Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn | |
|---|---|
Hepburn in 1956 | |
| Born | Audrey Kathleen Ruston 4 May 1929 Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | 20 January 1993 (aged 63) Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Resting place | Tolochenaz Cemetery |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1948–1989 |
| Notable work | Full list |
| Spouses | Mel Ferrer
(m. 1954; div. 1968)Andrea Dotti
(m. 1969; div. 1982) |
| Partner | Robert Wolders (1980–1993) |
| Children | 2, including Sean Hepburn Ferrer |
| Mother | Ella van Heemstra |
| Relatives |
|
| Awards | Full list |
| Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF | |
| In office 1989–1993 | |
| Signature | |
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn (née Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress admired for her charm and elegance.
Early life
Born in Brussels, Belgium, to an English father and a Dutch mother who were divorced in 1935. She grew up in Arnhem, The Netherlands during the war, with her mother and two maternal half-brothers.[1] When the war 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.[2]
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.[3]
This led to her being cast in the lead female part in the movie Roman Holiday (1953), opposite Gregory Peck.[4] 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, becoming the first actress to win all three for the same role.[5]
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).[6][7]
After not having taken an acting role in eight years to take care of her family, she returned with Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery.[8] 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.[9]
Personal life
She was married twice; first in 1954 to actor and director Mel Ferrer 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.[10]
Hepburn became an EGOT winner in 1994, becoming the first person to do so posthumously.[5]
Death and legacy
Hepburn died of appendix cancer on 20 January 1993.[11] Her elder son, Sean Ferrer, later wrote a book about his mother, called Audrey Hepburn: an elegant spirit.[12][13]
References
- ↑ "'Dutch Girl' shows Audrey Hepburn's wartime courage". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ↑ Moonan, Wendy (22 August 2003). "ANTIQUES; To Daddy Dearest, From Audrey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ↑ Billson, Anne (29 December 2014). "Audrey Hepburn: a new kind of movie star". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ King, Susan (12 December 2013). "Audrey Hepburn's 1953 'Roman Holiday' an enchanting fairy tale". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "All 21 EGOT Winners, From Richard Rodgers to Elton John and Beyond". Biography. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ↑ Corliss, Richard (20 January 2007). "Audrey Hepburn: Still the Fairest Lady". Time. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Audrey Hepburn tops beauty poll". BBC. 31 May 2004. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times review by Roger Ebert, 21 April 1976, Retrieved on291 March 2024
- ↑ "Audrey Hepburn". UNICEF. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ↑ "Mel Ferrer obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ↑ "Actress Audrey Hepburn dies". History.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ↑ "Proposed Decision Favors Actress' Eldest Son in Dispute with Charity". Los Angeles, California: KNBC. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "Audrey Hepburn's Son Sean Hepburn Ferrer Vindicated By Court Decision" (Press release). Sean Hepburn Ferrer. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via PR Newswire.