Christopher Wilding was born into a level of fame few people ever experience. As the son of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor and British actor Michael Wilding, his childhood unfolded alongside movie sets, photographers, famous family friends, and the intense public interest surrounding his mother. Yet unlike Elizabeth Taylor, Christopher ultimately built much of his adult life away from the spotlight.
Born on February 27, 1955, Christopher became Taylor’s second child and her second son. He later developed a career behind the camera, working in photography and film post-production rather than trying to reproduce his parents’ careers as leading actors. He also became a husband and father of three sons.
His story is therefore more than a footnote in Elizabeth Taylor’s biography. From growing up inside one of Hollywood’s most famous families to witnessing his mother’s personal struggles and humanitarian transformation, Christopher had an unusually close view of the woman behind the screen icon.
Who Is Christopher Wilding?
Christopher Wilding, whose full name is commonly given as Christopher Edward Wilding, is the younger son of Elizabeth Taylor and her second husband, Michael Wilding. He was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 27, 1955.
He is one of Taylor’s four children. His older brother, Michael Wilding Jr., shares the same parents, while Liza Todd and Maria McKeown are his sisters through Taylor’s later relationships and family life. Christopher grew up surrounded by extraordinary celebrity, but accounts of the Taylor family suggest his mother made a deliberate effort to protect her children from its more disruptive side.
That distinction helps explain Christopher’s public image today. Although his name remains closely associated with Elizabeth Taylor, he never built his identity around being a conventional celebrity.
Christopher Wilding’s Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Christopher Edward Wilding |
| Known As | Christopher Wilding |
| Date of Birth | February 27, 1955 |
| Age | 71 years old as of 2026 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Mother | Elizabeth Taylor |
| Father | Michael Wilding |
| Brother | Michael Wilding Jr. |
| Sisters | Liza Todd and Maria McKeown |
| Profession | Former film-industry professional, photographer |
| Former Wife | Aileen Getty |
| Wife | Margaret Carlton |
| Children | Caleb, Andrew, and Lowell Wilding |
| Famous For | Being Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding’s son |
His Early Life and Hollywood Childhood
Christopher arrived at a pivotal period in Elizabeth Taylor’s life. By 1955, she was already an internationally recognizable movie star. Taylor had begun acting as a child and developed into one of Hollywood’s most important leading women, meaning Christopher’s early environment was far removed from an ordinary American childhood.
His father, Michael Wilding, was also an established actor. Taylor had married the British star in 1952, following her short-lived first marriage to Conrad Hilton Jr. Their first son, Michael Wilding Jr., was born in 1953, followed by Christopher two years later. Taylor and Wilding eventually divorced in 1957.
Celebrity inevitably followed the children. Nevertheless, Christopher later recalled that his mother tried to protect them from what he called the surrounding “circus.” Biographer William J. Mann has similarly discussed Taylor’s effort to shield her children despite the unavoidable presence of paparazzi.
Who Was Christopher Wilding’s Father?
Christopher’s father, Michael Wilding, was an English actor whose screen career stretched across several decades. Born in England in 1912, he became known for British films before also working in Hollywood.
Michael Wilding was approximately 20 years older than Elizabeth Taylor when they married in February 1952. Their relationship offered Taylor a comparatively stable chapter following her troubled first marriage. She later remembered Wilding positively as a father, even though their marriage did not last.
For Christopher, this meant both sides of his immediate family were connected to acting. Yet he eventually chose a less visible position in entertainment, demonstrating that being born to two actors did not automatically dictate his own professional path.
His Relationship With Elizabeth Taylor
To the public, Elizabeth Taylor was the violet-eyed star of movies such as Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? To Christopher, however, she was first and foremost his mother.
Taylor herself emphasized the importance of motherhood. She had four children—Michael, Christopher, Liza and Maria—and described her children as among the accomplishments that made her proudest. People close to the family have also described Taylor as someone who worked hard to keep her children and later generations connected.
Christopher’s later comments reveal both affection and a clear-eyed understanding of his mother. Speaking about Taylor’s reputation, he has stressed that her extraordinary beauty could sometimes overshadow recognition of her acting ability. He has also suggested that her humanitarian achievements would have been among the parts of her legacy she valued most.
Christopher Wilding’s Siblings
Christopher belongs to a blended family shaped by several chapters of Elizabeth Taylor’s personal life. His full brother is Michael Wilding Jr., Taylor and Michael Wilding’s first son, born in 1953.
After Taylor’s marriage to Michael Wilding ended, she married producer Mike Todd. Their daughter, Elizabeth “Liza” Todd, was born in August 1957. Mike Todd died in a plane crash the following year, leaving Taylor widowed with young children. Taylor later welcomed Maria McKeown through adoption, with Richard Burton subsequently adopting Maria as well.
The siblings took different paths as adults. Michael worked in acting before focusing on sculpture, while Liza became an artist and sculptor. Maria has generally maintained a private life. Their careers illustrate how Taylor’s children largely avoided trying to compete with their mother’s enormous Hollywood profile.
His Education and Path Away From Acting
Detailed, reliably sourced information about Christopher Wilding’s formal schooling and higher education is limited. That gap is important because celebrity biographies often repeat unsupported claims as facts. Where credible documentation is unavailable, it is more accurate to leave the details unconfirmed.
What is much clearer is the professional direction Christopher eventually chose. Instead of pursuing stardom as a leading actor, he worked behind the scenes in entertainment and also pursued photography. ABC News described him as a photographer and film editor, while later accounts have identified work connected with movie post-production.
This path allowed him to remain connected to the creative world familiar to his family without requiring the constant public exposure that defined Elizabeth Taylor’s career.
Christopher Wilding’s Career in Film
Christopher Wilding developed credits on the production side of Hollywood. Sources have associated his film work with projects including Overboard and Tombstone, and he has been described as working in areas such as editing and sound.
Credits for the 1987 comedy Overboard, for example, list Christopher Edward Wilding in post-production. That type of work is far removed from red carpets and starring roles, but it is essential to filmmaking.
Christopher has also worked as a photographer. Taken together, his career choices suggest a sustained interest in visual storytelling and production rather than celebrity itself. He is now reported to be retired from his film career.
Christopher Wilding and Aileen Getty
One of the more widely documented chapters of Christopher’s personal life was his marriage to Aileen Getty, a member of the famous Getty family.
Christopher and Aileen married in 1981. Their marriage connected two families whose names carried enormous public recognition for very different reasons: the Taylor-Wilding family through entertainment and the Getty family through its oil fortune and business history.
The couple had two sons, Caleb Wilding and Andrew Wilding, before their marriage ended. Sources differ slightly on the precise divorce year, with major retrospective coverage commonly placing the end of their marriage in the late 1980s.
His Marriage to Margaret Carlton
Following his marriage to Aileen Getty, Christopher later married Margaret Carlton, sometimes identified as Margi Carlton Wilding. The couple have maintained a considerably lower public profile.
Christopher and Margaret have one son together, Lowell Wilding, giving Christopher three sons in total. People reported that Christopher and his wife were living in Calabasas, California, as of 2016.
The comparative privacy surrounding this stage of his life is consistent with Christopher’s broader public presence. Rather than continually appearing in celebrity media because of his mother’s name, he has generally surfaced when discussing Elizabeth Taylor, her family or her legacy.
Christopher Wilding’s Three Children
Christopher Wilding is the father of Caleb, Andrew and Lowell Wilding. Caleb and Andrew were born during his marriage to Aileen Getty, while Lowell is his son with Margaret Carlton.
They are part of Elizabeth Taylor’s large group of grandchildren. Taylor eventually became a grandmother of 10, and several members of the younger generation have participated in creative work or causes connected to their grandmother.
Lowell, in particular, has been involved in preserving Taylor’s legacy. Recent coverage identifies him among family members connected with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and work involving the Elizabeth Taylor Archive.
This generational involvement demonstrates how Taylor’s legacy now extends far beyond her movies.
The Difficult Family Intervention That Christopher Remembered
Christopher has also spoken publicly about one of his family’s most difficult periods. Following Elizabeth Taylor’s 1982 divorce from U.S. Senator John Warner, her loved ones became increasingly concerned about her use of alcohol and medication.
Christopher recalled that Taylor had genuine physical problems, including serious back pain, but said the family eventually became alarmed enough to stage an intervention. He described the experience as extremely difficult because of his mother’s formidable personality and the family’s fear about what was happening.
Taylor ultimately agreed to seek treatment at the Betty Ford Center. Her willingness to discuss recovery publicly later became another example of her refusal to hide major struggles simply to preserve a polished Hollywood image. Christopher’s recollections add a valuable family perspective to that part of her story.
How He Helps Preserve Elizabeth Taylor’s Legacy
Christopher’s public comments in recent years have increasingly focused on what Elizabeth Taylor represented beyond glamour. Taylor became one of the entertainment industry’s most prominent early advocates in the fight against HIV/AIDS and established the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991.
That humanitarian legacy remains significant within the family. Several of Taylor’s grandchildren have participated in the foundation’s work as ambassadors, trustees or supporters.
Christopher has emphasized that his mother was fearless, open-minded and willing to make decisions according to her own convictions even when those decisions attracted criticism. In 2025, while discussing renewed cultural interest in Taylor, he expressed hope that the way she lived would continue inspiring younger generations.
His comments reveal something important about how the family views her legacy: the famous films and diamonds matter, but her willingness to use celebrity for humanitarian causes may matter even more.
What Is Christopher Wilding’s Net Worth?
There is no reliable, publicly verified figure for Christopher Wilding’s personal net worth. Although various entertainment websites may publish estimates, such figures should not be treated as established facts unless supported by financial disclosures, credible reporting or other verifiable records.
Christopher’s professional history includes photography and film-industry work, while his family background naturally connects him with one of Hollywood’s most famous stars. Neither fact, however, provides enough evidence to calculate his personal wealth.
It is also misleading to treat Elizabeth Taylor’s historical fortune or the Getty family wealth associated with his former wife as Christopher’s own net worth. A responsible biography should keep those finances separate rather than presenting speculative numbers as fact.
Where Is Christopher Wilding Today?
Christopher has maintained a relatively private lifestyle compared with the celebrity world surrounding his childhood. He is retired from his earlier film work, and previous reporting placed him and his wife in California.
He does, however, occasionally speak publicly when the subject involves his mother. In 2025, Christopher commented on renewed interest in Elizabeth Taylor after Taylor Swift referenced the screen legend in her music. He described parallels between the two stars and highlighted his mother’s independence, philanthropy and support for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
Those appearances show that Christopher has not disappeared from public life altogether. Instead, he appears selectively, often providing a family perspective on Elizabeth Taylor that historians, documentaries and fans cannot obtain simply by watching her films.
Christopher Wilding’s Life Beyond a Famous Last Name
Christopher Wilding’s story offers a different perspective on growing up inside Hollywood royalty. Born to Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding, he could easily have pursued celebrity as a career in itself. Instead, much of his professional life unfolded behind the camera through photography and film-related work.
His family story is equally substantial. He is the brother of Michael Wilding Jr. and the half-brother of Liza Todd and Maria McKeown, the former husband of Aileen Getty, the husband of Margaret Carlton, and the father of three sons.
Most importantly, Christopher provides a personal window into Elizabeth Taylor that fame alone cannot offer. His memories reveal a mother who tried to protect her children, faced serious personal struggles, embraced recovery, and eventually transformed her extraordinary visibility into a powerful platform for humanitarian action.
Today, Christopher Wilding remains best known as Elizabeth Taylor’s son, but his life illustrates how a person born into extraordinary fame can choose a quieter identity. His story adds another layer to the Taylor family legacy—one centered less on Hollywood spectacle and more on family, creative work, privacy and preserving the memory of one of cinema’s most enduring icons.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is Christopher Wilding?
Christopher Wilding is the son of Hollywood actors Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding. Born on February 27, 1955, he later worked in photography and behind the scenes in the film industry.
How old is Christopher Wilding?
Christopher Wilding was born on February 27, 1955. He turned 71 years old in February 2026.
Who is Christopher Wilding’s father?
His father was British actor Michael Wilding, Elizabeth Taylor’s second husband. Taylor and Wilding had two sons together, Michael Wilding Jr. and Christopher, before their marriage ended in 1957.
Who is Christopher Wilding’s wife?
Christopher Wilding is married to Margaret Carlton. He was previously married to Aileen Getty, with whom he had two sons.
How many children does Christopher Wilding have?
Christopher has three sons: Caleb Wilding, Andrew Wilding and Lowell Wilding. Caleb and Andrew are his children with Aileen Getty, while Lowell is his son with Margaret Carlton.
What does Christopher Wilding do?
Christopher worked as a photographer and in film production and post-production, including editing-related work. He is now reported to be retired from his film career.
What is Christopher Wilding’s net worth?
Christopher Wilding does not have a reliably verified public net-worth figure. Online estimates should therefore be treated cautiously because his personal financial records are not publicly available.
Is Christopher Wilding still involved with Elizabeth Taylor’s legacy?
Christopher continues to discuss his mother and her legacy on selected occasions. He has particularly highlighted her humanitarianism, independence and pioneering advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS.
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