Audrey Hepburn ‘s Biography written by Denny Jackson
Audrey Hepburn (her birth name was Audrey Kathleen Ruston) was
born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She really was blue-blood
from the beginning with her father, a wealthy English banker, and her
mother, a Dutch Baroness. After her parents divorced, Audrey went to
London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. And
further her study at a private school in the Netherlands when her mother
moved back. While vacationing with her mother in Arnhem, Holland,
Hitler’s army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times
during the Nazi occupation. She suffered from depression and mul-
nutrition.
After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London on a
scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model. she was
graceful and ,it seemed, she had found her niche in life - until the film
producers came calling. After being spotted modeling by a producer,
she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in 7 lessen
in 1948. Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives’
Tale as Eve Lester. The part still wasn’t much, so she headed to America
to try her luck there.
Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in
RomanHoliday in 1953. This film turned out to be a smashing success as she won
an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more
plum roles. On of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was
elf-like and had class, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time.
Roman Holiday in 1953 was followed by another similarly wonderful perfor-
mance
Funny Face in 1957 and
Sabrina in 1954 for which she received
another Academy nomination. In 1959 she received yet another nomination
for her role in the
Nun’s Story.
Audrey reached the pinnacle of her career when she played Holly Golightly in
the delightful film
Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. For this she received another
nomination. She scored commercial success again in the espionage caper
Charade in 1963. One of Audrey’s most radiant role was in the fine production
of
My Fair Lady in 1964. Her co-star, Rex Harrison, once was asked to identify
his favorite leading lady. Without hesitation, he replied, “Audrey Hepburn in
My Fair Lady”. After a couple of other movies, most notably Two for the Road
in 1967, she hit pay dirt and another nomination in 1967’s
Wait Until Dark.
By the end of the sixties, after her divorce from actor Mel Ferrer, Audrey
decided to retire while she was on top. Later she married Dr. Andrea Dotti.
From time to time, she would appear on the silver screen. One film of note
was
Robin and Marian in 1976 ,with Sean Connery. In 1988, Audrey became
a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund helping children in
Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993.
She was named to People’s magazine as one of the most beautiful in the people
in the World. Her last film was Always in 1989.
Audrey Hepburn died on January 20, 1993 in Tolochnaz, Switzerland, from
colon cancer. She had made a total of 31 quality movies. Her elegance and
style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being name in Empire magazine’s “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time.”
