Christopher Wilding: Elizabeth Taylor’s Son and Life Behind the Camera
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most photographed women in the world, and her children grew up in the glare of that fame. Her younger son, Christopher Wilding, chose a different path. He did not become a movie star. He did not chase the spotlight. He went to work behind the camera instead, as a photographer, a sound editor and an assistant director, and he built a quiet career on films that millions of people have seen without ever knowing his name was in the credits.
Among the many celebrity stories about the children of famous parents, his is a calm one. There is no scandal at its centre, no public meltdown, no tell-all book. There is a man who was born on his mother’s 23rd birthday, grew up in Hollywood, married an oil heiress, divorced, married again, raised three sons, and retired to a quiet life in California. It is an ordinary life lived in extraordinary circumstances, and that is what makes it worth telling.
This article looks at what is actually known about Christopher Wilding, from his birth in Los Angeles in 1955 to his work on films like Tombstone and Overboard, his family, and where he is now. Where sources disagree, the disagreement is noted, because a careful account should say so rather than pick a side without proof.
Christopher Wilding Quick Facts
- Full name: Christopher Wilding
- Born: 27 February 1955, Los Angeles, California — the same day as his mother’s 23rd birthday
- Parents: Elizabeth Taylor and actor Michael Wilding
- Known for: Photographer, sound editor and assistant director; son of Elizabeth Taylor
- Notable films: Overboard (1987), Tombstone (1993), The Shadow (1994)
- Marriages: Aileen Getty (1981-1989); Margaret Carlton (married after 1989)
- Children: Three sons — Caleb, Andrew and Lowell
- Home: Calabasas, California
- Public profile: Private; retired from film work around 2016
Who Is Christopher Wilding?
Christopher Wilding is the second son of Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood icon, and her second husband, the British actor Michael Wilding. He was born in Los Angeles on 27 February 1955, the same day his mother turned 23. His older brother, Michael Wilding Jr., was born in January 1953, and he later gained two younger sisters: Liza Todd, born in 1957 to Taylor and her third husband Mike Todd, and Maria Burton, adopted by Taylor and her fifth husband Richard Burton.
Unlike his mother, Christopher Wilding did not become an actor. He worked behind the scenes in the film industry, first as a photographer and then as a sound editor and assistant director. His credits include the comedies and action films of the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably Overboard in 1987 and Tombstone in 1993. He retired from film work around 2016 and now lives a quiet life in Calabasas, California, with his wife Margaret Carlton.
He is, by most accounts, a private man who has spoken about his mother only rarely, and always with affection. In interviews with the Hollywood Reporter and with People magazine, he has described her as a devoted mother who worked hard to shield her children from the worst of the press attention, even as she lived her own life in full public view.
Early Life in Hollywood
Christopher Wilding was born into a world that most children never see. His mother was already one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and his father was a well-known British actor. The family lived in Los Angeles, and the children grew up surrounded by film sets, famous visitors, and photographers. Taylor was married eight times in her life, and her children learned early that their mother’s private life was public property.
Taylor and Michael Wilding were married from 1952 to 1957. The marriage ended when Christopher Wilding was two years old, and the children stayed with their mother. Taylor went on to marry Mike Todd, with whom she had Liza, and then Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton, John Warner, and Larry Fortensky. Through all of it, she kept her children close, and she described them more than once as her best friends.
Growing up as the son of Elizabeth Taylor meant growing up with attention that could be warm or cruel, often in the same week. Taylor worked hard to protect her children from the press, and by most accounts she succeeded better than many famous parents do. Christopher Wilding has said that his mother was present, loving, and determined to give her children as normal a childhood as Hollywood would allow. That is not a small thing, given the life she lived.
A Small Step in Front of the Camera
Before he settled into work behind the camera, Christopher Wilding had a brief taste of acting. He is reported to have appeared as a child in The Taming of the Shrew, the 1967 film starring his mother and Richard Burton, when he was about 11 years old. The role was small, and the details are not well documented, but it is the one acting credit that turns up in accounts of his early life.
It did not lead anywhere, and that seems to have been fine with him. His older brother Michael Jr. did try acting, with roles on daytime television and in Dallas, but Christopher Wilding went in the other direction. He was interested in how films were made, not in being watched while they were made. Photography came first, and then sound editing, and then assistant directing. It was a craftsman’s path, and it suited him.
A Career Behind the Camera
Christopher Wilding built his career in the parts of filmmaking that audiences rarely think about. As a photographer, he worked with still images. As a sound editor, he worked on the dialogue, effects and atmosphere that make a film feel real. As an assistant director, he helped keep a production running on schedule. None of these jobs comes with a red carpet, and none of them made him famous. That was the point.
His best-known credits are solid, mainstream films. He worked on Overboard in 1987, the romantic comedy starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, in which a wealthy woman loses her memory and a carpenter convinces her she is his wife. He worked on Tombstone in 1993, the western starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, a film that has become a favourite with audiences over the years. He is also credited on The Shadow in 1994, the pulp adventure film starring Alec Baldwin.
These are not art-house films, and they are not the kind of work that wins awards for the people in the editing room. They are popular, well-made Hollywood films, and they are the record of a working professional who spent decades in the industry without ever needing to be the centre of attention. He retired from film work around 2016, after a career that had lasted for decades.
Marriage to Aileen Getty
In 1981, Christopher Wilding married Aileen Getty, an oil heiress and a member of one of the richest families in America. She was the granddaughter of J. Paul Getty, the oil tycoon, and her family name carried a weight of its own. The marriage brought together two famous families, and it drew the kind of press attention that Christopher Wilding had spent his life avoiding.
The couple had two sons together: Caleb, born in 1983, and Andrew, born in the mid-1980s. The sources disagree on Andrew’s birth year, with some giving 1984 and others 1985, and this article gives both as reported rather than choosing one. The marriage lasted eight years, and the couple divorced in 1989. By the standards of Hollywood marriages, eight years is a long run, and the split was, by most accounts, a quiet one.
Aileen Getty went on to become known for her work in philanthropy and AIDS activism, and she died in 2020. Christopher Wilding has rarely spoken about the marriage in public, and this article does not go beyond what the public record supports. What is known is that the two sons from the marriage grew up largely out of the spotlight, as their father had.
Marriage to Margaret Carlton and Family Life
After the divorce from Aileen Getty, Christopher Wilding married Margaret Carlton. The couple had a son, Lowell, born in the early 1990s. The sources disagree on the year, with some giving 1991 and others 1992, and this article gives both as reported. Lowell is his third child, and the youngest of his three sons.
The family has lived in Calabasas, California, a quiet suburb in the hills north-west of Los Angeles. It is a long way from the Hollywood of his childhood, and it suits the life he has chosen. He has spoken in interviews about his mother, his childhood, and the work of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which he supports, but he has kept his own family life private.
His mother died on 23 March 2011, at the age of 79. She left behind four children, and Christopher Wilding was 56 at the time. In the years since, he has spoken about her with warmth, and he has been involved in keeping her charitable legacy alive. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which she founded in 1991, continues to fund HIV and AIDS work, and her children have supported it.
What His Mother Meant to Him
Christopher Wilding has spoken about his mother in a small number of interviews, and the picture that comes through is consistent. She was, in his telling, a devoted mother who fought to protect her children from the press, even when she could not protect herself. She was also, by his own account, a complicated person, and he has not hidden the harder parts of her story.
In the biography Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon, by Kate Andersen Brower, he revealed that his mother once asked him to help her inject opioids when her hands were too shaky to do it herself. It is a painful detail, and it says a lot about the closeness and the difficulty of their relationship. He has also spoken to the Hollywood Reporter about her legacy, and to People magazine in October 2025, about what it was like to grow up as her son.
What comes through in all of these accounts is affection without sentimentality. He does not present his mother as a saint, and he does not present her as a cautionary tale. He presents her as a mother who loved her children, worked hard, and lived a life that was often very difficult. That is a fairer portrait than most celebrity children give, and it is worth noting.
Common Confusions About Christopher Wilding
Because he is a private man, several errors and mix-ups appear in accounts of Christopher Wilding. It helps to clear up the most common ones.
When was Andrew born? The sources disagree. Some give 1984, others 1985. This article gives both years as reported rather than choosing one, because no single source is clearly more reliable than the other.
When was Lowell born? The same problem applies. Some sources give 1991, others 1992. Both years appear in reputable outlets, so this article notes the disagreement instead of picking a year.
Was he an actor? He had a small reported role as a child in The Taming of the Shrew, but he did not pursue acting as a career. His working life was behind the camera, as a photographer, sound editor and assistant director. Some sites describe him as an actor, which is misleading.
Did he work on Tombstone as an actor? No. His work on Tombstone was in the sound department and as an assistant director, not as a performer. Some biography sites blur the line between crew and cast, but the credits are clear.
Is he still working in film? No. He retired from film work around 2016, according to the reporting that draws on interviews with him and his family. He is now described as retired.
How many children does he have? Three sons: Caleb and Andrew with Aileen Getty, and Lowell with Margaret Carlton. Some sites give the number as two, leaving Lowell out, which is an error.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christopher Wilding
Who is Christopher Wilding?
Christopher Wilding is the younger son of Elizabeth Taylor and her second husband, actor Michael Wilding. He was born on 27 February 1955 in Los Angeles and worked behind the scenes in Hollywood as a photographer, sound editor and assistant director.
What films did Christopher Wilding work on?
His best-known credits include Overboard (1987), Tombstone (1993) and The Shadow (1994). He worked in the sound department and as an assistant director, and he also worked as a photographer.
Who was Christopher Wilding married to?
He was married to oil heiress Aileen Getty from 1981 to 1989, and later married Margaret Carlton. He has three sons: Caleb and Andrew with Getty, and Lowell with Carlton.
How old is Christopher Wilding?
He was born on 27 February 1955, which makes him 71 years old in 2026. He shares his birthday with his mother, who was born on 27 February 1932.
Where does Christopher Wilding live now?
He lives in Calabasas, California, with his wife Margaret Carlton. He retired from film work around 2016 and keeps a private life.
What did Christopher Wilding say about his mother?
He has described her as a devoted mother who worked hard to shield her children from press attention, and he has spoken about her legacy and her charitable work, including the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, in interviews with the Hollywood Reporter and People magazine.
Is Christopher Wilding still in the film industry?
No. He retired from film work around 2016 and is now described as retired. He remains involved in his mother’s charitable legacy but does not work in film.
Conclusion
Christopher Wilding was born into the brightest spotlight in Hollywood and spent his working life standing just outside it. He grew up as the son of Elizabeth Taylor, watched his mother’s marriages and career from the inside, and then chose a craftsman’s life behind the camera, working on the sound and the schedule of films that audiences loved without ever knowing his name.
His story is not one of fame, but of a choice. He could have traded on his mother’s name. He could have tried to become a star. Instead, he learned a trade, did it well for decades, raised three sons, and retired to a quiet life in Calabasas. He married an heiress, divorced, married again, and kept his family out of the press as far as he could.
What he has said about his mother, in the rare interviews he has given, is the most revealing part of the story. She was a devoted mother, a complicated person, and a woman who worked hard to protect her children from the life she lived in public. He does not excuse her, and he does not judge her. He remembers her, and he keeps her charitable work going. For readers who want to check the basic facts about Elizabeth Taylor and her family, a general reference is a good place to start, but the heart of this story is already clear: a son who loved the camera’s work but never wanted to stand in front of it.
