On 18 September 1951, shortly after Secret People was finished but before its premiere, Thorold Dickinson made a screen test with the young starlet and sent it to director William Wyler, who was in Rome preparing Roman Holiday. She called Turkey "the loveliest example" of UNICEF's capabilities. Maurice Eindiguer, the same pastor who wed Hepburn and Mel Ferrer and baptised her son Sean in 1960, presided over her funeral, while Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan of UNICEF delivered a eulogy. [6], Hepburn's mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra (12 June 1900 26 August 1984), was a Dutch noblewoman. Actress Audrey Hepburn illuminated the big screen in such timeless films as "Roman Holiday" (1953), "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961), and "Wait Until Dark" (1967) (via IMDb ). [69] Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, she starred in a series of successful films during the remainder of the decade, including her BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Natasha Rostova in War and Peace (1956), an adaptation of the Tolstoy novel set during the Napoleonic wars, starring Henry Fonda and her husband Mel Ferrer. There was no screening room in the house. These people - all icons of the groovy era - have left their imprint on the era. "[160], Hepburn's influence as a style icon continues several decades after the height of her acting career in the 1950s and 1960s. [7] At age 19, she married Jonkheer Hendrik Gustaaf Adolf Quarles van Ufford, an oil executive based in Batavia, Dutch East Indies, where they subsequently lived. She still managed to attend school and take ballet lessons, however. Audrey Hepburn, original name Audrey Kathleen Ruston (see Researcher's Note), (born May 4, 1929, Brussels, Belgiumdied January 20, 1993, Tolochenaz, Switzerland), Belgian-born British actress known for her radiant beauty and style, her ability to project an air of sophistication tempered by a charming innocence, and her tireless efforts to aid Hepburn initially asked Warner to give the role to Andrews but was eventually cast. [67] During the production, Hepburn and her co-star Mel Ferrer began a relationship, and were married on 25 September 1954 in Switzerland.[68]. The other project was a spoken word album, Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales, which features readings of classic children's stories and was recorded in 1992. Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 20 January 1993) was a British[a] actress and humanitarian. "[82] She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 1929, the daughter of J. [151] He served as Chairman of the Fund before resigning in 2012, turning over the position to Dotti. By now, every life in Velp had been affected, if not outright ruined or taken away, by the German or Dutch Nazis. Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn was a PBS documentary series, which was filmed on location in seven countries in the spring and summer of 1990. "[67] The reviewer in Time magazine said her "graceful, glamorous performance" was "the best of her career". She was survived by her two sons, half brothers Sean and Luca. Afterward, Mel remarried and stayed with his new wife until his 2008 death. The proof is that thousands of imitations have appeared. [8][24] That same year, her mother moved with Hepburn to her family's estate in Arnhem; her half-brothers Alex and Ian (then 15 and 11) were sent to The Hague to live with relatives. Her parents were the Dutch baroness Ella Van Heemstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, who later adopted the more aristocratic surname Hepburn-Ruston, believing himself to be descended from James Hepburn, 4th earl of Bothwell. As a young princess who exchanges the burden of royalty for a day of adventure and romance with a reporter (played by Gregory Peck), Hepburn demonstrated her ability to combine a regal bearing with a tomboyish winsomeness that utterly charmed audiences, and she won an Academy Award for best actress. [21] Joseph left the family abruptly in 1935 after a "scene" in Brussels when Adriaantje (as she was known in the family) was six; later she often spoke of the effect on a child of being "dumped" as "children need two parents". Other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. For her performance, she was nominated for the 1954 Academy Award for Best Actress, while winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role the same year. [56] Hepburn also received a Theatre World Award for the role. Of her experiences in Venezuela and Ecuador, Hepburn told the 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. She remains one of only eighteen people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. Hepburn devoted the final years of her life to humanitarian work. She won a Tony Award for her performance, which turned out to be her last on Broadway. Joseph wanted her to be educated in England,[25] so in 1937, Hepburn was sent to live in Kent, England, where she, known as Audrey Ruston or "Little Audrey", was educated at a small private school in Elham. Because of civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. Born in 1929 in Belgium, Hepburn rocketed to stardom when she was cast opposite Gregory Peck in the classic Roman Holiday, going on to even bigger success in such films as Breakfast at Tiffany 's , Sabrina, and My Fair Lady. [172] Her film costumes fetch large sums of money in auctions: one of the "little black dresses" designed by Givenchy for Breakfast at Tiffany's was sold by Christie's for a record sum of 467,200 in 2006. [5], Hepburn's father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston (21 November 1889 16 October 1980), was a British subject born in Auschitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. On January 20, 1993, 63-year-old Hepburn died from the disease. During her early 20s, she studied acting and worked as a model and dancer. She was survived by her two sons, half brothers Sean and Luca. In PEOPLE's new cover story about the iconic star's private world, her friends and family. Ferrer countersued saying the charity retained property illegally. Calling it "apocalyptic", she said, "I walked into a nightmare. "[104] In October, Hepburn went to South America. [162] Although initially disappointed that "Miss Hepburn" was not Katharine Hepburn as he had mistakenly thought, Givenchy and Hepburn formed a life-long friendship. [169][157] Throughout her career and after her death, Hepburn received numerous accolades for her stylish appearance and attractiveness. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They glow. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering. Eight months later, on 25 September 1954, they were married in Brgenstock, Switzerland,[117] while preparing to star together in the film War and Peace (1956). [157] Vogue has referred to her as "the acme of classic beauty". Hepburn's longtime friend, composer and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, remembers her unique grace, undimmed at the end of her life. Over her dead body! Main She appeared in the BBC Television play The Silent Village,[53] and in minor roles in the films One Wild Oat, Laughter in Paradise, Young Wives' Tale, and The Lavender Hill Mob (all 1951). During the 1944-45 Dutch famine, the Germans hindered or reduced the already limited food and fuel supplies to civilians in retaliation for Dutch railway strikes that were held to hinder the occupation. Her long-time friend, fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, arranged for socialite Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon to send her private Gulfstream jet, filled with flowers, to take Hepburn from Los Angeles to Geneva. In his review in The New York Times, A. H. Weiler wrote: "Although she is not precisely a newcomer to films, Audrey Hepburn, the British actress who is being starred for the first time as Princess Anne, is a slender, elfin, and wistful beauty, alternately regal and childlike in her profound appreciation of newly-found, simple pleasures and love. who did audrey hepburn leave her money to. John Isaac, a UN photographer, said, "Often the kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them. She could have included instructions on how her likeness would be used for the fund. I found the only way to get the better of them was by adopting a forceful, concentrated drive. [160] In the late 1950s, Audrey Hepburn popularised plain black leggings. [8], In 1942, her uncle, Otto van Limburg Stirum (husband of her mother's older sister, Miesje), was executed in retaliation for an act of sabotage by the resistance movement; while he had not been involved in the act, he was targeted due to his family's prominence in Dutch society. [42], After the war ended in 1945, Hepburn moved with her mother and siblings to Amsterdam, where she began ballet training under Sonia Gaskell, a leading figure in Dutch ballet, and Russian teacher Olga Tarasova. A month later, she died of appendiceal cancer at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, at the age of 63. [26][27] Hepburn's parents officially divorced in 1938. (25 January 1993). Hepburn could have worked with an estate planning attorney in the creation and funding of the charity before she died. [76] The dress she wears during the opening credits has been considered an icon of the twentieth century, and perhaps the most famous "little black dress" of all time. Hepburn earned her fifth and final competitive Academy Award nomination for Best Actress; Bosley Crowther affirmed, "Hepburn plays the poignant role, the quickness with which she changes and the skill with which she manifests terror attract sympathy and anxiety to her and give her genuine solidity in the final scenes. [118][119], Despite the insistence from gossip columns that their marriage would not last, Hepburn claimed that she and Ferrer were inseparable and happy together, though she admitted that he had a bad temper. She believed she would have more children and possibly stop working. Yet we recognise the rightness of this appearance in relation to our historical needs. Eventually, Ferrer ended the license for the charity to use the name of his mother. [8] After the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Hepburn used the name Edda van Heemstra, because an "English-sounding" name was considered dangerous during the German occupation. She won a record three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role. She went on to star in a number of successful films such as Sabrina (1954), in which Humphrey Bogart and William Holden compete for her affection; Funny Face (1957), a musical where she sang her own parts; the drama The Nun's Story (1959); the romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); the thriller-romance Charade (1963), opposite Cary Grant; and the musical My Fair Lady (1964). That year, she also won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine. Hepburn next starred as New Yorker Holly Golightly in Blake Edwards's Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), a film loosely based on the Truman Capote novella of the same name. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Academy Award (1954): Actress in a Leading Role, Emmy Award (1993): Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming, Golden Globe Award (1955): World Film Favorites, Golden Globe Award (1954): Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, Grammy Award (1994): Best Spoken Word Album for Children, Tony Award (1954): Best Actress in a Play, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Audrey-Hepburn, New Netherland Institute - Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), NY Fashion Week: Siriano channels Audrey Hepburn in a garden, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. [130] Flower arrangements were sent to the funeral by Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, and the Dutch royal family. [51], During her theatrical work, she took elocution lessons with actor Felix Aylmer to develop her voice. Thirdly, I can know some famous actors, such as Audrey Hepburn. [8], Hepburn had her first starring role in Roman Holiday (1953), playing Princess Ann, a European princess who escapes the reins of royalty and has a wild night out with an American newsman (Gregory Peck). [67][116] The meeting led them to collaborate in Ondine, during which they began a relationship. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in zice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents. They were an unusual pair, with Ferrer being a more seasoned actor and 12 years older than Hepburn (via Harper's Bazaar ). "[96], After 1967, Hepburn chose to devote more time to her family and acted only occasionally in the following decades. [145][146], Hepburn's son Sean said that he was brought up in the countryside as a normal child, not in Hollywood and without a Hollywood state of mind that makes movie stars and their families lose touch with reality. Mel died of heart failure at the age of 90, after having been inactive in show business for several . I remember, very sharply, one little boy standing with his parents on the platform, very pale, very blond, wearing a coat that was much too big for him, and he stepped on the train. [84], Hepburn next appeared opposite Cary Grant in the comic thriller Charade (1963), playing a young widow pursued by several men who chase after the fortune stolen by her murdered husband. He was her partner at the time of her death. Still, she managed to study ballet in Amsterdam. [164] She also became the face of Givenchy's first perfume, L'Interdit, in 1957. Its production was troubled by several problems. Her son Sean received earring given to her by his father to celebrate the birth of their son. Audrey Hepburn developed cancer of the appendix at the end of her life and had surgery in November 1992. [22] Joseph left the family and moved to London, where he became more deeply involved in Fascist activity and never visited his daughter abroad. [83][84] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was of the opinion that the film "is not too well acted", with the exception of Hepburn, who "gives the impression of being sensitive and pure" of its "muted theme". This was the highest price paid for a dress from a film. [100], After finishing her last motion picture rolea cameo appearance as an angel in Steven Spielberg's Always (1989)Hepburn completed only two more entertainment-related projects, both critically acclaimed. This was French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. How did Audrey Hepburn become an actress? Audrey Hepburn, one of the most exquisite and elegant women of the 20th century, was an Academy Award-winning actress and a fashion icon. Her next project took her to Rome, where she starred in her first major American film, Roman Holiday (1953). Now My Fair Lady star Audrey Hepburn is the inspiration for a photoshoot by Lily Collins. [102] In 1989, Hepburn was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF. I was a child observing a child. I feel desperate. [158] Alongside model Twiggy, Hepburn has been cited as one of the key public figures who made being very slim fashionable. She continued ballet and gave recitals to make money for the resistance until she was too weak from malnutrition. In recognition of her film career, she received BAFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and the Special Tony Award. People still live in abject poverty, people are still hungry, people still struggle to survive. But few may know the difficult times she faced at the end . Many family members and friends attended the funeral, including her sons, partner Robert Wolders, half-brother Ian Quarles van Ufford, ex-husbands Andrea Dotti and Mel Ferrer, Hubert de Givenchy, executives of UNICEF, and fellow actors Alain Delon and Roger Moore. [162][163], In addition to Sabrina, Givenchy designed her costumes for Love in the Afternoon (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Funny Face (1957), Charade (1963), Paris When It Sizzles (1964), and How to Steal a Million (1966), as well as clothed her off screen. Village . That image is too much for me. Ferrer stepped down from being a chairman in 2012. Friends, family and other professional advisors are trustworthy sources. Hepburn's last starring role in a feature film was opposite Gazzara in the comedy They All Laughed (1981), directed by Peter Bogdanovich. She nonetheless appeared in a few films after 1975, including Robin and Marian (1976). That is true with the people shown in this collection of photos. After the war, she continued to study ballet in Amsterdam and in London. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam beginning in 1945, and with Marie Rambert in London from 1948. [33][34] In addition to other traumatic events, she witnessed the transportation of Dutch Jews to concentration camps, later stating that "more than once I was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. She is beloved for the characters in her films and for her own character. [173][e], Hepburn was considered by some to be one of the most beautiful women of all time,[178][179] she was ranked as the third greatest screen legend in American cinema by the American Film Institute. Hepburn played Sister Luke in The Nun's Story (1959), which focuses on the character's struggle to succeed as a nun, alongside co-star Peter Finch. [5] She was known to her family as Adriaantje. Her family was profoundly affected by the occupation, with Hepburn later stating that "had we known that we were going to be occupied for five years, we might have all shot ourselves. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [150] Ferrer brought the exhibition "Timeless Audrey" on a world tour to raise money for the foundation. Hepburn won, or was nominated for, awards for her work in motion pictures, television, spoken-word recording, on stage, and humanitarian work. [113] She issued a public statement about her decision, saying "When I get married, I want to be really married". The 59-year-old Grant, who had previously withdrawn from the starring male lead roles in Roman Holiday and Sabrina, was sensitive about his age difference with 34-year-old Hepburn, and was uncomfortable about the romantic interplay. The first was Two for the Road, a non-linear and innovative British dramedy that traces the course of a couple's troubled marriage. She exhibited her dancing abilities in her debut musical film, Funny Face (1957), wherein Fred Astaire, a fashion photographer, discovers a beatnik bookstore clerk (Hepburn) who, lured by a free trip to Paris, becomes a beautiful model. Born in Ixelles, Brussels, to an aristocratic family, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands.