Biography

Audrey Hepburn

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Overview

Born
May 4, 1929 · Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Died
January 20, 1993 · Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland (appendiceal cancer)
Birth name
Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Nickname
- Edda van Heemstra
Height
5′ 6¾″ (1.70 m)

Biography

Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was a businessman and Honorary British Consul in the Dutch East Indies; he was born in Úzice, Bohemia, of English, Austrian and Czech-Jewish descent.

After her parents' divorce, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, she attended private schools as well. While she vacationed with her mother in Arnhem, Netherlands, Hitler's army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition.

After the liberation, she 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. In 1948, after being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in zeven lessen (1948). Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives' Tale (1951) 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 Roman Holiday (1953). This film turned out to be a smashing success, and she won an Oscar as Best Actress.

On September 25, 1954, she married actor Mel Ferrer. She also starred in Sabrina (1954), for which she received another Academy Award nomination. She starred in the films Funny Face (1957) and Love in the Afternoon (1957). She received yet another Academy Award nomination for her role in The Nun's Story (1959). On July 17, 1960, she gave birth to her first son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer.

Audrey reached the pinnacle of her career when she played Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), for which she received another Oscar nomination. She scored commercial success again playing Regina Lampert in the espionage caper Charade (1963). One of Audrey's most radiant roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady (1964). After a couple of other movies, most notably Two for the Road (1967), she hit pay dirt and another nomination in Wait Until Dark (1967).

In 1967, Audrey decided to retire from acting while she was on top. She divorced from Mel Ferrer in 1968. On January 19, 1969, she married Dr. Andrea Dotti. On February 8, 1970, she gave birth to her second son, Luca Dotti in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. From time to time, she would appear on the silver screen.

In 1988, she 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 50 most beautiful people in the world. Her last film was Always (1989).

Audrey Hepburn died, aged 63, on January 20, 1993 in Tolochnaz, Vaud, Switzerland, from appendicular cancer. She had made a total of 31 high quality movies. Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".
- IMDb mini biography by: Denny Jackson and Volker Boehm, and another IMDB user

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Often cast opposite leading men who were considerably older than she was.
Often played classy High Society women.
Charming characters who try to wear their troubles lightly
A fashion icon; wore minimalistic and monochromatic looks.
Delicate thin frame

Trivia

During the battle of Arnhem, 16-year-old Audrey was a volunteer nurse in a Dutch hospital, which received many wounded Allied soldiers, one of whom young Audrey helped nurse back to health was a young British paratrooper (and future director); Terence Young. More than 20 years later, Young directed Hepburn in Wait Until Dark (1967).
She never singled out any of her films as a favorite, but often spoke fondly of Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Roman Holiday (1953), Funny Face (1957), The Nun's Story (1959), and Charade (1963) in interviews. She reportedly did not enjoy working on The Unforgiven (1960) due to injuries sustained while shooting, and Wait Until Dark (1967) from the stress of her failing marriage. She was said to have also disappointed with the results of Paris When It Sizzles (1964) and Bloodline (1979). Nonetheless, she had a great reputation for her professionalism and almost always got along well with her co-stars and directors.
Audrey was raised bilingually; speaking English and Dutch (resulting in her unique accent). Throughout her life, she used her multi-linguistic capabilities to great advantage with international press, as well as her careers as an actress and humanitarian.
Turned down the lead role in the film The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) because she was too old for the part. Years later, in 1990, during her humanitarian career, she accompanied composer Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony orchestra to narrate portions of Frank's diary for a symphonic work he had written, "From The Diary of Anne Frank", which she performed on a small tour in the United States and London. Proceeds from all the concerts benefited UNICEF.
Once admitted that she would not have accepted the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady (1964) if she had known that producer Jack L. Warner planned to have all of her singing dubbed.

Quotes

I never thought I'd land in pictures with a face like mine.
I was asked to act when I couldn't act. I was asked to sing "Funny Face" when I couldn't sing and dance with Fred Astaire when I couldn't dance
and do all kinds of things I wasn't prepared for. Then I tried like
mad to cope with it.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.
I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.
My own life has been much more than a fairy tale. I've had my share of difficult moments, but whatever difficulties I've gone through, I've always gotten a prize at the end.