Elizabeth Taylor wrote Giant.
Elizabeth Taylor . She began receiving better roles in the mid-1950s , beginning with the epic drama Giant ( 1956 ) , and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years . Giant is a 1956 American epic Western drama film , directed by George Stevens from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from Edna Ferber 's 1952 novel . The film stars Elizabeth Taylor , Rock Hudson and James Dean and features Carroll Baker , Jane Withers , Chill Wills , Mercedes McCambridge , Dennis Hopper , Sal Mineo , Rod Taylor , Elsa Cardenas and Earl Holliman .