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Biography for

Audrey Hepburn

Birth name

Audrey Kathleen Ruston

Height

5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini biography

Audrey Hepburn 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. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, she attended private schools as well. 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. Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition. 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 (1948) in 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) 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. One of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was so elf-like and had class, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time. Roman Holiday (1953) was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face (1957). Sabrina (1954), in 1954, for which she received another Academy nomination, and Love in the Afternoon (1957), in 1957, also garnered rave reviews. In 1959, she received yet another nomination for her role in The Nun's Story (1959). Audrey reached the pinnacle of her career when she played Holly Golightly in the delightful film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) in 1961. For this she received another nomination. One of Audrey's most radiant roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady (1964) 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, she hit pay dirt and another nomination in 1967's Wait Until Dark (1967). 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 (1976), with Sean Connery in 1976. 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 50 most beautiful people in the world. Her last film was Always (1989) in 1989. Audrey Hepburn died on January 20, 1993 in Tolochnaz, Switzerland, from colon 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."

mini biography

Hepburn was a cosmopolitan from birth as her father was an English banker and her mother a Dutch baroness. In the movies she appeared as a delicate adolescent, a look which remained until her last movie Always (1989) directed by Steven Spielberg. Her career as actress began in the English cinema and after having been selected for the Broadway musical "Gigi" she debuted in Hollywood in 1953. With Roman Holiday (1953) she won an oscar; her favorite genres were the comedies like Sabrina (1954) or Love in the Afternoon (1957). At the end of the sixties she retired from Hollywood but appeared from time on the set for a few films. From 1988 on she worked also for UNICEF.

Spouse

Andrea Dotti (18 January 1969 - 1982) (divorced) 1 child

Mel Ferrer (25 September 1954 - 5 December 1968) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Was first choice for the lead in A Taste of Honey (1961).

Ranked #50 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Mother of Sean H. Ferrer, with first husband, Mel Ferrer.

Son, Luca Dotti (b. 8 February 1970), with second husband, Dr. Andrea Dotti.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1990]

After Wait Until Dark (1967) was offered the leads in 40 Carats (1973), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and The Turning Point (1977) but decided to stay in retirement and raise her sons.

Interred in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#8). [1995]

Turned down the film Gigi (1958) after creating the character in the Broadway non musical play.

Everyone remembers when Marilyn Monroe serenaded President John F. Kennedy on his birthday in 1962. What is often forgotten is that Audrey Hepburn sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to JFK for his final birthday in 1963.

Had a breed of tulip named after her in 1990.

Died on January 20, 1993, the 67th birthday of Patricia Neal. They starred together in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).

She won the 1953 Best Actress Academy Award for Roman Holiday (1953). On March 25th, 1954, she accepted the award from the much revered Academy president Jean Hersholt. After accepting the award, Audrey kissed him smack on the mouth, instead of the cheek, in her excitement. Minutes after accepting her 1953 Oscar, Audrey realized that she'd misplaced it. Turning quickly on the steps of the Center Theater in New York, she raced back to the ladies' room, retrieved the award, and was ready to pose for photographs.

Christened simply Audrey Kathleen Ruston, her mother Baroness Ella Van Heemstra temporarily changed the actress' name from Audrey to Edda during the war, feeling that "Audrey" might indicate her British roots too strongly. During the war, being English in occupied Holland was not an asset; it could have attracted the attention of the occupying German forces and resulted in confinement or even deportation. After the war, her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, found documents about his ancestors, some of whom bore the name Hepburn. This is when he added it to his name, which caused her daughter to have to legally add Hepburn to her name as well, thus Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston.

Was fluent in English, Spanish, French, Dutch/Flemish and Italian.

Was briefly considered for the main role in Cleopatra (1963) but the part went to Elizabeth Taylor

She confessed to eating tulip bulbs and tried to bake grass into bread during the hard days of World War II.

Audrey felt that she was miscast as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) although it was one of her most popular roles.

Was trained as a dental assistant before making it big.

Broke her back during filming of a horse-riding scene in The Unforgiven (1960)

Henry Mancini said of her: "'Moon River' was written for her. No one else had ever understood it so completely. There have been more than a thousand versions of 'Moon River', but hers is inquestionably the greatest".

Turned down a role in the film The Diary of Anne Frank (1959/I) because, as a young girl in Holland during the war, she had witnessed Nazi soldiers publicly executing people in the streets and herding Jews onto railroad cars to be sent to the death camps. She said that participating in the film would bring back too many painful memories for her.

Like Humphrey Bogart, Hepburn also starred in five of the movies listed by American Film Institute in its Top 100 U.S. love stories (2002). They are Roman Holiday (1953), ranked #4 on the list, Sabrina (1954) ranked #54, which co-starred Bogart, My Fair Lady (1964) ranked #12, Two for the Road (1967) at #57 and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) #61.

During World War II, 16-year-old Audrey was a volunteer nurse in a Dutch hospital. During the battle of Arnhem, Hepburn's hospital received many wounded Allied soldiers. One of the injured soldiers young Audrey helped nurse back to health was a young British paratrooper - and future director - named Terence Young. More than 20 years later, Young directed Hepburn in Wait Until Dark (1967).

Measurements: 34A-20-34 (as recorded in 1953), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

In 1954, she was presented with her Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday (1953) by Jean Hersholt. In 1993, she was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

In Arnhem, Holland, during the Second World War, she worked with the Dutch Underground, giving ballet performances to collect donations for the anti-Nazi effort.

Presented the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards four times (in 1955, 1960, 1966, and 1975) more than any other actress.

Told People Magazine that she was very self-conscious about her size-10 feet.

She was voted the 21st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

In 1993 she became the thirteenth performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar - Best Actress for Roman Holiday (1953), Tony for Best Actress in a Play for Ondine (1954), and Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming for "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" (1993) (mini).

Was fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy's muse, who dressed her for the films Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), Love in the Afternoon (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Paris - When It Sizzles (1964), How to Steal a Million (1966), Charade (1963), and Love Among Thieves (1987) (TV).

In 1996, the British magazine Harpers & Queen conducted a pool to find the most fascinating women of our time. She was in the number one spot.

As of 2005, Audrey is only one of nine performers to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy Award.

She was of Belgian, Dutch, English and Irish descent.

Followed winning the Academy Award for Roman Holiday (1953) with winning Broadway's 1954 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "Ondine."

Voted #1 in TheAge.com's Top 100: Natural Beauties of all time.

Was Hubert de Givenchy's muse ever since they met at a Sabrina (1954) wardrobe rehearsal.

She owned a Yorkshire Terrier called "Mr. Famous".

She was voted the 18th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Was named #3 on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends

Her biggest film regret was not getting the Anne Bancroft role in The Turning Point (1977). "That was the one film", she later admitted, "that got away from me."

Is portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) (TV)

When she failed to receive an Academy Award-nomination for her role as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964), Katharine Hepburn wired her with a message of encouragement: "Don't worry about it. You'll get it one day for a part that doesn't rate it." Ironically, when Audrey's next (and last) nomination came for Wait Until Dark (1967) in 1967, Hepburn beat her in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) - in a part that arguably didn't rate it.

Her character in Funny Face (1957) was inspired by Suzy Parker, who made a fashionable cameo appearance in the film (her first film) in the "Think Pink" sequence.

According to her biography, "Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait", she made a vow to herself never to exceed 103 pounds. With the exception of her pregnancies, she succeeded.

Turned down the title role in Gigi (1958) to make Funny Face (1957). Ironically, her agent initially rejected the film, but Hepburn overrode the decision after reading the script. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, makes a cameo appearance as a sidewalk café patron, and her Yorkshire terrier "Mr. Famous" appears as the dog in the basket during the "Anna Karenina" train shot. Hepburn did not want to be separated from husband Mel Ferrer, so filming of the Paris scenes was timed to coincide with Ferrer's filming of Elena et les hommes (1956). Paris' unseasonably rainy weather had to be worked into the script, particularly during the balloons photo shoot scene. During filming of the Paris scenes, much of the crew and cast were on edge because of riots and political violence that were gripping the city. The soggy weather played havoc with the shooting of the wedding dress dance scene. Both Fred Astaire and Hepburn were continually slipping in the muddy and slippery grass. In Funny Face (1957), she was lucky enough to sing several songs. Her next full musical, My Fair Lady (1964), saw her voice overdubbed by Marni Nixon, much to her disappointment. The face portrait unveiled in the darkroom scene was photographed by Richard Avedon. The film was shot back-to-back with Love in the Afternoon (1957).

According to director William Friedkin, Audrey was Warner Bros. first choice for the role of Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973) after her box-office successes with the studio's The Nun's Story (1959), My Fair Lady (1964) and Wait Until Dark (1967). She would only agree to star if the film were made in Rome. Both Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty rejected the proposal.

Her performance as Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) is ranked #32 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Personal 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."

"For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart."

"I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing."

"I probably hold the distinction of being one movie star who, by all laws of logic, should never have made it. At each stage of my career, I lacked the experience."

"My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless dresses."

"Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you're exactly the same."

"I know I have more sex appeal on the tip of my nose than many women in their entire bodies. It doesn't stand out a mile, but it's there."

"If I were to write a biography, it would start like this: I was born in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 1929... and I died six weeks later." (relating her severe coughing attack when she was six-weeks old, slowly turning blue and finally stopping breathing until her mother's prayers and spanking brought her back to life).

(Relating to her 'comeback' in 1976) "Whatever happens, the most important thing is growing old gracefully. And you can't do that on the cover of a fan magazine."

Salary

Always (1989) $1,000,000

Bloodline (1979) $1,000,000 + % of gross

Robin and Marian (1976) $1,000,000

Wait Until Dark (1967) $750,000 +10% of profits

Two for the Road (1967) $750,000

How to Steal a Million (1966) $750,000

My Fair Lady (1964) $1.1 million

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) $750,000

The Unforgiven (1960) $200,000

The Nun's Story (1959) $250,000 + 10% of gross

Funny Face (1957) $150,000

War and Peace (1956) $130,000

Sabrina (1954) $15,000

Roman Holiday (1953) $12,500

Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:

When thinking of this dark, almost luminously beautiful actress, especially as a young woman, the words "waiflike" and "gamine" frequently spring to mind. It's true that Hepburn's large, hypnotic eyes, slender figure, and distinctive voice marked her as a true original in an era when Marilyn Monroe was everyone's favorite pinup, but physical attributes don't explain her appeal. Winsome, delicate almost to fragility, she brought to her performances an effortless charm perhaps best described as ethereal. A former ballet dancer, Hepburn broke into movies in 1948, playing bits in several European and English productions, most notably a walk-on in the opening scene of The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). In 1953, she came to Hollywood to star as the princess on the run in Roman Holiday she subsequently won an Oscar for the role, confirming her newfound stardom.

Hepburn opted to work at a leisurely pace, seeking a variety of roles; these include a chauffeur's daughter in Sabrina (1954, which brought her another Oscar nomination), Natasha in War and Peace (1956), a Greenwich Village intellectual in Funny Face (1957, in which she sang and danced with Fred Astaire), a Parisian romantic in Love in the Afternoon (also 1957), a South American "bird woman" in Green Mansions (1959, one of her best remembered-if least successful films), the lead role in The Nun's Story (1959, another Academy Award nomination), a half-Indian in The Unforgiven (1960), the blithe Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961, which snagged her yet another Oscar nod), a newly widowed target in Charade (1963), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964), a bickering wife in the delicious Two for the Road (1967). It was she who asked Henry Mancini to compose the (memorable) score for that movie, as he had for several of her best films; it was also she who fought to keep "Moon River" from being cut from Breakfast at Tiffany's She introduced that Oscarwinning Mancini-Johnny Mercer song in the film, in her own pleasing voice, but when she starred in My Fair Lady it was decided that she had to be dubbed!

Hepburn earned her final Oscar nomination playing a terrorized blind woman in Wait Until Dark (1967), which was produced by her longtime husband Mel Ferrer (who also acted with her in War and Peace and directed her in Green Mansions). Soon after, she divorced him, and began to devote herself to a variety of causes, notably world hunger. She became a tireless supporter of UNICEF and traveled the world raising funds and calling attention to the plight of needy children. More or less retired, she was lured back to the camera occasionally-as an aging Maid Marian opposite Sean Connery in Robin and Marian (1976), another damsel in distress in Bloodline (1979), an elegant jewel thief in the made-for-TV Love Among Thieves (1987), or as an angel in Always (1989)-but seemed content to stay busy with more important things than movies. She appeared with her son Sean Ferrer in Peter Bogdanovich's They All Laughed (1981). Just months after her death, he appeared on stage to accept her posthumous Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1993 Oscar ceremony.