Liberty Lighthouse Journal: DOSSIER: LIV TYLER

“There's no cream that can fix you if you're not beautiful on the inside”.

BORN: July 1^st 1977 in New York City, NY

BIRTH NAME: Liv Rundgren

NICKNAME: Livy

HEIGHT: 5' 9”

Tyler is the only daughter of Bebe Buell, a model, singer, and former Playboy Playmate (Miss November 1974); and Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. Her mother named her after Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann. Liv's ancestry includes Italian, German, Ukrainian, and English. She has three half-siblings: Mia Tyler (born 1978), Chelsea Anna Tyler-Foster (born 1989), and Taj Monroe Tallarico (born 1991). Her maternal grandmother, Dorothea Johnson, founded the Protocol School of Washington.

At age 10 or 11, Liv met Steven Tyler and suspected he was her father when she observed a resemblance between her and Tyler's daughter Mia. When she asked her mother, the secret was revealed. Liv's mother stated that the reason for claiming that Rundgren was Liv's father was that Steven Tyler was heavily addicted to drugs at the time of Liv's birth. Liv stated:

“I didn't read much as a kid. Strangely enough, when I first met my dad, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, I didn't know he was my dad and I fell in love with him. I put his poster on my wall”.

Since learning the truth about her paternity, Liv and Steven have developed a close relationship. They also have worked together professionally, once when she appeared in Aerosmith's music video for “Crazy” in 1993, and again when Aerosmith performed songs in the film Armageddon (1998), in which Liv Tyler starred.

Tyler attended the Congressional Schools of Virginia – Breakwater School and Wayneflete School in Portland, Maine, before returning to New York City with her mother at age 12. She went to York Preparatory in New York City for junior and high school after her mother researched the school to accommodate Tyler's ADHD. She graduated in 1995. During that time she attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California.

Tyler was asked about her youth, and said:

“For me, I didn't get much of a childhood in my teen years because I've been working since I was 14. But that also kept me out of trouble. When everybody was doing acid and partying like crazy. I was at work on a movie in Tuscany … having my own fun, of course, but it was a different kind of thing. I have no regrets. I love the way my life has gone.”

Tyler received her first modeling job at 14 with the assistance of Paulina Porizkova, who took pictures of her that ended up in Interview magazine. Tyler first became known to television audiences when she starred with Alicia Silverstone in the music video for Aerosmith's 1993 song “Crazy”.

Tyler made her feature film debut in Silent Fall in 1994, where she portrayed the elder sister of a boy with autism.

In 1995, she starred in comedy-drama Empire Records. She described it as “one of her best experiences” she has ever had. In the same year, she as cast in a supporting role in Heavy as a young waitress.

Tyler's breakthrough role was the film Stealing Beauty (1996), portraying an innocent, romantic teenager who travels to Tuscany, Italy to intentionally lose her virginity.

Next she appeared in That Thing You Do! (1996). The film was written by Tom Hanks and grossed over $25 million worldwide, receiving good reviews.

In 1997, she appeared in Inventing the Abbotts as the daughter of Will Patton and Barbara Williams. The film was based upon a short story by Sue Miller.

Tyler next appeared in Armageddon (1998), where she played daughter of Bruce Willis and the love interest of Ben Affleck. The film earned $553 million worldwide. The film featured songs by Aerosmith.

She was then cast in Onegin (1999), a film based on the 19^th century Russian novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, co-starring with Ralph Fiennes. Tyler had to master an English accent for the film. In that year she also appeared in the historical comedy Plunkett & Macleane.

Tyler later appeared in two films directed by Robert Altman: Cookie's Fortune (1999) cast with Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Chris O'Donnell, and Patricia Neal and Dr. T & the Women (2000). Cookie's Fortune received acclaim by the critics. Salon.com wrote:

“This is the first time in which Tyler's acting is a match for her beauty (she's always been a bit forlorn). Altman helps her find some snap, but a relaxed, silly snap, as in the cartoon sound she makes when she takes a midday swig of bourbon. The lazy geniality of the movie is summed up by the way Tyler saunters off to take a swim with her cowboy hat and pint of Wild Turkey.”

In 2001, Tyler played the romantic infatuation for three men – Matt Dillon, John Goodman, and Paul Reiser in the comedy One Night at McCool's.

In 2001, she starred in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson. Tyler portrayed the Elf maiden Arwen Undómiel. The film is based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien novel “The Lord of the Rings”. The producers approached Tyler after seeing her performance in Plunkett * Macleane. For the film, she learned to speak Elvish that Tolkien had created. Tyler received praise for her performance.

In 2002, she once again portrayed Arwen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second of the series. Once again she received favorable reviews. She spent months learning sword fighting for the battle scenes, but her scenes were removed after the script was changed. The film was a great box-office hit, earning over $926 million worldwide and out-grossing the first LOTR film, which earned over $871 million.

In 2003, Tyler was cast in the third and last installment of the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kings.

ARMAGEDDON PREMIERE CAST

After the success of The Lord of the Rings series, she appeared with Ben Affleck in a romantic comedy Jersey Girl (2004).

In 2003, she became the spokesperson for Givenchy perfume and cosmetics, and in 2005 the brand named a rose after her, which was used in one of its fragrances.

In 2009, she signed on for two more years as Givenchy spokesperson. In 2011, Givenchy collaborated with Sony Music and released a video in 2012 where Tyler sang the song “Need You Tonight”.

In 2005, she appeared in Lonesome Jim, cast with Casey Affleck as a single mother and nurse. Her next appearance in a supporting role was in Reign Over Me (2007).

In 2008, she starred in the home invasion horror film The Strangers with Scott Speedman.

Tyler appeared in The Incredible Hulk (2008) where she portrayed Dr. Betty Ross with Edward Norton.

In 2011, Tyler appeared in two films: Super and The Ledge. In April of 2011, it was announced that Tyler and her grandmother Dorothea Johnson, an etiquette expert, had written a book called Modern Manners. It was released in 2013.

In 2014, Tyler appeared in Space Station 76, with Matt Borner and Patrick Wilson and also the horror-drama film Jamie Marks is Dead, directed by Carter Smith.

In 2014, Tyler appeared as a regular in the HBO television series The Leftovers. The series ended in 2017.

In 2016, Tyler took a role opposite Bel Powley in the fantasy-horror-drama film Wildling. The film marked her debut as a producer. It was released in 2018.

In 2017, Tyler landed a role in the BBC/HBO miniseries Gunpowder, co-starring Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones). She later joined the second season of Harlots, starring in the second and third series as Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam.

In 2019, Tyler co-starred opposite Brad Pitt in the science-fiction drama Ad Astra.

On June 1^st 2020, Tyler joined her Lord of the Rings costars Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Karl Urban, and Elijah Wood with writer Philippa Boyens and director Peter Jackson in the Josh Gad YouTube series Reunited Apart.

PERSONAL LIFE

Tyler dated Joaquin Phoenix from 1995 to 1998. During that time with Phoenix, she became a vegan, but when the relationship ended, she went back to eating meat. In 1998, she began dating British musician Royston Langdon of the band Spacehog. They became engaged in February 2001 and married in Barbados on March 25^th 2003. In December 2004, she gave birth to a son. In May of 2008, they separated.

In 2010, Tyler stated she was “far too sensitive” for casual dates.

In 2014, Tyler met David Gardner, a British sports and entertainment manager. They became engaged in July 2015. They have two children together: a son, Sailor Gene (born 2015) and a daughter, Lula Rose, born 2016. Tyler temporarily moved to London shortly after her daughter's birth.

Tyler learned transcendental meditation in New York City. Tyler stated at a charity gala for the David Lynch Foundation:

“It (transcendental meditation) helps me make better decisions and be a better mother, and just deal with the daily stress of the modern world that we live in. It helps with everything.”

Tyler bought a townhouse on West 11^th Street in Greenwich Village, NYC for $2.53 million in 2001. (see video below) She sold it in 2019 for $17.45 million because she had been residing with her family in London since 2018. She also owns a house in Malibu, California.

In January of 2021, Tyler tested positive for COVID-19 on New Year's Eve, leaving her bedridden and in isolation for 10 days. She said the virus “comes on fast, like a locomotive”.

Tyler is an active supporter of United Nations Children's Fund (INICEF). She was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States in 2003. In November of 2004, she hosted the lighting of the UNICEF snowflake in New York City.

Since 2004, she has donated to the Women's Cancer Research Fund.

TRIVIA

Chosen by People magazine as one of 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (1997).
Her half-sister, Mia Tyler, is a fashion model for Lane Bryant.
The science-fiction epic Armageddon (1998) opened on her 21^st birthday.
During filming for The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001), she left her pair of prosthetic ears on the dashboard of her car. When she returned, they had melted.
She quit smoking after starting at age 14 (2002).
In 2002, she was voted the 6^th Sexiest Female Movie Star by the Australian Empire magazine.
She did not meet her father until 1988.
Liv has never taken acting lessons.
On a TV documentary about the Lord of the Rings movies, she said she liked delivering her lines when they were in the fictional Elvish language.
Recorded a song for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), but Peter Jackson didn't feel the song was right for the scene, so he put it into the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Since then, Liv stated how much she enjoyed singing and recording having a strong relationship towards music. (I guess so since her father is a famous rock star).
Best friends with Kate Hudson.
Is only eight years younger than Cate Blanchett, but portrayed her granddaughter in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Tyler and her Lord of the Rings castmate John Rhys-Davies have appeared in The Incredible Hulk and The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989).
Considers Todd Rundgren, whom she believed to be her father until she was 10 years old, as her “spiritual dad”.