Biography taken from Wikipedia.org
Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born in Brussels, Belgium, she was the only child of Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, an Anglo-Irish banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat descended from French nobility and English kings. Her father later appended the name Hepburn to his surname, and her surname became Hepburn-Ruston. She had two half-brothers, Alexander and Ian Quarles van Ufford, by her mother's first marriage to a Dutch nobleman. She was a descendant of King Edward III of England.[
Audrey's acting career started with the instructional film, Dutch in Seven Lessons. She then played in musical theatre in productions such as High Button Shoes and Sauce Piquante. Hepburn's first role in a motion picture was in the British film One Wild Oat, in which she played a hotel receptionist. She played several more minor roles in Young Wives' Tales, Laughter in Paradise, The Lavender Hill Mob and Monte Carlo Baby. During the filming of Monte Carlo Baby, Hepburn was chosen to play the lead character in the Broadway play Gigi that opened on 24 November 1951. The writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette upon first seeing Hepburn reportedly said, "Voilà! There's our Gigi!" She won a Theatre World Award for her debut performance, and it had a successful six-month run in New York City.
By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but she also came to be regarded as a major style icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognised sense of chic were both admired and imitated. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe - World Film Favorite - Female.
Hepburn married twice to American actor Mel Ferrer and to an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti, and had a son with each—Sean in 1960 by Ferrer, and Luca in 1970 by Dotti.
Audrey and Mel
Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Grateful for her own good fortune after being a victim of the Nazi occupation as a child, she dedicated the remainder of her life to helping impoverished children in the world's poorest nations. Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages; she spoke French, Italian, English, Dutch/Flemish, and Spanish. She learned Italian while living in Rome. She learned Spanish on her own, and there is UNICEF footage of her in Mexico speaking fluent Spanish to locals.
Audrey and Her Son
In late 1992, Hepburn began to feel pains in her abdomen, which turned out to be a rare form of cancer that originated in the appendix. Hepburn had surgery in a Los Angeles hospital, but the cancer continued to spread and doctors decided that another surgery would not help. (Hepburn had been a lifelong smoker.)
Later Picture of Lovely Audrey
Hepburn died of colorectal cancer on 20 January 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, and was interred there. She was 63.
Audrey's Grave
Audrey Trivia
American Plastic Surgeons ranked her as the #1 female timeless beauty (2003).
Givenchy created the fragrance L'Interdit for her.
In 2003, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian. It has a drawing of her which is based on a publicity photo from the movie Sabrina. Hepburn is one of the few non-Americans to be so honored.
Oh, good tribute, Audrey! I have the various movie stills as my MySpace background! The article missed one of my fav things, though. She had a quote: God gives us two hands for a reason. One is for helping yourself, one is for helping others.
Not sure of the exact wording, but that is the gist. I never get tired of her movies!
Great blog Audreystar! Thanks for all the great info. Did you see the Today show this morning where they were talking about auctioning off her dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's? I watched that movie for the first time this summer and really enjoyed it. I love the new Gap commercial with her in it dancing around.
Screen Goddess Tribute - Audrey Hepburn
Biography taken from Wikipedia.org
Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born in Brussels, Belgium, she was the only child of Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, an Anglo-Irish banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat descended from French nobility and English kings. Her father later appended the name Hepburn to his surname, and her surname became Hepburn-Ruston. She had two half-brothers, Alexander and Ian Quarles van Ufford, by her mother's first marriage to a Dutch nobleman. She was a descendant of King Edward III of England.[
Audrey's acting career started with the instructional film, Dutch in Seven Lessons. She then played in musical theatre in productions such as High Button Shoes and Sauce Piquante. Hepburn's first role in a motion picture was in the British film One Wild Oat, in which she played a hotel receptionist. She played several more minor roles in Young Wives' Tales, Laughter in Paradise, The Lavender Hill Mob and Monte Carlo Baby. During the filming of Monte Carlo Baby, Hepburn was chosen to play the lead character in the Broadway play Gigi that opened on 24 November 1951. The writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette upon first seeing Hepburn reportedly said, "Voilà! There's our Gigi!" She won a Theatre World Award for her debut performance, and it had a successful six-month run in New York City.
By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but she also came to be regarded as a major style icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognised sense of chic were both admired and imitated. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe - World Film Favorite - Female.
Hepburn married twice to American actor Mel Ferrer and to an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti, and had a son with each—Sean in 1960 by Ferrer, and Luca in 1970 by Dotti.
Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Grateful for her own good fortune after being a victim of the Nazi occupation as a child, she dedicated the remainder of her life to helping impoverished children in the world's poorest nations. Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages; she spoke French, Italian, English, Dutch/Flemish, and Spanish. She learned Italian while living in Rome. She learned Spanish on her own, and there is UNICEF footage of her in Mexico speaking fluent Spanish to locals.
In late 1992, Hepburn began to feel pains in her abdomen, which turned out to be a rare form of cancer that originated in the appendix. Hepburn had surgery in a Los Angeles hospital, but the cancer continued to spread and doctors decided that another surgery would not help. (Hepburn had been a lifelong smoker.)
Hepburn died of colorectal cancer on 20 January 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, and was interred there. She was 63.
Audrey Trivia
American Plastic Surgeons ranked her as the #1 female timeless beauty (2003).
Givenchy created the fragrance L'Interdit for her.
In 2003, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian. It has a drawing of her which is based on a publicity photo from the movie Sabrina. Hepburn is one of the few non-Americans to be so honored.
Good Old Hollywood