Elizabeth Taylor Hospitalized

Actress Elizabeth Taylor has been hospitalized for a recurring back problem that has confined her to bed, it was announced today.

Taylor, 56, was admitted July 25 to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, her spokeswoman, Chen Sam, said in a prepared statement released in New York. “She’s in good condition and is resting comfortably,” hospital spokesman Armen Markarian said. Taylor’s physician, Dr. William Skinner, said X-rays showed a compression fracture of the first lumbar vertebra. The problem has produced lower back muscular spasms for which the actress needs strict bed rest and physical therapy.