taylor's life, from age 44 to her death. Over a 35-year friendship with Taylor, Zahedi captured her most private moments on many travels, in her Bel-Air home, and among her famous inner circle: with the Rothschilds, the fashion designer Halston, Michelangelo Antonioni, and her great love Richard Burton. -- Catie L'Heureux, Assistant Editor New York Magazine, The Cut, February 21st, 2016 Photographer Firooz Zahedi's tantalizing new book, My Elizabeth (Glitterati Inc., $75), manages to bring the great lady to life in a way that will make even her most die-hard fans revel in delight and discovery. -- Mayer Rus Architectural Digest, February 1st, 2016 Coming any second from Glitterati Incorporated is photographer Firooz Zahedi's lavish and loving "My Elizabeth," packed with gorgeous, mostly never-seen photos of La Liz, along with a series of essays by Firooz about his long friendship with Taylor. (They met in 1976, while Taylor dallied with Firooz's uncle, Ardeshir Zahedi, the ambassador to Iran.) Firooz's tales and pictures reveal a great deal about the personal, intimate, side of Taylor. That bawdy, earthy, generous woman her friends and family adored. -- Liz Smith NY Social Diary, February 22nd, 2016
