Audrey Hepburn Biography Gallery | Filmography (1929

Biography / Gallery

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Early Life

Audrey Hepburn was born May 4, 1929, near Brussels, Belgium into relative prosperity and influence. She was the daughter of an English banker and a Dutch baroness. Her early years were spent travelling between England, Belgium, and the Netherlands because of her father's job. She was sent to a girls’ school near London after her father abandoned the family, an event that profoundly affected her for the rest of her life.

World War II and Childhood Hardships

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, her mother moved Audrey and two sons from a previous marriage to the neutral Netherlands. The following year, the country was invaded by the Nazis, and Hepburn and her family were forced to endure severe hardships. During the German occupation, she suffered from malnutrition (which permanently affected her weight), witnessed acts of Nazi brutality, and at one point was forced into hiding with her family.

Christened Audrey Kathleen Ruston, her mother Ella Van Heemstra temporarily changed her name to Edda during the war, believing "Audrey" might indicate her British roots too strongly. After the war, her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, traced his ancestry and added Hepburn to his name. This legally required Audrey to adopt the name Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston.

Personal Details

Birth Name: Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Profession: Actress
Date of Birth: 4 May 1929
Place of Birth: Brussels, Belgium
Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Spouses: Mel Ferrer (1954–1968, 1 child), Andrea Dotti (1969–1982, 1 child)
Died: 20 January 1993, Tolochenaz, Switzerland (colon cancer)
Interred: Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland
Early notable film: Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Biography: Fragments from a Life

After the war, Audrey moved to London on a ballet scholarship. Graceful, slender, and long-legged, she soon began modeling, including iconic photographs by British photographer Angus McBean that helped propel her into film.

In the early 1950s, she joined Felix Aylmer's acting classes and began playing bit parts in British films. One early role was in the opening scene of the Ealing classic Lavender Hill Mob, playing Alec Guinness' love interest.

While filming Monte Carlo Baby on the French Riviera in 1951, she met French novelist Colette, who insisted Audrey play the lead in the Broadway adaptation of Gigi. Her fragile, radiant presence made her an ideal Colette heroine. Her success on Broadway led to a starring role opposite Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, for which she won an Academy Award. Six weeks later, she won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway play Ondine.

Following Roman Holiday, she starred in Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), and Love in the Afternoon (1957), earning acclaim for her elegance and distinctive style. In 1954, she married co-star Mel Ferrer. They appeared together in War and Peace and Ferrer later directed her in Green Mansions. They divorced in 1968.

She continued to receive Academy Award nominations for The Nun's Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and Wait Until Dark (1967). One of her most celebrated roles was Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964). By the late 1960s, after her divorce from Ferrer, she chose to retire while at the peak of her career. Later, she married Dr. Andrea Dotti.

Later Career and Humanitarian Work

Audrey made occasional film appearances, including Robin and Marian (1976). In 1988, she became a special ambassador for UNICEF, helping children in Latin America and Africa, a role she retained until her death. Her final film was Always (1989), marking a total of 31 significant films. She was named among People's 50 most beautiful people and included in Empire magazine’s "Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".

After a 1992 humanitarian mission to Somalia, she passed away from colon cancer at age 63. Internationally mourned, Audrey remains an enduring icon of style, elegance, dignity, and charity. She handled fan correspondence with kindness, sending autographs once per person to maintain fairness.

Filmography

Always (1989) .... Hap
Love Among Thieves (1987) (TV) .... Baroness Caroline DuLac
They All Laughed (1981) .... Angela Niotes
Bloodline (1979) .... Elizabeth Roffe
... aka Blutspur (1979) (West Germany)
... aka Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline (1979)
Robin and Marian (1976) .... Lady Marian
Wait Until Dark (1967) .... Susy Hendrix
Two for the Road (1967) .... Joanna Wallace
How to Steal a Million (1966) .... Nicole
... aka How to Steal a Million Dollars and Live Happily Ever After (1966)
My Fair Lady (1964) .... Eliza Doolittle
Paris - When It Sizzles (1964) .... Gabrielle Simpson
... aka Together in Paris (1964) (USA)
Charade (1963) .... Regina 'Reggie' Lampert
New Kind of Love, A (1963) (uncredited) .... Runway Model
Children's Hour, The (1961) .... Karen Wright
... aka Loudest Whisper, The (1961) (UK)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) .... Holly Golightly
Unforgiven, The (1960) .... Rachel Zachary
Nun's Story, The (1959) .... Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal)
Green Mansions (1959) .... Rima
Love in the Afternoon (1957) .... Ariane Chavasse/Thin Girl
Funny Face (1957) .... Jo Stockton
War and Peace (1956) .... Natasha Rostov
... aka Guerra e pace (1956) (Italy)
Sabrina (1954) .... Sabrina Fairchild
... aka Sabrina Fair (1954) (UK)
Roman Holiday (1953) .... Princess Ann ('Anya Smith')
Nous irons à Monte Carlo (1952) .... Melissa Walter
... aka We Will All Go to Monte Carlo (1952) (International: English title)
Secret People, The (1952) .... Nora
... aka Secret People (1952)
Monte Carlo Baby (1951) .... Linda Farrel
... aka We Go to Monte Carlo (1953) (USA)
Young Wives' Tale (1951) .... Eve Lester
Lavender Hill Mob, The (1951) .... Chiquita
One Wild Oat (1951) .... Hotel receptionist
Laughter in Paradise (1951) .... Cigarette girl

Audrey Hepburn