Audrey Hepburn

Was first choice for the lead in A Taste of Honey .

(October 1997) Ranked #50 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

Mother of Sean Hepburn Ferrer , with first husband, Mel Ferrer.

Son, Luca Dotti (b. 8 February 1970), with second husband, Dr. Andrea Dotti.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.

After Wait Until Dark was offered the leads in Goodbye, Mr. Chips , 40 Carats , Nicholas and Alexandra , The Exorcist , One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest , A Bridge Too Far and The Turning Point but decided to stay in retirement and raise her sons.

Interred in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#8).

Turned down the film Gigi after creating the character in the Broadway non musical play.

Had a breed of tulip named after her in 1990.

Died on January 20, 1993, the day of Bill Clinton s first inauguration as President of the United States and the 67th birthday of Patricia Neal. They starred together in Breakfast at Tiffanys .

She won the 1953 Best Actress Academy Award for Roman Holiday . On March 25th, 1954, she accepted the award from the much revered Academy president Jean Hersholt. After accepting the award, Audrey kissed him smack on the mouth, instead of the cheek, in her excitement. Minutes after accepting her 1953 Oscar, Audrey realized that shed misplaced it. Turning quickly on the steps of the Center Theater in New York, she raced back to the ladies room, retrieved the award, and was ready to pose for photographs.

Christened simply Audrey Kathleen Ruston, her mother Baroness Ella Van Heemstra temporarily changed her daughters name from "Audrey" to "Edda" during the war, feeling that "Audrey" might indicate her British roots too strongly. During the war, being English in occupied Netherlands was not an asset; it could have attracted the attention of the occupying German forces and resulted in confinement or even deportation. After the war her father Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston found documents about his ancestors, some of whom bore the name "Hepburn". This is when he added it to his name, which caused her daughter to have to add Hepburn to her legal name as well, thus Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston.

Was fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish, French, and Italian. She was raised bilingually; speaking English and Dutch (resulting in her unique accent). Throughout her life, she used multilingualism to great advantage with international press in both her careers as an actress and humanitarian.

Was briefly considered for the main role in Cleopatra but the part went to Elizabeth Taylor

She confessed to eating tulip bulbs and tried to bake grass into bread during the hard days of World War II.

In 1990, on the TV show "Reflections on the TV screen", when asked about the longstanding rumor that she felt that she was miscast in one of her most popular roles as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys : "No, that is quite wrong. I had no misgivings about "Breakfast at Tiffanys". Some people had, but not me. I dont think Truman Capote thought I was right for the part. And some people thought it was a different era that it was a bit daring to play a call girl.".

Was trained as a dental assistant before making it big.

Henry Mancini said of her: "Moon River was written for her. No one else had ever understood it so completely. There have been more than a thousand versions of Moon River, but hers is inquestionably the greatest".

Turned down a role in the film The Diary of Anne Frank because, as a young girl in the Netherlands during the war, she had witnessed Nazi soldiers publicly executing people in the streets and herding Jews onto railroad cars to be sent to the death camps. She said that participating in the film would bring back too many painful memories for her. Years later, in 1990, during her humanitarian career, she accompanied composer Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony orchestra to narrate portions of Franks diary for a symphonic work he had written, "From The Diary of Anne Frank", which she performed on a small tour in the United States and London. Proceeds from all the concerts benefited UNICEF.

Like Humphrey Bogart , Hepburn also starred in five of the movies listed by American Film Institute in its Top 100 U.S. love stories . They are Roman Holiday , ranked #4 on the list, Sabrina ranked #54, which co-starred Bogart, My Fair Lady ranked #12, Two for the Road at #57 and Breakfast at Tiffanys #61.

During the battle of Arnhem, 16-year-old Audrey was a volunteer nurse in a Dutch hospital. The hospital received many wounded Allied soldiers, one of whom young Audrey helped nurse back to health was a young British paratrooper - and future director - named Terence Young. More than 20 years later, Young directed Hepburn in Wait Until Dark .

In 1954 she was presented with her Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday by Jean Hersholt. In 1993 she was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

During World War II, she lived in Arnhem, Netherlands. She worked with the Dutch Underground, giving ballet performances to collect donations for the anti-Nazi effort and as an occasional courier. She also received dance training and later studied ballet in London.

Presented the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards four times (in 1955, 1960, 1966, and 1975), more than any other actress.

Told People Magazine that she was very self-conscious about her size-10 feet.

She was voted the 21st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

In 1993 she became the thirteenth performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar - Best Actress for Roman Holiday , Tony for Best Actress in a Play for "Ondine" and Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming for "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" .

Was fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy s muse, who dressed her for the films Sabrina , Funny Face , Love in the Afternoon , Breakfast at Tiffanys , Paris - When It Sizzles , How to Steal a Million , Charade and Love Among Thieves .

In 1996 the British magazine Harpers & Queen conducted a poll to find the most fascinating women of our time. She was in the #1 spot.

As of 2005, she is one of only nine performers to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy Award.

Her father was of approximately one quarter English and three quarters Austrian descent. Her mother was Dutch, with remote French and English roots. Some reports incorrectly identified Audrey as having Irish ancestry on her paternal side (which even she believed), but her fathers only ties to Ireland were having resided there in the latter part of his life.

Followed winning the Academy Award for Roman Holiday with winning Broadways 1954 Tony Award as Best Actress for "Ondine."

Voted #1 in TheAge.coms Top 100: Natural Beauties of all time.

She owned a Yorkshire Terrier called "Mr. Famous".

She was voted the 18th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Was named #3 on The American Film Institutes 50 Greatest Screen Legends

Her biggest film regret was not getting the Anne Bancroft role in The Turning Point . "That was the one film", she later admitted, "that got away from me."

Is portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Audrey Hepburn Story

When she failed to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady , Katharine Hepburn wired her with a message of encouragement: "Dont worry about it. Youll get it one day for a part that doesnt rate it." Ironically, when Audreys next (and last) nomination came for Wait Until Dark in 1967, Hepburn beat her in Guess Whos Coming to Dinner - in a part that arguably didnt rate it.

Her character in Funny Face was inspired by Suzy Parker , who made a fashionable cameo appearance in the film (her first film) in the "Think Pink" sequence.

According to her biography, "Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait", she made a vow to herself never to exceed 103 pounds. With the exception of her pregnancies, she succeeded.

Turned down the title role in Gigi to make Funny Face . Ironically, her agent initially rejected the film, but Hepburn overrode the decision after reading the script. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra , makes a cameo appearance as a sidewalk caf patron, and her Yorkshire terrier "Mr. Famous" appears as the dog in the basket during the "Anna Karenina" train shot. Hepburn did not want to be separated from husband Mel Ferrer , so filming of the Paris scenes was timed to coincide with Ferrers filming of Elena et les hommes . Paris unseasonably rainy weather had to be worked into the script, particularly during the balloons photo shoot scene. During filming of the Paris scenes, much of the crew and cast were on edge because of riots and political violence that were gripping the city. The soggy weather played havoc with the shooting of the wedding dress dance scene. Both Fred Astaire and Hepburn were continually slipping in the muddy and slippery grass. In "Funny Face" she was lucky enough to sing several songs. Her next full musical, My Fair Lady , had her singing voice dubbed by Marni Nixon , much to Hepburns disappointment. The face portrait unveiled in the darkroom scene was photographed by Richard Avedon. The film was shot back-to-back with Love in the Afternoon .

According to director William Friedkin , Audrey was Warner Bros. first choice for the role of Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist after her box-office successes with the studios productions The Nuns Story , My Fair Lady and Wait Until Dark . She would only agree to star if the film were made in Rome, so that she would be able to remain home to raise her sons. Both Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty rejected the proposal, and eventually cast Ellen Burstyn.

Her performance as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys is ranked #32 on Premiere Magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

Asked for the part of Emma Jacklin in The Turning Point but Anne Bancroft had already been cast in the role.

Hepburn was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer on November 1, 1992 (not colon cancer, as it is often mistakenly called). The cancer spread into the lining of her small intestine. She had one foot of intestine removed in surgery and went through chemotherapy, but in a second surgery it was decided that the cancer had spread too far and could not be treated. Her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer believes it had probably been developing over the course of the previous five years.

From 1980 until her death, she lived together in Switzerland with her partner, Dutch actor Robert Wolders.

The US Postal Service issued a 37 cent commemorative stamp honoring her as a Hollywood legend and humanitarian.

Her famous "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffanys , designed by Hubert de Givenchy , was sold at a Christies auction for approximately $920,000 (5 December 2006).

Was voted "most beautiful woman of all time" by the readers of "New Woman" magazine.

Godmother of Victoria Brynner , the daughter of Doris Kleiner and Yul Brynner.

Saved the life of her friend Capucine , who attempted suicide on several occasions.

In Italy she was almost exclusively dubbed by Maria Pia Di Meo , except in her first two films ( Roman Holiday (Vacanze Romane) and Sabrina ) and in Green Mansions (Verdi dimore), where she was dubbed by Fiorella Betti.

She was presented with her 1953 Best Actress Oscar for "Roman Holiday" by actor and humanitarian Jean Hersholt. Forty years later she would posthumously receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her work with UNICEF.

As of 2007, she and Katharine Hepburn are the only "Best Actress" Oscar-winners to share a last name. Of course, they are not related.

Met future husband Mel Ferrer at a party hosted by Gregory Peck. It was Ferrer who sent Hepburn the script for "Ondine", which Hepburn agreed to play on Broadway, in which the couple co-starred.

Scottish writer A.J. Cronin was godfather of Sean Hepburn Ferrer , her first child.

Was friends with Eva Gabor.

Once admitted that she would not have accepted the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady if she had known that producer Jack L. Warner planned to have all of her singing dubbed.

Hepburn was offered the role of a Japanese bride opposite Marlon Brando in Sayonara but turned it down. She later explained that she "couldnt possibly play an Oriental. No one would believe me; theyd laugh. Its a lovely script, however, I know what I can and cant do. And if you did persuade me, you would regret it, because I would be terrible".

Broke her back during filming of a horse-riding scene in The Unforgiven .

Won a 1968 Special Tony Award (New York City).

Was considered for the part of Tony Gromeko in Doctor Zhivago , but Geraldine Chaplin was cast instead.

Was a close friend of Gregory Peck , Ben Gazzara and French actress Capucine.

Was a three-pack-a-day smoker.

In December 1992, President George Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work for UNICEF. She did not attend the ceremony, due to being ill with cancer.

Nearly married James (later Lord) Hanson, a businessman, after filming Roman Holiday . An ivory satin wedding gown was designed by the Fontana sisters, but Hepburn called off the wedding at the last minute.

Her last humanitarian mission for UNICEF was to Somalia in September 1992. She was reported to have begun experiencing stomach pains towards the end of the trip, leading to her cancer diagnosis, two months later.

Returned to work nine months after giving birth to her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer in order to begin filming Breakfast at Tiffanys .

Suffered from hydrophobia, a condition that severely hampered some of her scenes in Two for the Road . When a shot called for co-star Albert Finney to throw Hepburn into a swimming pool, divers were placed on standby (off-camera) just to placate the actress after it was learned that she had a morbid fear of water.

During his acceptance speech honoring her work for UNICEF, Sean Hepburn Ferrer dedicated his mothers Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to "the children of the world".

Is one of the only 12 people who are an EGOT, which means that she won at least one of all of the four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The other ones in chronological order are Richard Rodgers , Barbra Streisand , Helen Hayes , Rita Moreno , Liza Minnelli , John Gielgud , Marvin Hamlisch , Jonathan Tunick , Mel Brooks , Mike Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg. Streisand, however, won a Special Tony Award, not a competitive one, and Minnelli won a Special Grammy.

She donated all the salaries she earned for her final projects to UNICEF ( Love Among Thieves , Always , and "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" ).

Art was one of her longtime hobbies, she drew pictures of stories when she was a child to distract herself from chronic hunger pains during WWII. As an adult, she took up painting to pass time while pregnant with her son, Luca. Samples of her work can be seen in the book "Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit".

In addition to her first son Sean Hepburn Ferrer , Hepburn became pregnant another four times by her husband Mel Ferrer (in 1954, 1958, 1965, and 1967). However, she suffered miscarriages on all of those occasions. She fell pregnant twice with Dr. Andrea Dotti; giving birth in 1970 to her second son, Luca, but miscarried in 1974.

Is one of 16 actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Helen Hayes , Ingrid Bergman , Shirley Booth , Liza Minnelli , Rita Moreno , Maureen Stapleton , Jessica Tandy , Anne Bancroft , Vanessa Redgrave , Maggie Smith , Ellen Burstyn , Helen Mirren , Frances McDormand , Jessica Lange and Viola Davis.

Ranked #82 in Mens Health 100 Hottest Women of All Time.

She auditioned for, and did a costume test for, the role of Lygia in Quo Vadis , but M-G-M turned her down because she was too unknown at the time and went with Deborah Kerr.

When Hepburn was in the final stages of her illness, the press took pictures of her while she was at home, and published the photos, much to the disapproval of everyone who knew her.

While working in a minor movie, Monte Carlo Baby , in Monaco in 1951, Hepburn was spotted by novelist Colette , who deemed her the ideal choice to play the title role in the upcoming Broadway version of her play "Gigi." Although she lacked experience and confidence, she ultimately got the part.

She never singled out any of her films as a favorite, but often spoke fondly of Breakfast at Tiffanys , Roman Holiday , Funny Face , The Nuns Story , and Charade in interviews. She reportedly did not enjoy working on The Unforgiven due to injuries sustained while shooting, and Wait Until Dark from the stress of her failing marriage. She was said to have also disappointed with the results of Paris - When It Sizzles and Bloodline . Nonetheless, she had a great reputation for her professionalism and almost always got along well with her co-stars and directors.

Studied Ballet in London under Madame Rambert.

Release of the biography, "Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn" by Donald Spoto.

Release of the biography, "Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit" by her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer.

Was the 40th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday at The 26th Annual Academy Awards on March 25, 1954.

Is one of 26 actresses to have won an Academy Award for their performance in a comedy; hers being for Roman Holiday . The others, in chronological order, are: Claudette Colbert ( It Happened One Night ), Loretta Young ( The Farmers Daughter ), Josephine Hull ( Harvey ), Judy Holliday ( Born Yesterday ), Goldie Hawn ( Cactus Flower ), Glenda Jackson ( A Touch of Class ), Lee Grant ( Shampoo ), Diane Keaton ( Annie Hall ), Maggie Smith ( California Suite ), Mary Steenburgen ( Melvin and Howard ), Jessica Lange ( Tootsie ), Anjelica Huston ( Prizzis Honor ), Olympia Dukakis ( Moonstruck ), Cher ( Moonstruck ), Jessica Tandy ( Driving Miss Daisy ), Mercedes Ruehl ( The Fisher King ), Marisa Tomei ( My Cousin Vinny ), Dianne Wiest ( Bullets Over Broadway ) Mira Sorvino ( Mighty Aphrodite ), Frances McDormand ( Fargo ), Helen Hunt ( As Good as It Gets ), Judi Dench ( Shakespeare in Love ), Gwyneth Paltrow ( Shakespeare in Love ), Penlope Cruz ( Vicky Cristina Barcelona ), and Jennifer Lawrence ( Silver Linings Playbook ).

Hepburn is mentioned by name in the Frank Sinatra standard "Nancy with the Laughing Face.".

She accepted her final role as "Hap" in Always simply for the opportunity to work with Director Steven Spielberg. Hepburn was moved by Spielbergs film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial after taking her youngest son to see it in Rome, and remarked: "The man is a genius!" She vowed to work with him, ever since.

Was to play the lead in a screen version of the Henry Cecil novel "No Bail for the Judge," which was to be Alfred Hitchcocks followup to North by Northwest. Hepburn was to play the daughter of an English judge who enlists the aid of a thief ( Laurence Harvey ) to exonerate her father, a High Court Judge who has been arrested for the murder of a prostitute. Hepburn dropped out of the project when she became pregnant, and that, along with subsequent changes in British law regarding prostitution, caused Hitchcock to lose interest in the project, and it was never made. A few years later Hepburn starred with Cary Grant in Charade , which is sometimes referred to as "the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made.".

Spoke 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

Increased her smoking habit to 60 cigarettes a day while filming The Unforgiven .

Played by Caroline J. Smith in Hollywood Mouth 3 .

Is a dog.

As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help,yourself, the second is to help others.

I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to,give it.

For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart.

I probably hold the distinction of being one movie star who, by all laws,of logic, should never have made it. At each stage of my career, I,lacked the experience.

My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping,out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless,dresses.

Then I learned that if I turned it down, they would offer it to still,another movie actress. So I felt I should have the same opportunity to,play it as any other film actress. - On My Fair Lady (1964) .

Only the absolutely determined people succeed.

My life isn’t theories and formulae. It’s part instinct, part common sense. Logic is as good a word as any, and I’ve absorbed what logic I have from everything and everyone… from my mother, from training as a ballet dancer, from Vogue magazine, from the laws of life and health and nature.

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.

I hate girls that giggle all the time. . . You hate any girl that David looks at.

There must be something wrong with those people who think Audrey Hepburn doesn’t perspire, hiccup or sneeze, because they know that’s not true. I n fact, I hiccup more than most.

Happy girls are the prettiest,Why change? Everyone has his own style. When you have found it, you should stick to it.

If I get married, I want to be very married.

On the one hand maybe I’ve remained infantile, while on the other I matured quickly, because at a young age I was very aware of suffering and fear.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.

For Beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness, and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone,There is a shade of red for every woman.

I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it is the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills.

If I blow my nose, it gets written all over the world.

If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.

You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you.

Everything I learned I learned from themovies.

Everything I learned I learned from the movies.

I probably hold the distinction of being one movie star who by all laws of logic should never have made it. At each stage of my career I lacked the experience.

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.

I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.

Paris is always a good idea.

I probably hold the distinction of being one movie star who, by all laws of logic, should never have made it. At each stage of my career, I lacked the experience.

I can testify to what UNICEF means to children because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II.

Water is life, and clean water means health.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.

Taking care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics.

If my world were to cave in tomorrow, I would look back on all the pleasures, excitements and worthwhilenesses I have been lucky enough to have had. Not the sadness, not my miscarriages or my father leaving home, but the joy of everything else. It will have been enough.