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Audrey Hepburn

1929 -1993

Indy Randhawa

Edmonton Public Library

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Early Childhood

  • Born Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium
  • Lived a privileged life
  • Spoke 5 languages
  • Father left the family in 1935

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World War II

  • Attended the Arnhem Conservatory from 1939 to 1945 studying ballet�
  • Used the name Edda van Heemstra�
  • Performed silent dances to raise �money for the Dutch resistance effort�
  • Suffered from malnutrition

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Theatre 1945-1951

  • Family lost its fortune
  • Moved to London on a ballet scholarship
  • Convinced to give up ballet because of her height and weak constitution
  • Worked as a chorus girl
  • Had small TV appearances

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Gigi

  • Cast in Gigi when spotted by the author
  • Received praise and an award for her performance
  • Play was very successful

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Roman Holiday 1953

  • Producers initially wanted Elizabeth Taylor for the role
  • Director William Wyler cast her based on her charming screen test
  • Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress

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A Rising Star

  • signed a seven-picture contract with Paramount
  • Had time off to allow her time for stage work
  • Featured on September 1953 cover of TIME magazine
  • Starred in Ondine on Broadway, winning a Tony

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Sabrina 1954

  • Co-starred Humphrey Bogart and William Holden
  • Nominated for another Oscar and won a BAFTA
  • Received the Golden Globe for “World Film Favorite” in 1955

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1954-1957 Meeting Mel Ferrer

  • Met Mel Ferrer at a cocktail party
  • Acted together in Ondine, Hepburn won a Tony
  • They were married in Switzerland, September 1954
  • Filmed War and Peace together, Hepburn was nominated for BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

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Funny Face 1957

  • Hepburn’s debut musical film.
  • Co-starred dance legend Fred Astaire.
  • Excited to put dancing abilities to use.

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A Style Icon

  • Always recognizable
  • Presented an alternative feminine ideal.
  • Often associated with Hubert de Givenchy.
  • Clothing items would often see a boost in their sales.
  • Preferred to wear casual and comfortable clothes at home.

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Continued Success 1957-1960

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  • Love In the Afternoon (1957)
  • Green Mansions (1959)
  • The Nun's Story (1959)
  • The Unforgiven (1960)

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Her First Child

  • Hepburn had two miscarriages in 1955 and in 1959
  • Injured after falling from a horse filming of The Unforgiven
  • Took a year off work to prevent miscarriage, Sean Hepburn Ferrer was born on July 17, 1960.
  • She had two more miscarriages in 1965 and 1967.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s

  • Loosely based on the Truman Capote novella
  • One of the most iconic roles
  • Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

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1961-1964

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My Fair Lady

  • Adaptation of the stage musical.
  • Casting was controversial.
  • Songs were dubbed against her will.
  • Movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, but Hepburn was not.

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1966-1967

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Second Marriage & Child

  • Met Andrea Dotti in 1968, they married in 1969.
  • Their son, Luca Dotti, was born in 1970.
  • Hepburn rested for months before delivering.
  • Unable to have a third child.
  • Marriage began deteriorating in 1978, they were divorced in 1982.

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Final Roles 1976-1989

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Robert Wolders

  • From 1980 until her death, was in a relationship with Robert Wolders.
  • She called the time she spent with him the happiest of her life.
  • She considered them married, just not officially.
  • They travelled for charity work often.

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Work with UNICEF

  • First field mission was to Ethiopia in 1988, then went to Turkey on an immunisation campaign.
  • Went to South & Central America to help with water, schools, and met with world leaders.
  • Was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF in 1989, and received the Presidential Medal of Honor.
  • Visited Sudan as part of a mission called "Operation Lifeline," and went to Bangladesh and Somalia.

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Final Projects

  • Gardens of the World, a PBS documentary series. Hepburn won an Emmy.
  • A spoken word album, Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales was recorded in 1992. It earned her a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

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Final Days

  • Diagnosed with a rare form of abdominal cancer in 1992, had surgery in America.
  • Returned to Switzerland to celebrate her last Christmas on a jet filled with flowers.
  • Passed away on January 20, 1993.

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Awards

  • Greatest Female Stars of All Time-The American Film Institute
  • Winner of Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards.
  • Won a record # BAFTA Awards for Best Actress.
  • BAFTA, Oscar, & SAG Lifetime Achievement Awards
  • Jean Hersholt, UNICEF, Humanitarian Awards
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom

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Legacy

  • Changed the ideal of Hollywood beauty and style.
  • Numerous humanitarian awards named after her.
  • Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund has raised over $100 million

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