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| Audrey Hepburn |
Actress
– fashion icon – humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn was known as being all of
these. She was born May 4, 1929 to Joseph
Ruston and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat, in Ixelles, Belgium,
a Brussels suburb. She moved to London in 1948 and performed as a chorus girl
in West End musicals.
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Hepburn & Gregory Peck in
"Roman Holiday" |
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As Holly Golightly in
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" |
Hepburn broke into films in 1951 as an unbilled extra in
“One Wild Oat.” By 1953, she was winning an Oscar for
Best Actress in “Roman Holiday”
with Gregory Peck. She’s also well
remembered for her characters in “Sabrina,” “Funny Face,” “My Fair Lady,” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” She
is one of only a few actors who have received Academy, Grammy, Emmy and Tony
Awards.
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Humphry Bogart & Hepburn
in "Sabrina" |
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| Givenchy & Hepburn |
Besides
her acting, Hepburn was known for her gamine figure. Hubert de Givenchy was so smitten with her that he designed
her costumes for “Sabrina”
without receiving any wardrobe credit in the film. The two formed a life-long friendship and Givenchy often
referred to Hepburn as his muse for many designs. She made ‘the little black dress’ a fashion staple when she
wore Givenchy’s design in the 1961 movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
That same year, she was inducted into the International Best Dressed
Hall of Fame.
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| Son Sean & Hepburn |
After
being in the spotlight for fifteen years, Hepburn decided to retire in 1967 to
raise her son. She attempted a
comeback in 1976 in “Robin and Marian” with Sean Connery. Through the remainder of the seventies
and eighties, she tried on various roles, but none that brought her critical
acclaim. Her last role in a motion
picture was in 1988 in a cameo appearance as an angel in “Always.”
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| Hepburn and child |
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| Hepburn with child |
In
1988, she became the international Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Using her celebrity status, she was
able to draw attention to the difficulties of displaced children in other countries. During her five years with UNICEF,
Hepburn traveled to over a dozen disadvantaged, third-world countries trying to
gain assistance and awareness for starving children, and their need for food,
medications, and protection from
violence, exploitation and abuse in their home countries.
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Presidential Medal
of Freedom |
In
1992, Hepburn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with
UNICEF. The American Film
Institute named her the third Greatest Female Star of All Time.
~ Joy
After
being in the spotlight for fifteen years, Hepburn decided to retire in 1967 to
raise her son. She attempted a
comeback in 1976 in “Robin and Marian” with Sean Connery. Through the remainder of the seventies
and eighties, she tried on various roles, but none that brought her critical
acclaim. Her last role in a motion
picture was in 1988 in a cameo appearance as an angel in “Always.”
