Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a Belgian-born British actress admired for her charm and elegance.
Audrey Hepburn | |
|---|---|
 Hepburn in 1956 | |
| Born | Audrey Kathleen Ruston 4 May 1929 Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | 20 January 1993 (aged 63) Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Resting place | Tolochenaz Cemetery, Tolochenaz, Vaud. |
| Other names | Edda van Heemstra |
| Years active | 1948–1993 |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Mel Ferrer (m. 1954–1968, divorced) Andrea Dotti (m. 1969–1982, divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Robert Wolders (1980–1993; her death) |
Early life
Born in Brussels, Belgium, to an English father and a Dutch mother who were divorced in 1935. She grew up in Arnhem municipality in the Netherlands during the war, with her mother and two maternal half-brothers. When World War II ended, she and her mother moved to England. There, she studied ballet, and began working as a model and appearing in bit parts in the theatre and in movies.
Career
Hepburn played her first major role in 1951, when she was chosen by French writer Colette to play the lead role in the English version of her play Gigi on Broadway.
This led to her being cast in the lead female part in the movie Roman Holiday (1953), opposite Gregory Peck. The movie made her an instant international star. Her performance won her the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award and the BAFTA for best actress. She then appeared in a string of successful romantic comedies, such as Sabrina (1954), Love in the Afternoon (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Charade (1963), How to Steal a Million (1967), etc. She also appeared in two musicals; Funny Face (1957) and My Fair Lady (1964) and tackled more dramatic roles in movies such as War and Peace (1956), The Nun's Story (1959), The Children's Hour (1961), Two for the Road (1967) and the thriller Wait Until Dark (1967).
After an eight years absence from the screen to take care of her family, she returned with Robin and Marian (1976), opposite Sean Connery. She also appeared in Bloodline (1979) and They All Laughed (1981) but retired for good shortly after.
In later life, she worked as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and hosted a television series The Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.
She was married twice; first to actor/director Mel Ferrer in 1954, with whom she had a son Sean (b. 1960), and second to Italian psychiatrist Doctor Andrea Dotti in 1969, with whom she had a second son Luca (b. 1970). Both marriages ended in divorce.
Death and legacy
Hepburn died of appendix cancer in January 1993. Her elder son, Sean Ferrer, later wrote a book about his mother, called Audrey Hepburn: an elegant spirit. The asteroid 4238 Audrey is named after her.
Audrey Hepburn Media
Hepburn's grandfather, Aarnoud van Heemstra, was the governor of the Dutch colony of Dutch Guiana.
Hepburn in a screen test for Roman Holiday (1953) which was also used as promotional material for the film
Hepburn with co-star William Holden in the film Sabrina (1954)
Original studio publicity photo of Hepburn and Anthony Perkins for Green Mansions.
Hepburn as Holly Golightly
Hepburn in Charade (1963)
Hepburn with cinematographer Harry Stradling on the set of My Fair Lady (1964)
Hepburn and Sean Connery in the film Robin and Marian (1976)
Hepburn receiving UNICEF's International Danny Kaye Award for Children in 1989.
Hepburn and her partner Robert Wolders at the White House in 1981
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