Hepburn, Audrey

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{{Infobox actor
 
{{Infobox actor
 
| bgcolour = silver
 
| bgcolour = silver
 
| name = Audrey Hepburn
 
| name = Audrey Hepburn
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| image = Hepburn publicity still 1954.jpg
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| image = Charadehepburn.jpg
 
| imagesize = 300px
 
| imagesize = 300px
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| caption = [[Paramount Pictures]] Publicity Still. Circa 1954
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| caption = Hepburn as Regina "Reggie" Lampert in ''Charade''
 
| birthname = Audrey Kathleen Ruston
 
| birthname = Audrey Kathleen Ruston
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| birthdate = [[May 4]], [[1929]]
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| birthdate = May 4, 1929
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| location = [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]
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| location = Brussels, [[Belgium]]
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| deathdate = [[January 20]], [[1993]], age {{age|1929|5|4|1993|1|20}}
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| deathdate = January 20, 1993
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| deathplace = [[Tolochenaz, Switzerland]]
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| deathplace = Tolochenaz, Switzerland
 
| height = 5' 7" (1.70 m)
 
| height = 5' 7" (1.70 m)
 
| othername = Edda Van Heemstra
 
| othername = Edda Van Heemstra
 
| homepage =
 
| homepage =
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| notable role =<!--These have been discussed and decided upon on the talk page. Please do not add or delete without discussing it there first.—>Princess Ann in<br>''[[Roman Holiday]]''<br>Holly Golightly in<br>''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''<br>Eliza Doolittle in<br>''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]''
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| notable role =<!--These have been discussed and decided upon on the talk page. Please do not add or delete without discussing it there first.—>Princess Ann in<br/>''Roman Holiday''<br/>Holly Golightly in<br/>''Breakfast at Tiffany's''<br/>Eliza Doolittle in<br/>''My Fair Lady''
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| academyawards = [[1953]] [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]<br>(''Roman Holiday'')
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| academyawards = 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress<br/>''(Roman Holiday)''
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| spouse = [[Mel Ferrer]]<br>Andrea Dotti
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| spouse = [[Mel Ferrer]]<br/>Andrea Dotti
 
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'''Audrey Hepburn''' ([[May 4]], [[1929]] – [[January 20]], [[1993]]) was an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning [[Actor|actress]], [[fashion model]] and [[humanitarian]].  
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'''Audrey Hepburn''' (May 4, 1929&mdash;January 20, 1993) was an [[Academy Award]] winning actress, a favorite leading lady during an era when the Golden Years of Hollywood were evolving into a New Hollywood genre, and a Humanitarian who traveled extensively to third world countries as Goodwill Ambassador for [[UNICEF]].
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Raised under [[Nazi]] rule during [[World War II]], she trained to be a prima ballerina; however, malnourishment as a child during the war years left her unable to cope with the rigors of dance so she chose a career in acting instead.
  
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Raised under [[Nazi]] rule during [[World War II]], she trained extensively to be a [[ballerina]]. She instead became a leading [[Hollywood]] actress during the [[1950s]] and [[1960s]]. In the [[1970s]] and [[1980s]], she starred in few films and instead devoted her time to being a mother. From 1988 until her death in 1993, she served as a [[UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador]] and was honored with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] for her work. In 1999, she was ranked as the third greatest female star of all time by the [[American Film Institute]] in their list [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars]].
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She personified grace, elegance, and charm as a leading lady during the 1950s and '60s, starring opposite such actors, as [[Cary Grant]], [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Gregory Peck]], in romantic comedies and musicals. She immortalized the role of "Eliza" in ''My Fair Lady'' and "Holly Go Lightly" in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Famed photographer, [[Cecil Beaton]] called her the "embodiment of the feminine ideal."
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In the 1970s and 1980s, she starred in few films, concentrating instead on motherhood. In 1992, she was honored by President [[George H. W. Bush]] with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] for her work with [[UNICEF]].
  
 
==Early life==
 
==Early life==
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Born '''Audrey Kathleen Ruston'''<ref>http://www.thatface.org/3473.jpg</ref> in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]], she was the only child of Joseph Hepburn-Ruston<ref>http://www.audreyhepburn.com</ref>, an [[Anglo]]-[[Irish people|Irish]] banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] aristocrat descended from [[Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette|French nobility]] and [[England|English]] [[monarch|kings]]. Her father later appended the name Hepburn to his surname, and her surname became '''Hepburn-Ruston'''. She had two half-brothers, Alexander and Ian Quarles van Ufford, by her mother's first marriage to a Dutch nobleman. She was a descendant of [[King Edward III]] of [[England]].<ref>http://www.livescience.com/history/ap_royal_roots.html</ref>
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Born '''Audrey Kathleen Ruston''' in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]], she was the only child of Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, an Irish banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat. She was a descendant of [[King Edward III]] of [[England]].
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Hepburn's father's job required the family to travel often between [[Brussels]], [[England]], and [[The Netherlands]]. From [[1935]] to [[1938]], Hepburn attended [[boarding school]] in [[England]]. In 1935, her parents divorced and her father left the family.<ref>http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/audrey-hepburn/31869/biography</ref> She later called this the most traumatic moment of her life. Years later she located him in [[Dublin]] through the [[Red Cross]]. She stayed in contact with him and supported him financially until his death.<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/80s/parade5-5-89pg2.jpg</ref> In [[1939]], her mother moved her and her two half-brothers to [[Arnhem, Netherlands]]. Hepburn attended the Arnhem Conservatory from [[1939]] to [[1945]] where she trained in ballet, in addition to learning a standard school [[curriculum]].
 
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In [[1940]], the [[Nazis]] [[Battle of the Netherlands|invaded Arnhem]]. During the war Hepburn adopted the pseudonym ''Edda Van Heemstra'', modifying her mother's documents to do so, because an "English-sounding" name was considered dangerous. This was never her legal name. The name Edda was a modified version of Hepburn's mother's name, Ella.<ref>[http://www.genealogics.org/histories/9396.text.jpg inactive as of [[September 1]], [[2006]]]</ref>
 
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By [[1944]], Hepburn had become a very proficient ballet dancer. She secretly danced for groups of people to collect money for the underground movement.
 
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After the landing of the Allied Forces on [[D-Day]], things grew worse under the German occupiers. During the [[Dutch famine of 1944|Dutch famine]] over the winter of 1944, the [[Nazism|Nazis]] confiscated the Dutch people's limited food and fuel supply for themselves. Without heat in their homes or food to eat, people in the Netherlands starved and froze to death in the streets. Arnhem was devastated during allied bombing raids that were part of [[Operation Market Garden]]. Hepburn's uncle and a cousin of her mother's were shot for being part of the [[Resistance during World War II|Resistance]]. Hepburn's brother spent time in a German [[arbeitslager|labor camp]]. Suffering from [[malnutrition]], Hepburn developed acute [[anemia]], [[respiratory]] problems, and [[edema]]—a swelling of the limbs.<ref>http://www.ahepburn.com/article6.html</ref>
 
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Hepburn also noted the similarities between her and [[Anne Frank]]. "I was exactly the same age as Anne Frank. We were both 10 when war broke out and 15 when the war finished. I was given the book in Dutch, in galley form, in 1946 by a friend. I read it . . . and it destroyed me. It does this to many people when they first read it but I was not reading it as a book, as printed pages. This was my life. I didn't know what I was going to read. I've never been the same again, it affected me so deeply." If you read the diary, I've marked one place where she says, 'Five hostages shot today'. That was the day my uncle was shot. And in this child's words I was reading about what was inside me and is still there. It was a catharsis for me. This child who was locked up in four walls had written a full report of everything I'd experienced and felt."
 
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One way in which Audrey Hepburn passed the time was by drawing, and some of her childhood artwork can be seen today.<ref>http://www.audrey1.com/gallery/results.php?cat=Audrey+drawings</ref>
 
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When the tanks came in and Holland was liberated, [[United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration]] trucks followed.<ref>http://www.ahepburn.com/work1.html</ref> Hepburn said in an interview that she ate an entire can of condensed milk and then got sick from one of her first relief meals because she put too much sugar in her oatmeal. <ref>http://www.jessicaseigel.com/articles/hepburn.shtml</ref>.
 
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==Early career==
 
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In [[1945]], after the war, Hepburn left the Arnhem Conservatory and moved to [[Amsterdam]], where she took ballet lessons with Sonia Gaskell.<ref>http://audreyhepburn.com/</ref> In [[1948]], Hepburn went to [[London]] and took dancing lessons with the renowned [[Marie Rambert]], teacher of [[Vaslav Nijinsky]], one of the greatest male dancers in history. Hepburn eventually asked Rambert what her future would be. Rampert assured Hepburn that she could continue to work there and have a great career as a [[ballerina]], but that her height, 5'7", coupled with her poor nutrition during the war would keep her from becoming a prima ballerina. Hepburn trusted Rampert's advice and decided to pursue acting, a career which she at least had a chance to excel in.<ref>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/24/lkl.00.html</ref> After Hepburn became a star, Rampert said in an interview, "She was a wonderful learner. If she had wanted to persevere, she might have become an outstanding ballerina."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/50s/time9-7-53pg2.jpg</ref> Unfortunately, Hepburn's mother was working menial jobs to support them. Hepburn had no money and needed to find a paying job. Since she had trained all her life to be a performer, acting was the only sensible career path.
 
  
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Hepburn was chosen to play the lead character in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play ''[[Gigi]]'' that opened on [[24 November]] [[1951]]. The writer [[Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette]] upon first seeing Hepburn reportedly said, "Voilà! There's our Gigi!"<ref>http://www.audrey1.com/articles/articles26.html</ref>  She won a [[Theatre World Award]] for her debut performance, and it had a successful six-month run in [[New York City]].
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Her father's job required the family to travel often between Brussels, [[England]], and [[The Netherlands]], subsequently young Audrey attended boarding schools in England as a child. In 1935, her parents divorced and her father left the family. She called her father's abandonment the single most traumatic event of her young life. Later, after she became a successful star, she located her father through the [[Red Cross]] and supported him financially until his death. In 1939, her mother moved her and her two half brothers, Alexander and Ian, to Arnhem, Netherlands. Their lives would be fraught with difficulty and challenge when War World II broke out in Europe.
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[[Image:Audrey Hepburn 20.jpg|thumb|Hepburn as Princess Ann in her breakthrough film, ''[[Roman Holiday]]'']]
 
  
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Hepburn's first starring role and first American film was opposite [[Gregory Peck]] in the [[Hollywood]] [[motion picture]] ''[[Roman Holiday]]''. Producers initially wanted [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for the role, but director [[William Wyler]] was so impressed by Hepburn's screen test, in which the camera was left on and candid footage of Hepburn relaxing and answering questions was taken, that he cast her in the lead. Wyler said, "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/50s/motionpicture2-54pg4.jpg</ref>  Hepburn would later call ''Roman Holiday'' her dearest movie, because it was the one that made her a star.
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===Nazi Occupation===
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In 1940, the German [[Nazi]]s invaded Arnhem. The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands would be the longest of any European country during the war. Audrey's mother had her take a pseudonym, "Edda" as the name "Audrey" was considered to be "too British" and might attract the attention of the Nazi regime. By 1944, young Audrey, on her way to becoming a proficient ballet dancer, secretly danced for groups in order to raise money for the underground resistance.
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After the landing of the Allied Forces on [[D-Day]], conditions grew worse under the German occupiers. During the Dutch famine over the winter of 1944, the Nazis confiscated the Dutch people's limited food and fuel supply for themselves. Without heat for their homes or food to eat, people in the Netherlands starved and froze to death in the streets. Arnhem was devastated during allied bombing raids that were part of [[Operation Market Garden]]. Hepburn's uncle and a cousin of her mother's were shot for being part of the [[Resistance during World War II|Resistance]]. Hepburn's brother spent time in a German labor camp. Suffering from malnutrition, Hepburn developed acute anemia, respiratory problems, and edema.
  
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==Hollywood stardom==
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In a 1991 interview she compared her life experience during the war to that of [[Anne Frank]]'s:
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[[Image:Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant 1.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Cary Grant]] and Audrey Hepburn in ''[[Charade]]'']]
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<blockquote>I was exactly the same age as Anne Frank. We were both 10 when war broke out. ... I was given the book in Dutch, in galley form, in 1946 by a friend. I read it ... and it destroyed me ... I have memories. More than once I was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. ... We saw reprisals. We saw young men put against the wall and shot, and they'd close the street and then open it and you could pass by again. If you read the diary, I've marked one place where she says, 'Five hostages shot today.' That was the day my uncle was shot. And in this child's words I was reading about what was inside me and is still there. It was a catharsis for me. This child who was locked up in four walls had written a full report of everything I'd experienced and felt.<ref>Scott Harris, [https://www.sun-sentinel.com/la-me-audrey-hepburn-19930121-story.html From the Archives: Audrey Hepburn, Actress and Humanitarian, Dies] ''Sun Sentinel'', January 21, 1993 . Retrieved July 27, 2022.</ref></blockquote>
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After ''Roman Holiday'' she filmed [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''[[Sabrina (1954 film)|Sabrina]]'' with [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[William Holden]]. Hepburn was sent to fashion designer [[Givenchy]] to decide on her wardrobe. When told that "Miss Hepburn" was coming to see him, Givenchy famously expected to see [[Katharine Hepburn]] (who was only distantly related to Audrey through a common ancestor, [[James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell]]<ref>http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/10/06/hepburns/index.html</ref>). He was not disappointed with Audrey, however, and they formed a lifelong friendship and partnership.  During the filming of Sabrina
 
  
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In 1954, Audrey went back to the stage to play the water sprite in ''[[Ondine]]'' in a performance with [[Mel Ferrer]], whom she would wed later that year. During the run of the play, Hepburn was awarded the [[Golden Globe]] for "Best Motion Picture Actress" and the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]], both for ''Roman Holiday''. Six weeks after receiving the Oscar, Hepburn was awarded the [[Tony Award]] for Best Actress for [[Ondine]].  
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Like Anne Frank, who coped with the war through her writing, Audrey found refuge in her artwork. Simple but lovely and colorful portraits of people and flowers can be seen in Hepburn's biography, written by son Sean. Eventually the [[United Nations]] forces entered with their tanks and [[Netherlands|Holland]] was liberated. Many years later, her "Wait Until Dark" director, Terrance Young, who had been a British Army tank commander during the Battle of Arnhem, would joke with Audrey about the possibility of shelling her while she hid with her family. Needless to say, the joy of being liberated overcame the trauma of being under Nazi domination and, in retrospect, Hepburn could find humor in what was once a tumultuous time in her life.
  
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By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but she also came to be regarded as a major style icon. Her [[gamine]] and [[elfin]] appearance and widely recognised sense of [[chic (style)|chic]] were both admired and imitated. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe - World Film Favorite - Female.
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==Career==
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In 1948, after the war, Hepburn left Arnhem and eventually settled in [[London]] where she took dance lessons with the renowned [[Marie Rambert]], teacher of [[Vaslav Nijinksy]], one of the greatest male ballet dancers in history. Rambert discouraged her from pursuing dancing as a career due to her height (5' 7") which would make it difficult to find leading male dancers and also because of her lack of muscle tone, a result of her poor nutrition during the war years. Although from a patrician background, Audrey's mother was forced to work menial jobs to support her children so Audrey chose an acting career as the more likely path towards earning a living.
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[[File:Audrey Hepburn screentest in Roman Holiday trailer.jpg|thumb|300px|Audrey Hepburn's screen test for ''Roman Holiday'']]
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Hepburn had a number of minor roles in British films, but her first real break came when she was chosen to play the lead character in the Broadway play ''Gigi'' that opened in November, 1951, in New York. The writer, [[Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette]] exclaimed upon first seeing Hepburn playing a bit part in ''Monte Carlo Baby'', "Voila! There's our Gigi!," and, as is often said of Hollywood legends, the rest is history. She won a Theatre World Award for her debut performance.
  
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Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, Audrey Hepburn co-starred with other major actors such as [[Fred Astaire]] in ''[[Funny Face]]'', [[Maurice Chevalier]] and [[Gary Cooper]] in ''[[Love in the Afternoon (1957 film)|Love in the Afternoon]]'', [[George Peppard]] in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', [[Cary Grant]] in the critically acclaimed hit ''[[Charade]]'', [[Rex Harrison]] in ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'', [[Peter O'Toole]] in ''[[How to Steal a Million]]'', and [[Sean Connery]] in ''[[Robin and Marian]]''. Gregory Peck became a lifelong friend. After her death, Peck went on camera and tearfully recited her favorite poem, "Unending Love" by [[Rabindranath Tagore]].<ref>http://audrey1.com/poems.html</ref> Some believe Bogart and Hepburn did not get along, but this is untrue. Bogart got along better with Hepburn than anyone else on set. Hepburn later said, "Sometimes it's the so-called 'tough guys' that are the most tender hearted, as Bogey was with me."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/90s/filmfestpg1.jpg</ref>
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Hepburn's first starring role and first [[United States|America]]n film was opposite Gregory Peck in the Hollywood motion picture, ''Roman Holiday.'' [[William Wyler]], the director was considering [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for the role but was impressed with Audrey Hepburn's screen test, which captured candid footage of her acting naturally while answering questions. Wyler said, "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent." Hepburn called ''Roman Holiday'' one of her favorite films because it was the one that launched her on the path towards stardom.
  
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''[[Funny Face]]'' in 1957 was Hepburn's favorite movie to film because she got to dance with [[Fred Astaire]]. ''[[The Nun's Story]]'' in 1959 was one of Hepburn's most daring roles, and one of her favorites since it was so socially relevant.
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===Hollywood stardom===
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[[File:Audrey Hepburn 1956.jpg|thumb|300px|Photo of Audrey Hepburn by Bud Fraker, 1956]]
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After ''Roman Holiday'' she filmed [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''Sabrina'' with [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[William Holden]] It was during the making of this movie that Audrey went to see [[Hubert de Givenchy]], the famed fashion designer, about her wardrobe fitting. He was expecting to see [[Katharine Hepburn]], confusing the names of the two stars, but had an immediate rapport with Audrey. Their collaboration over fashions and their friendship would span more than thirty years.  
  
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[[Image:Bataudrey.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Hepburn as Holly Golightly with [[Orangey]] the Cat in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'']]
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In 1954, Audrey went back to the stage to play the water sprite in ''Ondine'' performing opposite [[Mel Ferrer]], whom she would wed that same year. It turned out to be a watershed year for the actress; she would go on to win the Academy Award for ''Roman Holiday'' and the Tony Award for Best Actress for ''Ondine,'' a dual honor that is not-oft repeated in the annals of Hollywood history.
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Hepburn's performance as "Holly Golightly" in 1961's ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'' resulted in one of the most iconic characters in 20th Century American cinema. Hepburn called the role, "the jazziest of my career."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/bat/screenstories10-61pg11.jpg</ref> Asked about the acting challenge of the role, Hepburn said, "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/mfl/mflscrapbkpg25.jpg</ref> She wore trendy clothing designed by her and Givenchy and added blonde streaks to her brown hair, a look that she would keep off-screen as well.  
 
  
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Hepburn had cemented herself as one of Hollywood's greatest actresses, right alongside [[Marilyn Monroe]]. In fact, Monroe was not the only one to sing "[[Happy Birthday Mr. President]]" to [[President John F Kennedy]]. For JFK's next birthday in 1963, Hepburn did the honors. Despite her stardom, Hepburn retained her humility throughout life. She preferred a more quiet living with family and nature. She lived in houses, not mansions, and she loved to garden.  
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By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but she also came to be regarded as a major style icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognized sense of chic were both admired and imitated. The simple themes of her movies appealed to a wide audience. In 1955, she was awarded the [[Golden Globe]] for World Film Favorite&mdash;Female.
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[[Image:Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant 1.jpg|right|thumb|400px|[[Cary Grant]] and Audrey Hepburn in ''Charade'']]
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Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, Audrey Hepburn co-starred with other major actors such as Fred Astaire in ''Funny Face'', [[Maurice Chevalier]] and Gary Cooper in ''Love in the Afternoon'', [[George Peppard]] in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'', Cary Grant in the critically acclaimed hit ''Charade'', [[Rex Harrison]] in ''My Fair Fair Lady'', [[Peter O'Toole]] in ''How to Steal a Million'', and [[Sean Connery]] in ''Robin and Marian''. Many of these leading men developed close friendships with her. Gregory Peck, after her death, went on camera, and recited one of her favorite poems, ''Unending Love'' by [[Rabindranath Tagore]]. Hepburn was noted by her co-stars to be hard working, disciplined, and professional.
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''Funny Face'' in 1957, (see [[George Gershwin]]) was another one of Hepburn's favorite films because she had the opportunity to exhibit her dancing prowess opposite co-star Fred Astaire.  
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''The Nun's Story'' in 1959, was one of her most daring roles, and another favorite because it was socially relevant, and devoid of the glamorous trappings of her other films.
  
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Hepburn starred in 1964's ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' which was said to be the most anticipated movie since ''[[Gone With The Wind]]''.<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/mfl/soundstage12-64pg27.jpg]</ref> Hepburn was cast as Eliza Doolittle instead of then-unknown [[Julie Andrews]], who had originated the role on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. The decision not to cast Andrews was made before Hepburn was cast for the role. Hepburn initially refused the role and asked [[Jack Warner]] to give it to Andrews, but when they informed her that it would either be her or [[Elizabeth Taylor]], who was vying for the role, she decided to take the part. According to an article in Soundstage magazine, "everyone agreed that if Julie Andrews was not to be in the film, Audrey Hepburn was the perfect choice."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/mfl/soundstage12-64pg27.jpg</ref> Julie Andrews had yet to make ''[[Mary Poppins (1964 film)|Mary Poppins]]'', which was released within the same year as ''My Fair Lady''. Gene Ringgold said, "Audrey Hepburn is magnificent. She is Eliza for the ages."<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/mfl/soundstage12-64pg27.jpg</ref>
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===My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's===
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[[File:Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.jpg|thumb|400px|Audrey Hepburn in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'']]
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Hepburn's performance as "Holly Golightly" in 1961's ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' resulted in one of the most iconic characters in 20th Century American cinema. Hepburn called the role, "the jazziest of my career." Asked about the acting challenge of playing the dreamy and ditzy New Yorker, Holly Golightly, Hepburn said, "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did." The character of Holly Golightly and the real-life Audrey Hepburn, could not have been more different. [[Henry Mancini]], composer of many of Hepburn's film's soundtracks, said that the song, ''Moon River'', which she sang undubbed in the movie, was written with her in mind. "It suited her sad, wistful nature." She was beguiling in designer dresses inspired by de Givenchy.
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[[File:Harry Stradling-Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.jpg|thumb|300px|Harry Stradling, Sr. (cinematographer) and Audrey Hepburn on the set of ''My Fair Lady'']]
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Hepburn's next starring role and one with some controversy, was in ''My Fair Lady'', said to be the most anticipated movie since ''Gone With the Wind'' (1964). Hepburn was cast as "Eliza Doolittle," the street peddler who is taken in under Professor Higgin's tutelage on a bet that he can transform her from street urchin to high society "lady." [[Julie Andrews]] had originated the role on Broadway and the press played up a rivalry between the two stars during the Academy Awards season later that year. Regardless of whether she deserved the part or not, Hepburn received excellent reviews for her work. Movie critic Gene Ringgold said of her performance, "Audrey Hepburn is magnificent. She is Eliza for the ages." Despite any supposed rivalry, the stars reportedly got along well. Julie Andrews proceeded to win "Best Actress" for Mary Poppins that year.
  
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[[Image:fairladycover.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|''DVD cover of [[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'']]
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From 1967 onward, after fifteen highly successful years in film, Hepburn acted only occasionally.
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''Two For The Road'', directed by [[Stanley Donen]] and also starring [[Albert Finney]] was a non-linear and innovative movie about divorce. ''Wait Until Dark'' in 1967, co-starring [[Richard Crenna]], was a difficult film to do. Produced by husband Mel Ferrer, he and Hepburn were on the verge of divorce throughout the production. The movie, an edgy thriller in which Hepburn played the part of a blind woman being stalked, was another one for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Hepburn's last starring role in a cinematic film was with [[Ben Gazzara]] in the comedy ''They All Laughed'', directed by [[Peter Bogdanovich]]. Although a critical success, the film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Bogdanovich's girlfriend, [[Dorothy Stratten]].
  
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The controversy over Hepburn's casting reached its height at the 1964-65 [[Academy Awards]] season, when Hepburn was not nominated for best actress while Andrews was nominated for ''Mary Poppins''. The media tried to play up the rivalry between the two actresses as the ceremony approached, even though both women denied such bad feelings existed and got along well. Julie Andrews won "Best Actress" at the ceremony.
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==Marriages and Motherhood==
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Hepburn's marriage to Mel Ferrer lasted for fourteen years, ending in 1968. Motherhood did not come easily to her, most likely due to the poor nutrition she received as a child during the war. She suffered three miscarriages, the first in March of 1955, and one in 1959. Her son Sean was born in 1960. She suffered her final miscarriage in 1965. Her marriage to Ferrer soon ended with her son later commenting, "She stayed in the marriage too long."
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[[File:Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wolders.png|thumb|300px|Hepburn and her partner Robert Wolders at the White House in 1981]]
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In 1969, Hepburn married Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist, after meeting him on a Greek cruise. In 1970, when she was pregnant with her second son, Luca, she was confined to bed rest and spent much of her time painting. The marriage lasted 13 years. Both of Hepburn's marriages were plagued by infidelities and were shadowed, also, by her own broken relationship with her father. Nevertheless, motherhood was a high priority to her; she seemed to regard it as a way to heal her own childhood.
  
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''[[Two For The Road]]'' was a non-linear and innovative movie about [[divorce]]. Director [[Stanley Donen]] said that Hepburn was more free and happy than he had ever seen her, and he accredited that to [[Albert Finney]].<ref>http://audreyhepburnlibrary.com/60s/screenland12-67pg6.jpg</ref> ''[[Wait Until Dark]]'' in 1967 was a difficult film to do. It was an edgy thriller in which Hepburn played the part of a blind woman being terrorized. In addition, it was produced by [[Mel Ferrer]] and filmed on the brink of their divorce. Hepburn is said to have lost 15 pounds under the stress. On the bright side, she found co-star [[Richard Crenna]] to be very funny, and she had a lot to laugh about with director [[Terence Young]]. They both joked that he had shelled his favorite star 23 years before; Terence Young had been a British Army tank commander during the [[Battle of Arnhem]]. Hepburn's performance was nominated for an Academy Award.
+
At the time of her death, she was the companion of Robert Wolders, a former actor and the widower of actress, Merle Oberon. Although, they never married they were both dedicated co-workers and partners who planned many [[UNICEF]] trips together. Wolders was present at every speech given by Hepburn as UNICEF spokesperson, and sometimes shed tears as well.
−
 
 
−
From 1967 onward, after fifteen highly successful years in film, Hepburn acted only occasionally. After her divorce from first husband [[Mel Ferrer]], she married Italian [[psychiatrist]] Dr. Andrea Dotti and had a second son, after a difficult pregnancy that required near-total bed rest. After her eventual separation from Dotti, she attempted a comeback, co-starring with [[Sean Connery]] in the period piece ''[[Robin and Marian]]'' in 1976, which was moderately successful. She reportedly turned down the tailor-made role of a former ballet dancer in ''[[The Turning Point]]''. ([[Shirley MacLaine]] got the part.) Hepburn finally returned to cinema in 1979, taking the leading role in ''Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline''. Author [[Sidney Sheldon]] revised his novel when it was reissued to tie into the film, making Hepburn's character older to better match the actress' age. The film was a critical and box office failure.
 
−
 
 
−
Hepburn's last starring role in a cinematic film was with [[Ben Gazzara]] in the comedy ''[[They All Laughed]]'', directed by [[Peter Bogdanovich]]. Although a critical success, the film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Bogdanovich's girlfriend, [[Dorothy Stratten]]; the film was released after Stratten's death but played only limited runs.
 
−
 
 
−
Hepburn's last film role, a cameo appearance, was of an angel in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Always (film)|Always]]'', filmed in 1988. This film was also only moderately successful. In the final months of her life Hepburn completed two entertainment-related projects: she hosted a television documentary series entitled ''[[Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn]]'', which debuted on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] the day of her death, and she also recorded a spoken word album, ''[[Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales]]'' featuring readings of classic children's stories, which would win her a posthumous [[Grammy Award]].
 
−
 
 
−
She has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1652 Vine Street.
 
−
 
 
−
==Marriages, family, and later life==
 
−
 
 
−
[[Image:Audrey Hepburn2.jpg|thumb|Hepburn in 1963's ''[[Charade]]'']]
 
−
Hepburn did marry, twice: to American actor [[Mel Ferrer]] and to an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti, and had a son with each&mdash;Sean in [[1960]] by Ferrer, and Luca in [[1970]] by Dotti.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
She married him on [[25 September]] [[1954]]. Before having their first child, Hepburn had two miscarriages, the first of which was in March of 1955. In 1959, while filming [[The Unforgiven]], Hepburn broke her back after falling off a horse onto a rock. She spent weeks in the hospital and later had a miscarriage that was probably induced by the physical and mental stress. While she was resting at home, Mel Ferrer brought her the fawn from the movie ''[[Green Mansions (film)|Green Mansions]]'' to keep as a pet. They called him Ip, short for Pippin. In 1965, she had another miscarriage. Hepburn was much more careful when she was pregnant with Luca in 1969; she rested for months and passed the time by painting. Luca was delivered by [[Caesarean section]]. Hepburn had her final miscarriage in 1974. <ref>http://www.audrey1.com/grahamspage/biography-page2.html</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
The marriage to Ferrer lasted 14 years until [[5 December]] [[1968]]; their son was quoted as saying Hepburn stayed in the marriage too long. In the later years of the marriage, Ferrer was rumored to have had a girlfriend on the side, while Hepburn had an affair with her handsome ''[[Two for the Road]]'' co-star, [[Albert Finney]]. After the marriage fell apart, Hepburn met Italian [[psychologist]] Andrea Dotti on a cruise and fell in love with him on a trip to Greek ruins. She believed she would have many children, and possibly stop working. She married him on [[18 January]] [[1969]]. Although Dotti loved Hepburn and was well-liked by Sean, who called him "fun," Dotti had affairs with younger women. The marriage lasted 13 years and ended in [[1982]] after Luca and Sean were old enough to handle life with a single mother.
 
−
 
 
−
Hepburn had several pets, including a [[Yorkshire Terrier]] named Mr. Famous, who was hit by a car and killed. To cheer her up, Mel Ferrer got her another Yorkshire named Assam of Assam. She also kept Ip the [[deer|fawn]] as a pet; they made a bed for him out of a bathtub. Sean Ferrer had a [[Cocker Spaniel]] named Cokey. When Hepburn was older, she had two [[Jack Russell Terrier]]s.
 
−
 
 
−
At the time of her death, she was the companion of [[Robert Wolders]], a handsome Dutch actor who was the widower of film star [[Merle Oberon]]. She met Wolders through a friend, in the later stage of her marriage to Dotti. Six months later, they met again for a drink, which turned into dinner. They fell in love, and after Hepburn's divorce from Dotti was final, she and Wolders started their lives together, although they never married. In 1989, after nine years with him, she called them the happiest years of her life. "Took me long enough," she said in an interview with [[Barbara Walters]]. Walters also asked why she never married Wolders. Hepburn replied that they were married, just not formally. Hepburn and Wolders planned the UNICEF trips together. At every one of her moving speeches, Wolders would watch and sometimes shed tears.
 
  
 
==Work for UNICEF==
 
==Work for UNICEF==
−
Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a special ambassador to the [[United Nations Children's Fund]] (UNICEF). Grateful for her own good fortune after being a victim of the [[Nazism|Nazi]] occupation as a child, she dedicated the remainder of her life to helping impoverished children in the world's poorest nations. Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages; she spoke [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[English language|English]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Flemish (linguistics)|Flemish]], and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. She learned Italian while living in Rome. She learned Spanish on her own, and there is UNICEF footage of her in Mexico speaking fluent Spanish to locals.  
+
[[File:Audrey Hepburn in Nederland ter gelegenheid van de Danny Kaye Award, samen met, Bestanddeelnr 934-5055 (cropped).jpg|thumb|350px|Hepburn receiving UNICEF's International Danny Kaye Award for Children in 1989]]
 +
Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund ([[UNICEF]]). Due to the losses in her own childhood, she was very cognizant of how important a good childhood was to emotional fulfillment later. She observed in children that they were not just hungry physically, as they certainly were in countries plagued by famine, but they were hungry emotionally as well. She dedicated the rest of her life to helping the children of the world's poorest nations. Those close to her say that the thoughts of dying, helpless children consumed her for the rest of her life.
  
−
Though she had done work for UNICEF in the [[1950s]], starting in 1954 with radio presentations, this was a much higher dedication. Those close to her say that the thoughts of dying, helpless children consumed her for the rest of her life. Her first Field Mission was to [[Ethiopia]] in 1988. She visited an orphanage in [[Mek'ele]] with 500 starving children and had UNICEF send food. Of the trip, she said:
+
Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages. In addition to English, she spoke French, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish. Her first Field Mission was to [[Ethiopia]] in 1988. Next, she traveled to [[Turkey]] on a successful immunization campaign.
  
−
:"I have a broken heart. I feel desperate. I can't stand the idea that two million people are in imminent danger of starving to death, many of them children, [and] not because there isn't tons of food sitting in the northern port of Shoa. It can't be distributed. Last spring, Red Cross and UNICEF workers were ordered out of the northern provinces because of two simultaneous civil wars.
+
In October of that year, she toured the South American countries, [[Venezuela]] and [[Ecuador]]. She reported her findings to United States Congress:
 +
:''"I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shantytowns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle&mdash;and the miracle is UNICEF.''"
  
−
:"I went into rebel country and saw mothers and their children who had walked for ten days, even three weeks, looking for food, settling onto the desert floor into makeshift camps where they may die. Horrible. That image is too much for me. The "Third World" is a term I don't like very much, because we're all one world. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering."<ref>http://audrey1.com/unicef/index.html</ref>
+
Hepburn toured [[Central America]] in February, 1989, and met with chiefs in [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], and [[Guatemala]]. In April, Hepburn visited [[Sudan]] with Robert Wolders as part of a mission called "Operation Lifeline." Due to civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. The mission was to ferry food to southern Sudan. Hepburn reported her findings saying:
  
−
In August of 1988, Hepburn went to [[Turkey]] on an immunization campaign. She called Turkey ''"The most lovely example"'' of UNICEF's capabilities. Of the trip, she said:
+
:''"I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution&mdash;peace."''
  
−
:"The army gave us their trucks, the fishmongers gave their wagons for the vaccines, and once the date was set, it took ten days to vaccinate the whole country. Not bad."  
+
In October, Hepburn and Wolders went to [[Bangladesh]]. John Isaac, a UN photographer, said, "Often the kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them33other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. Children would just come up to hold her hand, touch her&mdash;she was like the Pied Piper."
  
−
In October, Hepburn went to [[South America]]. In [[Venezuela]] and [[Ecuador]], Hepburn told Congress:
+
In October of 1990, Hepburn went to [[Vietnam]] in an effort to collaborate with the government for national UNICEF-supported immunization and clean water programs.  
−
 
 
−
:"I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shantytowns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle -- and the miracle is UNICEF. I watched boys build their own schoolhouse with bricks and cement provided by UNICEF."
 
−
 
 
−
Hepburn toured [[Central America]] in February, 1989, and met with chiefs in [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], and [[Guatemala]]. In April, Hepburn visited [[Sudan]] with Robert Wolders as part of a mission called "Operation Lifeline." Due to civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. The mission was to ferry food to southern Sudan. Hepburn said:
 
  
−
:"I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution — peace."
+
In September of 1992, four months before her passing, Hepburn's final tour of duty was to [[Somalia]]. Hepburn called it "apocalyptic" and said:
  
−
In October, Hepburn and Wolders went to [[Bangladesh]]. John Isaac, a UN photographer, said, "Often the kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them. I had never seen that. Other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. Children would just come up to hold her hand, touch her — she was like the Pied Piper."
+
:''"I walked into a nightmare. Along the road,33near every camp&mdash;there are graves everywhere.''"
  
−
In October of 1990, Hepburn went to [[Vietnam]] in an effort to collaborate with the government for national UNICEF-supported immunization and clean water programs.  
+
Though filled with rage and sorrow over what she witnessed in these countries, Hepburn kept hope until the end of her life. She believed that,
  
−
In September of 1992, 4 months before her passing, Hepburn went to [[Somalia]]. Hepburn called it "apocoplyptic" and said:
+
:''"Taking care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics."''
  
−
:"I walked into a nightmare. I have seen famine in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, but I have seen nothing like this — so much worse than I could possibly have imagined. I wasn't prepared for this."
+
==Final year==
 +
In the final months of her life Hepburn completed two entertainment-related projects: she hosted a television documentary series entitled ''Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn'', which debuted on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] the day of her death, and she also recorded an album, ''Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales'' featuring readings of classic children's stories, which would win her a posthumous [[Grammy Award]].
  
−
:"The earth is red — an extraordinary sight — that deep terra-cotta red. And you see the villages, displacement camps and compounds, and the earth is all rippled around them like an ocean bed. And those were the graves. There are graves everywhere. Along the road, around the paths that you take, along the riverbeds, near every camp — there are graves everywhere."
+
In late 1992, Hepburn began to feel pains in her abdomen, which turned out to be a rare form of cancer that originated in the appendix. Hepburn had surgery in a Los Angeles hospital, but the cancer continued to spread and doctors decided that another surgery would not help. (Hepburn had been a lifelong smoker. That addiction may have come to her at great cost; studies have found that women who smoke are forty percent more likely to die from [[colorectal cancer]] than women who never have smoked.<ref>Inger T. Gram et al., [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7368133/ Smoking-Related Risks of Colorectal Cancer by Anatomical Subsite and Sex] ''Am J Epidemiol.'' 189(6) (June 2020): 543–553. Retrieved July 27, 2022.</ref>
  
−
Though forever scarred by what she had seen, Hepburn still had hope:
+
Hepburn died of colorectal cancer on January 20, 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, [[Switzerland]], and was interred there. She was 63.
  
−
:"Taking care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics."
+
==Legacy==
 +
Audrey Hepburn to this day is a beauty and fashion icon. She has often been called one of the most beautiful women of all time.
  
−
:"Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles is not a realist. I have seen the miracle of water which UNICEF has helped to make a reality. Where for centuries young girls and women had to walk for miles to get water, now they have clean drinking water near their homes. Water is life, and clean water now means health for the children of this village."
+
Hepburn attributed much of her success to having good screen writers and directors. Upon receiving the [[Screen Actors Guild]] Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, she stated, "I was born with something that appealed to an audience at that particular time33I acted instinctively. I've had one of the greatest schools of all&mdash;a whole row of great, great directors." Her son, Sean, in his biography of his mother said of her talent, "It's what came across between the lines,33the speech of her heart and the inflection of pure intentions."
  
−
:"People in these places don't know Audrey Hepburn, but they recognize the name UNICEF. When they see UNICEF their faces light up, because they know that something is happening. In the Sudan, for example, they call a water pump UNICEF."''
+
Audrey Hepburn won the 1953 [[Academy Award]] for Best Actress for ''Roman Holiday''. She was nominated for Best Actress four more times; for ''Sabrina'', ''The Nun's Story'', ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and ''Wait Until Dark''.
  
−
In 1992, President [[George H. W. Bush|George Bush]] presented her with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in recognition of her work with UNICEF, and the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] awarded her [[The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]] for her contribution to humanity. This was awarded posthumously, and her son accepted the award on her behalf.  
+
For her 1967 nomination, the Academy chose her performance in ''Wait Until Dark'' over her critically acclaimed performance in ''Two For The Road''. She lost to [[Katharine Hepburn]] (in ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'').
  
−
In 2006, the [[Sustainable Style Foundation]] inaugurated the ''Style & Substance Award in Honor of Audrey Hepburn'' to recognize high profile individuals that work to improve the quality of life for children around the world. The first award was given to Ms. Hepburn posthumously and received by the ''Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund''.
+
Audrey Hepburn was one of the few people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an ,and a Tony Award.
  
−
==Cancer==
+
* [[Academy Award]]: Best Actress for ''Roman Holiday'' (1954)
−
In late 1992, Hepburn began to feel pains in her abdomen, which turned out to be a rare form of cancer that originated in the appendix. Hepburn had surgery in a [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] hospital, but the cancer continued to spread and doctors decided that another surgery would not help. (Hepburn had been a lifelong smoker. That addiction may have come to her at great cost; studies have found that women who smoke are more than 40% more likely to die from [[colorectal cancer]] than women who never have smoked.<ref>http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Smoking_Linked_to_Increased_Colorectal_Cancer_Risk.asp</ref>)
+
* [[Tony Award]]: Best Actress for ''Ondine'' (1954) and Special Achievement award (1968).
 +
* [[Grammy Award]]: Best Spoken Word Album for Children (1993) for ''Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales'' (posthumous).
 +
* [[Emmy Award]]: Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming (1993) for the "Flower Gardens" episode of her documentary series, ''Gardens of the World'' (posthumous).
  
−
Hepburn died of colorectal cancer on [[20 January]] [[1993]], in [[Tolochenaz]], [[Vaud]], [[Switzerland]], and was interred there. She was 63.
+
In addition, Hepburn won the Henrietta Award in 1955, for the world's favorite actress and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1990. <ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/awards Audrey Hepburn: Awards] ''Internet Movie Database''. Retrieved July 27, 2022.</ref>
  
−
==Enduring popularity==
+
In 1960, she was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for her work in motion pictures. Her star is at 1652 Vine Street.<ref>[https://walkoffame.com/audrey-hepburn/ Audrey Hepburn] ''Hollywood Walk of Fame''. Retrieved July 27, 2022.</ref>
  
−
Audrey Hepburn to this day is a beauty and fashion icon. She has often been called one of the most beautiful women of all time.<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/31/1085855500521.html</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3763887.stm</ref> Her fashion styles also continue to be popular among women.<ref>http://www.factio-magazine.com/specialfeatures/des__Audrey.cfm</ref> Contrary to her recent image, although Hepburn did enjoy fashion, she did not place much importance on it. She preferred casual, comfortable clothes.<ref>http://www.ew.com/ew/article/reuters/0,24012,1539827_10_0_,00.html</ref>
+
In December 1992, one month before her death, Hepburn received the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] for her work with [[UNICEF]]. This is the highest award a civilian can receive.
  
−
To date only one biographical film based upon Audrey Hepburn's life has been attempted. The 2000 American made-for-television film, ''[[The Audrey Hepburn Story]]'', starred [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]] as the actress. Hewitt also co-produced the film. The film received poor reviews due to numerous factual errors and for Hewitt's performance.
+
In 1993, the [http://www.oscars.org/ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences] awarded her [http://www.oscars.org/aboutacademyawards/awards/hersholt.html The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award] for her public service contributions. This was awarded posthumously, and her son accepted the award on her behalf.  
−
[[Image:Hepburn stamp 2003.jpg|right|thumb|150px|2003 Commemorative stamp]] The film concludes with footage of the real Audrey Hepburn, shot during one of her final missions for UNICEF. Several versions of the film exist; it was aired as a mini-series in some countries, and in a truncated version on America's [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network, which is also the version released on DVD in North America.
 
  
−
In 2003, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a stamp honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian. It has a drawing of her which is based on a publicity photo from the movie ''[[Sabrina (1954 film)|Sabrina]]''. Hepburn is one of the few non-Americans to be so honored.
+
In 2003, the United States Postal Service issued a [[stamp]] honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian. The commemorative stamp pictures a drawing of her based on a publicity photo from the movie ''Sabrina''. Hepburn is one of the few non-Americans to be so honored.
  
−
Hepburn was featured in a [[Gap (clothing retailer)|GAP]] commerical which ran from [[September 7]] [[2006]] to [[October 5]] [[2006]]. It used clips of her dancing from ''[[Funny Face]]'', set to [[AC/DC]]'s [[Back in Black (song) | Back in Black]], with the tagline "It's Back — The Skinny Black Pant." To celebrate its "Keep it Simple" campaign, the GAP made a sizeable donation to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. <ref>http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5371942</ref> The commercial was popular, with over 21,000 users viewing it on [[YouTube]]. Sales for the [[Funny Face]] [[DVD]] on [[Amazon.com]] soared in September.
+
In 2006, the [http://www.sustainablestyle.org/ossaawards/ossa05pressrelease.html Sustainable Style Foundation] inaugurated the ''Style & Substance Award in Honor of Audrey Hepburn'' to recognize high profile individuals that work to improve the quality of life for children around the world. The first award was given to Ms. Hepburn posthumously and was received by the ''Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund''.
  
−
{{section-stub}}
+
Hepburn was featured in clothing retailer GAP's commercial which ran from September 7, 2006, to October 5 2006. The commercial featured clips of her dancing from ''Funny Face'', set to AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' song, with the tagline "It's Back&mdash;The Skinny Black Pant." To celebrate its "Keep it Simple" campaign, GAP made a sizable donation to the ''Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund''.<ref>Bill Desowitz, [https://www.awn.com/news/audrey-hepburn-helps-keep-it-simple-gap-spots Audrey Hepburn Helps ‘Keep it Simple’ in Gap Spots] ''Animation World Network'', September 6, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2022.</ref>
  
 
==Filmography==
 
==Filmography==
Line 160: Line 146:
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
 
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
 
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
−
| '''Year''' || '''Title''' || '''Role''' || '''Other notes'''
+
| '''Year''' || '''Title''' || '''Role''' || '''Other notes''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1948 in film|1948]] || ''[[Nederlands en seven lessen / Dutch in seven lessons]]'' || Airline Stewardess || Documentary. Dutch version is 79 minutes long ; English version 38 minutes.
+
| rowspan="3"|1952 || ''The Secret People (film)|The Secret People'' || Nora Brentano ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1950 in film|1950]] || ''[[One Wild Oat]]'' || Hotel receptionist
+
|''Monte Carlo Baby '' || Linda Farrell || Discovered by French novelist Colette during filming and cast as Gigi for the Broadway play
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="3"|[[1951 in film|1951]] || ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]'' || Cigarette Girl ||
+
|''Nous irons a Monte Carlo''|| Melissa Walter || French version of ''Monte Carlo Baby'' (with different cast).
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[Young Wives' Tale]]'' || Eve Lester ||
+
| 1953 || ''Roman Holiday'' || Princess Ann || Academy Award Winner; Golden Globe Winner; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Award Winner
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' || Chiquita ||
+
| 1954 || ''Sabrina'' || Sabrina Fairchild || Academy Award Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="3"|[[1952 in film|1952]] || ''[[The Secret People (film)|The Secret People]]'' || Nora Brentano ||
+
| 1956 || ''War and Peace'' || Natasha Rostov || Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[Monte Carlo Baby / We will go to Monte Carlo]]'' || Linda Farrell || Discovered by French novelist [[Colette]] during filming and cast as Gigi for the Broadway play
+
| rowspan="2"| 1957 || ''Funny Face'' || Jo ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[Nous irons a Monte Carlo]]''|| Melissa Walter || French version of ''Monte Carlo Baby'' (with different cast).
+
|''Love in the Afternoon'' || Ariane Chavasse/Thin Girl || Golden Globe Nomination; Golden Laurel Winner
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1953 in film|1953]] || ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' || Princess Ann || Academy Award Winner; Golden Globe Winner; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Award Winner
+
| rowspan="2"| 1959 || ''Green Mansions'' || Rima || Directed by Mel Ferrer
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1954 in film|1954]] || ''[[Sabrina (1954 film)|Sabrina]]'' || Sabrina Fairchild || Academy Award Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
+
|''The Nun's Story''|| Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal) || Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Winner; Zulueta Prize Winner
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1956 in film|1956]] || ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' || Natasha Rostov || Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
+
| 1960 || ''The Unforgiven'' || Rachel Zachary ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="2"|[[1957 in film|1957]] || ''[[Funny Face]]'' || Jo ||
+
| rowspan="2"| 1961 || ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' || Holly Golightly || Academy Award Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[Love in the Afternoon (1957 film)|Love in the Afternoon]]'' || Ariane Chavasse/Thin Girl || Golden Globe Nomination; Golden Laurel Winner
+
|''The Children's Hour'' || Karen Wright ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="2"|[[1959 in film|1959]] || ''[[Green Mansions (film)|Green Mansions]]'' || Rima || Directed by Mel Ferrer
+
| 1963 || ''Charade'' || Regina Lampert || Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[The Nun's Story]]''|| Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal) || Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Winner; Zulueta Prize Winner
+
| rowspan="2"| 1964 || ''Paris, When It Sizzles'' || Gabrielle Simpson ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1960 in film|1960]] || ''[[The Unforgiven (1960 film)|The Unforgiven]]'' || Rachel Zachary ||
+
|'' My Fair Lady'' || Eliza Doolittle || Golden Globe Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="2"|[[1961 in film|1961]] || ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'' || Holly Golightly || Academy Award Nomination
+
| 1966 || ''How to Steal a Million'' || Nicole Bonnet ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[The Children's Hour (1961 film)|The Children's Hour]]'' || Karen Wright ||
+
| rowspan="2"| 1967 || ''Two For The Road'' || Joanna Wallace || Golden Globe Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1963 in film|1963]] || ''[[Charade]]'' || Regina Lampert || Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner
+
|'' Wait Until Dark'' || Susy Hendrix || Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="2"|[[1964 in film|1964]] || ''[[Paris, When It Sizzles]]'' || Gabrielle Simpson ||
+
| 1976 || ''Robin and Marian'' || Lady Marian ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
|''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'' || Eliza Doolittle || Golden Globe Nomination
+
| 1979 || ''Bloodline'' || Elizabeth Roffe ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[1966 in film|1966]] || ''[[How to Steal a Million]]'' || Nicole Bonnet ||
+
| 1981 || ''They All Laughed'' || Angela Niotes ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| rowspan="2"|[[1967 in film|1967]] || ''[[Two For The Road]]'' || Joanna Wallace || Golden Globe Nomination
+
| 1989 || ''Always'' || Hap ||
−
|-
 
−
|''[[Wait Until Dark]]'' || Susy Hendrix || Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[1976 in film|1976]] || ''[[Robin and Marian]]'' || Lady Marian ||
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[1979 in film|1979]] || ''[[Bloodline (film)|Bloodline]]'' || Elizabeth Roffe ||
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[1981 in film|1981]] || ''[[They All Laughed]]'' || Angela Niotes ||
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[1989 in film|1989]] || ''[[Always (film)|Always]]'' || Hap ||
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
==Television and theatre==
+
==Television and Theater==
  
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
Line 231: Line 207:
 
| 1950 || ''Sauce Piquante'' || Featured Player || Musical Theatre
 
| 1950 || ''Sauce Piquante'' || Featured Player || Musical Theatre
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1951 || ''[[Gigi]]'' || Gigi || Opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre, November 24, 1951
+
| 1951 || ''Gigi'' || Gigi || Opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre, November 24, 1951
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1952 || ''[[CBS Television Workshop]]'' || || Episode entitled "Rainy Day at Paradise Junction"
+
| 1952 || ''CBS Television Workshop'' || || Episode entitled "Rainy Day at Paradise Junction"
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1954 || ''[[Ondine (mythology)|Ondine]]'' || Water Nymph || Opened on Broadway, February 18 - June 26. Tony Award Winner - Best Actress. Costarring Mel Ferrer  
+
| 1954 || ''Ondine'' || Water Nymph || Opened on Broadway, February 18 - June 26. Tony Award Winner - Best Actress. Costarring Mel Ferrer  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1957 || ''[[Mayerling (1957 TV film)|Mayerling]]'' || Maria Vetsera || ''[[Producers' Showcase]]'' live production. Costarring Mel Ferrer as Prince Rudolf. Released theatrically in Europe.
+
| 1957 || ''Mayerling'' || Maria Vetsera || ''Producers' Showcase'' live production. Costarring Mel Ferrer as Prince Rudolf. Released theatrically in Europe.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1987 || ''[[Love Among Thieves]]'' || Baroness Caroline DuLac || Television movie.
+
| 1987 || ''Love Among Thieves'' || Baroness Caroline DuLac || Television movie.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1993 || ''[[Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn]]'' || Herself || PBS miniseries; Emmy Award Winner - Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming  
+
| 1993 || ''Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn'' || Herself || PBS miniseries; Emmy Award Winner - Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming  
 
|}
 
|}
−
According to some biographies, Hepburn made several American and British TV appearances before ''Roman Holiday'', and a poster for a 1951 British public appearance listed her as a TV actress. "Rainy Day" is the only example of this early work to have surfaced. A copy of this production exists in the [[Museum of Radio and Television]] archives in [[Beverly Hills, California]] and [[New York City, New York]].
 
−
 
−
Some sources (including the [[Internet Movie Database]]) erroneously state that Hepburn had a cameo appearance in the 1963 film, ''[[A New Kind of Love]]'', but this was debunked by several reviewers when the film was released to DVD in 2005.
 
−
 
−
==Awards==
 
−
She won the 1953 [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for [[Roman Holiday]].  She was nominated for Best Actress four more times; for ''[[Sabrina (1954 film)|Sabrina]]'', ''[[The Nun's Story]]'', ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', and ''[[Wait Until Dark]]''. 
 
−
 
−
There was Oscar controversy in 1964 when Audrey was not nominated for her performance as Eliza Doolittle in ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'', one of her most acclaimed performances.
 
−
 
−
For her 1967 nomination, the Academy chose her performance in ''Wait Until Dark'' over her critically acclaimed performance in ''[[Two For The Road]]''. She lost to [[Katharine Hepburn]] (in ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'').
 
−
 
−
Audrey Hepburn was one of the few people [[List of people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award|who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award]].
 
−
 
−
* [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]: Best Actress for ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' (1954) and posthumous [[The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]] (1993).
 
−
* [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]]: Best Actress for ''[[Ondine]]'' (1954) and Special Achievement award (1968).
 
−
* [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]]: Best Spoken Word Album for Children (1993) for ''Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales'' (posthumous).
 
−
* [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]]: Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming (1993) for the "Flower Gardens" episode of her documentary series, ''Gardens of the World'' (posthumous).
 
−
 
−
In addition, Hepburn won the Henrietta Award in 1955 for the world's favorite actress, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1990 and the [[Screen Actors Guild]] Life Achievement Award in 1992. Hepburn was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award later in 1993. <ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/awards</ref>
 
−
 
−
In December 1992, one month before her death, Hepburn received the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] for her work in [[UNICEF]]. This is the highest award a civilian can receive.<ref>http://www.unicef.org/people/people_audrey_hepburn.html</ref>
 
−
 
−
{{start box}}
 
−
{{succession box
 
−
| title=[[Academy Award for Best Actress]]
 
−
| before=[[Shirley Booth]]<br>for ''[[Come Back, Little Sheba (1952 film)|Come Back, Little Sheba]]''
 
−
| years=1953<br>'''for ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' '''
 
−
| after=[[Grace Kelly]]<br>for ''[[The Country Girl]]''}}
 
−
 
−
{{end}}
 
−
 
−
==Quotes==
 
−
 
−
"People associate me with a time when movies were pleasant, when women wore pretty dresses in films and you heard beautiful music. I always love it when people write me and say 'I was having a rotten time, and I walked into a cinema and saw one of your movies, and it made such a difference.
 
−
 
−
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; For beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knoweldge that you are never alone."
 
−
 
−
I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.
 
−
 
−
I was born with something that appealed to an audience at that particular time...I acted instinctively. I've had one of the greatest schools of all - a whole row of great, great directors.
 
−
 
−
Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it all in at once.
 
−
 
−
As a child, I was taught that it was bad manners to bring attention to yourself, and to never, ever make a spectacle of yourself... All of which I've earned a living doing.
 
−
 
−
I am more than ever awed and overwhelmed by the monumental talents it was my great, great privilege to work for and with. There is therefore no way I can thank you for this beautiful award without thanking all of them, because it is they who helped and honed, triggered and taught, pushed and pulled, dressed and photographed - and with endless patience and kindness and gentleness, guided and nurtured a totally unknown, insecure, inexperienced, skinny broad into a marketable commodity. I am proud to have been in a business that gives pleasure, creates beauty, and awakens our conscience, arouses compassion, and perhaps most importantly, gives millions a respite from our so violent world. Thank you, Screen Actors Guild and friends, for this huge honor - and for giving me this unique opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and love to all of those who have given me a career that has brought me nothing but happiness.
 
−
''For receiving the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1992. [[Julia Roberts]] accepted the award on her behalf.''
 
−
 
−
The poem "Time Tested Beauty Tips" was recited by Hepburn to her sons and is popularly attributed to her, but it was in fact written by [[Sam Levenson]]. [http://www.robinsweb.com/inspiration/beauty_tips.html | Read the poem]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
−
<div class="references-small">
 
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
−
</div>
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*[[Sean Hepburn Ferrer]], ''Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers'', New York: Atria, 2003.
+
*Hepburn, Sean Ferrer. ''Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers''. New York: Atria, 2003, ISBN 0283073853
−
*[[Barry Paris]], ''Audrey Hepburn'', New York: Putnam, 1996.
+
*Paris, Barry. ''Audrey Hepburn''. New York: Putnam, 1996. ISBN 0425182126
−
*[[Diana Maychick]], ''Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait'', Citadel Press, 1996.
+
*Maychick, Diana. ''Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait''. Citadel Press, 1996. ISBN 0806580003
−
*http://www.audreyhepburnlibrary.com
+
*Spoto, Donald. ''Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn''. Harmony, 2006. ISBN 0307237583
  
−
==See also==
+
==External links==
−
*[[List of people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award]]
+
All links retrieved August 21, 2023.
  
−
==External links==
 
−
{{wikiquote}}
 
−
{{commons}}
 
−
* [http://www.audreyhepburn.com/ Official web site by the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund]
 
 
* {{ imdb name | id = 0000030 | name = Audrey Hepburn }}
 
* {{ imdb name | id = 0000030 | name = Audrey Hepburn }}
−
* [http://www.audrey1.com Audrey Hepburn - L'Ange des Enfants]
+
* [https://www.audrey1.org/ Audrey Hepburn fan website]
−
* [http://audreyhepburn.fan-sites.org ETERNALLY AUDREY]
+
* [https://audreyunicef.webs.com/herwork.html Audrey Hepburn: A tribute to Her Humanitarian Work]
−
* [http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2003/sr03_030.pdf U.S. postage stamp]
+
* [https://www.accuracyproject.org/cbe-Hepburn,Audrey.html Audrey Hepburn] ''Internet Accuracy Project''
−
* [http://www.ahepburn.com/herwork.html Audrey Hepburn A tribute to her Humanitarian Work]
+
* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/475/audrey-hepburn Audrey Hepburn] ''Find a Grave''
−
* [http://www.audreyhepburnguide.com/ The Audrey Hepburn Guide - A guide to all things 'Audrey' on the Net]
 
−
*[http://www.accuracyproject.org/cbe-Hepburn,Audrey.html Internet Accuracy Project - Audrey Hepburn]
 
−
* [http://www.thefairestlady.com/audrey/ The Fairest Lady fansite]
 
−
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=475 Audrey Hepburn's Gravesite]
 
−
* {{fr}} [http://cinemaclassic.free.fr/audrey/biographie_audrey.htm '''Biographie et filmographie Audrey Hepburn''']
 
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* [http://www.carriespritzer.com/audreyhepburn/ A Tribute to Audrey Hepburn, online since 1997 ]
 
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[[category:Film]]
 
[[Category:Biography]]
 
[[Category:Biography]]
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[[Category:History and biography]]
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[[Category:Actors and playwrights]]
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[[Category:Art, Music, Literature, Sports, and Leisure]]
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[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
  
 
{{Credit|82983296}}
 
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Latest revision as of 18:28, 21 August 2023

Audrey Hepburn
Charadehepburn.jpg
Hepburn as Regina "Reggie" Lampert in Charade
Birth name: Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Date of birth: May 4, 1929
Birth location: Brussels, Belgium
Date of death: January 20, 1993
Death location: Tolochenaz, Switzerland
Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Other name(s): Edda Van Heemstra
Notable role(s): Princess Ann in
Roman Holiday
Holly Golightly in
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Eliza Doolittle in
My Fair Lady
Academy Awards: 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress
(Roman Holiday)
Spouse: Mel Ferrer
Andrea Dotti

Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929—January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award winning actress, a favorite leading lady during an era when the Golden Years of Hollywood were evolving into a New Hollywood genre, and a Humanitarian who traveled extensively to third world countries as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

Raised under Nazi rule during World War II, she trained to be a prima ballerina; however, malnourishment as a child during the war years left her unable to cope with the rigors of dance so she chose a career in acting instead.

She personified grace, elegance, and charm as a leading lady during the 1950s and '60s, starring opposite such actors, as Cary Grant, Fred Astaire and Gregory Peck, in romantic comedies and musicals. She immortalized the role of "Eliza" in My Fair Lady and "Holly Go Lightly" in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Famed photographer, Cecil Beaton called her the "embodiment of the feminine ideal."

In the 1970s and 1980s, she starred in few films, concentrating instead on motherhood. In 1992, she was honored by President George H. W. Bush with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with UNICEF.

Early life

Born Audrey Kathleen Ruston in Brussels, Belgium, she was the only child of Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, an Irish banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat. She was a descendant of King Edward III of England.

Her father's job required the family to travel often between Brussels, England, and The Netherlands, subsequently young Audrey attended boarding schools in England as a child. In 1935, her parents divorced and her father left the family. She called her father's abandonment the single most traumatic event of her young life. Later, after she became a successful star, she located her father through the Red Cross and supported him financially until his death. In 1939, her mother moved her and her two half brothers, Alexander and Ian, to Arnhem, Netherlands. Their lives would be fraught with difficulty and challenge when War World II broke out in Europe.

Nazi Occupation

In 1940, the German Nazis invaded Arnhem. The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands would be the longest of any European country during the war. Audrey's mother had her take a pseudonym, "Edda" as the name "Audrey" was considered to be "too British" and might attract the attention of the Nazi regime. By 1944, young Audrey, on her way to becoming a proficient ballet dancer, secretly danced for groups in order to raise money for the underground resistance.

After the landing of the Allied Forces on D-Day, conditions grew worse under the German occupiers. During the Dutch famine over the winter of 1944, the Nazis confiscated the Dutch people's limited food and fuel supply for themselves. Without heat for their homes or food to eat, people in the Netherlands starved and froze to death in the streets. Arnhem was devastated during allied bombing raids that were part of Operation Market Garden. Hepburn's uncle and a cousin of her mother's were shot for being part of the Resistance. Hepburn's brother spent time in a German labor camp. Suffering from malnutrition, Hepburn developed acute anemia, respiratory problems, and edema.

In a 1991 interview she compared her life experience during the war to that of Anne Frank's:

I was exactly the same age as Anne Frank. We were both 10 when war broke out. ... I was given the book in Dutch, in galley form, in 1946 by a friend. I read it ... and it destroyed me ... I have memories. More than once I was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. ... We saw reprisals. We saw young men put against the wall and shot, and they'd close the street and then open it and you could pass by again. If you read the diary, I've marked one place where she says, 'Five hostages shot today.' That was the day my uncle was shot. And in this child's words I was reading about what was inside me and is still there. It was a catharsis for me. This child who was locked up in four walls had written a full report of everything I'd experienced and felt.[1]

Like Anne Frank, who coped with the war through her writing, Audrey found refuge in her artwork. Simple but lovely and colorful portraits of people and flowers can be seen in Hepburn's biography, written by son Sean. Eventually the United Nations forces entered with their tanks and Holland was liberated. Many years later, her "Wait Until Dark" director, Terrance Young, who had been a British Army tank commander during the Battle of Arnhem, would joke with Audrey about the possibility of shelling her while she hid with her family. Needless to say, the joy of being liberated overcame the trauma of being under Nazi domination and, in retrospect, Hepburn could find humor in what was once a tumultuous time in her life.

Career

In 1948, after the war, Hepburn left Arnhem and eventually settled in London where she took dance lessons with the renowned Marie Rambert, teacher of Vaslav Nijinksy, one of the greatest male ballet dancers in history. Rambert discouraged her from pursuing dancing as a career due to her height (5' 7") which would make it difficult to find leading male dancers and also because of her lack of muscle tone, a result of her poor nutrition during the war years. Although from a patrician background, Audrey's mother was forced to work menial jobs to support her children so Audrey chose an acting career as the more likely path towards earning a living.

Audrey Hepburn's screen test for Roman Holiday

Hepburn had a number of minor roles in British films, but her first real break came when she was chosen to play the lead character in the Broadway play Gigi that opened in November, 1951, in New York. The writer, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette exclaimed upon first seeing Hepburn playing a bit part in Monte Carlo Baby, "Voila! There's our Gigi!," and, as is often said of Hollywood legends, the rest is history. She won a Theatre World Award for her debut performance.

Hepburn's first starring role and first American film was opposite Gregory Peck in the Hollywood motion picture, Roman Holiday. William Wyler, the director was considering Elizabeth Taylor for the role but was impressed with Audrey Hepburn's screen test, which captured candid footage of her acting naturally while answering questions. Wyler said, "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent." Hepburn called Roman Holiday one of her favorite films because it was the one that launched her on the path towards stardom.

Hollywood stardom

Photo of Audrey Hepburn by Bud Fraker, 1956

After Roman Holiday she filmed Billy Wilder's Sabrina with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden It was during the making of this movie that Audrey went to see Hubert de Givenchy, the famed fashion designer, about her wardrobe fitting. He was expecting to see Katharine Hepburn, confusing the names of the two stars, but had an immediate rapport with Audrey. Their collaboration over fashions and their friendship would span more than thirty years.

In 1954, Audrey went back to the stage to play the water sprite in Ondine performing opposite Mel Ferrer, whom she would wed that same year. It turned out to be a watershed year for the actress; she would go on to win the Academy Award for Roman Holiday and the Tony Award for Best Actress for Ondine, a dual honor that is not-oft repeated in the annals of Hollywood history.

By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but she also came to be regarded as a major style icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognized sense of chic were both admired and imitated. The simple themes of her movies appealed to a wide audience. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe for World Film Favorite—Female.

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade

Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, Audrey Hepburn co-starred with other major actors such as Fred Astaire in Funny Face, Maurice Chevalier and Gary Cooper in Love in the Afternoon, George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Cary Grant in the critically acclaimed hit Charade, Rex Harrison in My Fair Fair Lady, Peter O'Toole in How to Steal a Million, and Sean Connery in Robin and Marian. Many of these leading men developed close friendships with her. Gregory Peck, after her death, went on camera, and recited one of her favorite poems, Unending Love by Rabindranath Tagore. Hepburn was noted by her co-stars to be hard working, disciplined, and professional.

Funny Face in 1957, (see George Gershwin) was another one of Hepburn's favorite films because she had the opportunity to exhibit her dancing prowess opposite co-star Fred Astaire. The Nun's Story in 1959, was one of her most daring roles, and another favorite because it was socially relevant, and devoid of the glamorous trappings of her other films.

My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Hepburn's performance as "Holly Golightly" in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's resulted in one of the most iconic characters in 20th Century American cinema. Hepburn called the role, "the jazziest of my career." Asked about the acting challenge of playing the dreamy and ditzy New Yorker, Holly Golightly, Hepburn said, "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did." The character of Holly Golightly and the real-life Audrey Hepburn, could not have been more different. Henry Mancini, composer of many of Hepburn's film's soundtracks, said that the song, Moon River, which she sang undubbed in the movie, was written with her in mind. "It suited her sad, wistful nature." She was beguiling in designer dresses inspired by de Givenchy.

Harry Stradling, Sr. (cinematographer) and Audrey Hepburn on the set of My Fair Lady

Hepburn's next starring role and one with some controversy, was in My Fair Lady, said to be the most anticipated movie since Gone With the Wind (1964). Hepburn was cast as "Eliza Doolittle," the street peddler who is taken in under Professor Higgin's tutelage on a bet that he can transform her from street urchin to high society "lady." Julie Andrews had originated the role on Broadway and the press played up a rivalry between the two stars during the Academy Awards season later that year. Regardless of whether she deserved the part or not, Hepburn received excellent reviews for her work. Movie critic Gene Ringgold said of her performance, "Audrey Hepburn is magnificent. She is Eliza for the ages." Despite any supposed rivalry, the stars reportedly got along well. Julie Andrews proceeded to win "Best Actress" for Mary Poppins that year.

From 1967 onward, after fifteen highly successful years in film, Hepburn acted only occasionally. Two For The Road, directed by Stanley Donen and also starring Albert Finney was a non-linear and innovative movie about divorce. Wait Until Dark in 1967, co-starring Richard Crenna, was a difficult film to do. Produced by husband Mel Ferrer, he and Hepburn were on the verge of divorce throughout the production. The movie, an edgy thriller in which Hepburn played the part of a blind woman being stalked, was another one for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Hepburn's last starring role in a cinematic film was with Ben Gazzara in the comedy They All Laughed, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Although a critical success, the film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Bogdanovich's girlfriend, Dorothy Stratten.

Marriages and Motherhood

Hepburn's marriage to Mel Ferrer lasted for fourteen years, ending in 1968. Motherhood did not come easily to her, most likely due to the poor nutrition she received as a child during the war. She suffered three miscarriages, the first in March of 1955, and one in 1959. Her son Sean was born in 1960. She suffered her final miscarriage in 1965. Her marriage to Ferrer soon ended with her son later commenting, "She stayed in the marriage too long."

Hepburn and her partner Robert Wolders at the White House in 1981

In 1969, Hepburn married Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist, after meeting him on a Greek cruise. In 1970, when she was pregnant with her second son, Luca, she was confined to bed rest and spent much of her time painting. The marriage lasted 13 years. Both of Hepburn's marriages were plagued by infidelities and were shadowed, also, by her own broken relationship with her father. Nevertheless, motherhood was a high priority to her; she seemed to regard it as a way to heal her own childhood.

At the time of her death, she was the companion of Robert Wolders, a former actor and the widower of actress, Merle Oberon. Although, they never married they were both dedicated co-workers and partners who planned many UNICEF trips together. Wolders was present at every speech given by Hepburn as UNICEF spokesperson, and sometimes shed tears as well.

Work for UNICEF

Hepburn receiving UNICEF's International Danny Kaye Award for Children in 1989

Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Due to the losses in her own childhood, she was very cognizant of how important a good childhood was to emotional fulfillment later. She observed in children that they were not just hungry physically, as they certainly were in countries plagued by famine, but they were hungry emotionally as well. She dedicated the rest of her life to helping the children of the world's poorest nations. Those close to her say that the thoughts of dying, helpless children consumed her for the rest of her life.

Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages. In addition to English, she spoke French, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish. Her first Field Mission was to Ethiopia in 1988. Next, she traveled to Turkey on a successful immunization campaign.

In October of that year, she toured the South American countries, Venezuela and Ecuador. She reported her findings to United States Congress:

"I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shantytowns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle—and the miracle is UNICEF."

Hepburn toured Central America in February, 1989, and met with chiefs in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. In April, Hepburn visited Sudan with Robert Wolders as part of a mission called "Operation Lifeline." Due to civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. The mission was to ferry food to southern Sudan. Hepburn reported her findings saying:

"I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution—peace."

In October, Hepburn and Wolders went to Bangladesh. John Isaac, a UN photographer, said, "Often the kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them33other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. Children would just come up to hold her hand, touch her—she was like the Pied Piper."

In October of 1990, Hepburn went to Vietnam in an effort to collaborate with the government for national UNICEF-supported immunization and clean water programs.

In September of 1992, four months before her passing, Hepburn's final tour of duty was to Somalia. Hepburn called it "apocalyptic" and said:

"I walked into a nightmare. Along the road,33near every camp—there are graves everywhere."

Though filled with rage and sorrow over what she witnessed in these countries, Hepburn kept hope until the end of her life. She believed that,

"Taking care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics."

Final year

In the final months of her life Hepburn completed two entertainment-related projects: she hosted a television documentary series entitled Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn, which debuted on PBS the day of her death, and she also recorded an album, Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales featuring readings of classic children's stories, which would win her a posthumous Grammy Award.

In late 1992, Hepburn began to feel pains in her abdomen, which turned out to be a rare form of cancer that originated in the appendix. Hepburn had surgery in a Los Angeles hospital, but the cancer continued to spread and doctors decided that another surgery would not help. (Hepburn had been a lifelong smoker. That addiction may have come to her at great cost; studies have found that women who smoke are forty percent more likely to die from colorectal cancer than women who never have smoked.[2]

Hepburn died of colorectal cancer on January 20, 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, and was interred there. She was 63.

Legacy

Audrey Hepburn to this day is a beauty and fashion icon. She has often been called one of the most beautiful women of all time.

Hepburn attributed much of her success to having good screen writers and directors. Upon receiving the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, she stated, "I was born with something that appealed to an audience at that particular time33I acted instinctively. I've had one of the greatest schools of all—a whole row of great, great directors." Her son, Sean, in his biography of his mother said of her talent, "It's what came across between the lines,33the speech of her heart and the inflection of pure intentions."

Audrey Hepburn won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress for Roman Holiday. She was nominated for Best Actress four more times; for Sabrina, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Wait Until Dark.

For her 1967 nomination, the Academy chose her performance in Wait Until Dark over her critically acclaimed performance in Two For The Road. She lost to Katharine Hepburn (in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner).

Audrey Hepburn was one of the few people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an ,and a Tony Award.

  • Academy Award: Best Actress for Roman Holiday (1954)
  • Tony Award: Best Actress for Ondine (1954) and Special Achievement award (1968).
  • Grammy Award: Best Spoken Word Album for Children (1993) for Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales (posthumous).
  • Emmy Award: Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming (1993) for the "Flower Gardens" episode of her documentary series, Gardens of the World (posthumous).

In addition, Hepburn won the Henrietta Award in 1955, for the world's favorite actress and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1990. [3]

In 1960, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in motion pictures. Her star is at 1652 Vine Street.[4]

In December 1992, one month before her death, Hepburn received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with UNICEF. This is the highest award a civilian can receive.

In 1993, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded her The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her public service contributions. This was awarded posthumously, and her son accepted the award on her behalf.

In 2003, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian. The commemorative stamp pictures a drawing of her based on a publicity photo from the movie Sabrina. Hepburn is one of the few non-Americans to be so honored.

In 2006, the Sustainable Style Foundation inaugurated the Style & Substance Award in Honor of Audrey Hepburn to recognize high profile individuals that work to improve the quality of life for children around the world. The first award was given to Ms. Hepburn posthumously and was received by the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.

Hepburn was featured in clothing retailer GAP's commercial which ran from September 7, 2006, to October 5 2006. The commercial featured clips of her dancing from Funny Face, set to AC/DC's Back in Black song, with the tagline "It's Back—The Skinny Black Pant." To celebrate its "Keep it Simple" campaign, GAP made a sizable donation to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.[5]

Filmography

Year Title Role 'Other notes
1952 The Secret People Nora Brentano
Monte Carlo Baby Linda Farrell Discovered by French novelist Colette during filming and cast as Gigi for the Broadway play
Nous irons a Monte Carlo Melissa Walter French version of Monte Carlo Baby (with different cast).
1953 Roman Holiday Princess Ann Academy Award Winner; Golden Globe Winner; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Award Winner
1954 Sabrina Sabrina Fairchild Academy Award Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
1956 War and Peace Natasha Rostov Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Nomination
1957 Funny Face Jo
Love in the Afternoon Ariane Chavasse/Thin Girl Golden Globe Nomination; Golden Laurel Winner
1959 Green Mansions Rima Directed by Mel Ferrer
The Nun's Story Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal) Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner; New York Film Critics Circle Winner; Zulueta Prize Winner
1960 The Unforgiven Rachel Zachary
1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly Academy Award Nomination
The Children's Hour Karen Wright
1963 Charade Regina Lampert Golden Globe Nomination; BAFTA Award Winner
1964 Paris, When It Sizzles Gabrielle Simpson
My Fair Lady Eliza Doolittle Golden Globe Nomination
1966 How to Steal a Million Nicole Bonnet
1967 Two For The Road Joanna Wallace Golden Globe Nomination
Wait Until Dark Susy Hendrix Academy Award Nomination; Golden Globe Nomination
1976 Robin and Marian Lady Marian
1979 Bloodline Elizabeth Roffe
1981 They All Laughed Angela Niotes
1989 Always Hap

Television and Theater

Year Title Role Other notes
1949 High Button Shoes Chorus Girl Musical Theatre
Sauce Tartare Chorus Girl Musical Theatre
1950 Sauce Piquante Featured Player Musical Theatre
1951 Gigi Gigi Opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre, November 24, 1951
1952 CBS Television Workshop Episode entitled "Rainy Day at Paradise Junction"
1954 Ondine Water Nymph Opened on Broadway, February 18 - June 26. Tony Award Winner - Best Actress. Costarring Mel Ferrer
1957 Mayerling Maria Vetsera Producers' Showcase live production. Costarring Mel Ferrer as Prince Rudolf. Released theatrically in Europe.
1987 Love Among Thieves Baroness Caroline DuLac Television movie.
1993 Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn Herself PBS miniseries; Emmy Award Winner - Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming

Notes

  1. ↑ Scott Harris, From the Archives: Audrey Hepburn, Actress and Humanitarian, Dies Sun Sentinel, January 21, 1993 . Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ Inger T. Gram et al., Smoking-Related Risks of Colorectal Cancer by Anatomical Subsite and Sex Am J Epidemiol. 189(6) (June 2020): 543–553. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ Audrey Hepburn: Awards Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ Audrey Hepburn Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Bill Desowitz, Audrey Hepburn Helps ‘Keep it Simple’ in Gap Spots Animation World Network, September 6, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hepburn, Sean Ferrer. Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers. New York: Atria, 2003, ISBN 0283073853
  • Paris, Barry. Audrey Hepburn. New York: Putnam, 1996. ISBN 0425182126
  • Maychick, Diana. Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait. Citadel Press, 1996. ISBN 0806580003
  • Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. Harmony, 2006. ISBN 0307237583

External links

All links retrieved August 21, 2023.

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