Audrey Hepburn

**Audrey Kathleen Hepburn** (née **Ruston**; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress admired for her charm and elegance.

## Early life

She was born in Brussels, Belgium on May 4, 1929. Her name at birth was Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston. Her father, Joseph Ruston, was an English banker, and  her mother Ella van Heemstra was a Dutch baroness. Her parents divorced in 1935 due to her father leaving them.

During World War II, she lived in Arnhem, The Netherlands with her mother. Life was very hard for her—one of her two maternal half-brothers was captured by the Nazis, and the other spent the war in hiding. Hepburn developed edema as a result of food shortages and she and her family nearly starved to death. To help the war effort, she staged secret ballet shows—she had taken up the sport before the war began—and transmitted secret messages from Allied troops at risk of her own life.

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.

## 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.

This led to her being cast in the lead female part in the movie _Roman Holiday_ (1953), opposite Gregory Peck. 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.

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).

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. 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_.

## 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. In 1980, she began dating Dutch actor Robert Wolders. They stayed together until Hepburn died in 1993, and she has referred to him as the love of her life.

Hepburn became an EGOT winner in 1994, becoming the first person to do so posthumously.

## Death and legacy

Hepburn died of appendix cancer on 20 January 1993. Her elder son, Sean Ferrer, later wrote a book about his mother, called _Audrey Hepburn: an elegant spirit_.

## Other websites

- Official web site by the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund
- Audrey Hepburn's Gravesite

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **order**: Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF
- **country**: United Kingdom
- **term start**: 1989
- **term end**: 1993


## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Audrey Hepburn
- **image**: AudreyKHepburn.jpg
- **caption**: Hepburn in 1953
- **birth name**: Audrey Kathleen Ruston
- **resting place**: Tolochenaz Cemetery
- **citizenship**: British
- **years active**: 1948–1989
- **notable works**: Audrey Hepburn on screen and stage, Full list
- **partner**: Robert Wolders (1980–1993)
- **children**: 2, including Sean Hepburn Ferrer
- **mother**: Ella van Heemstra
- **awards**: List of awards and honours received by Audrey Hepburn, Full list
- **signature**: Audrey Hepburn signature.svg