Claim: Audrey Hepburn starred as the main character in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Breakfast at Tiffany 's is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and written by George Axelrod , loosely based on Truman Capote 's novella of the same name . Starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard , and featuring Patricia Neal , Buddy Ebsen , Martin Balsam , and Mickey Rooney , the film was initially released on October 5 , 1961 by Paramount Pictures .   Hepburn 's portrayal of Holly Golightly as the naïve , eccentric socialite is generally considered to be the actress 's most memorable and identifiable role . Hepburn regarded it as one of her most challenging roles , since she was an introvert required to play an extrovert .   Breakfast at Tiffany 's was received positively at the time , and won two Academy Awards : Best Original Score and Best Original Song for `` Moon River '' , which was also selected as the fourth most memorable song in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute in 2004 . The film was also nominated for three other Academy Awards : Best Actress for Hepburn , Best Adapted Screenplay , and Best Art Direction .   In 2012 , the film was deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry .