Edda Hepburn van Heemstra, born in Belguim on May 4, 1929, the daughter of Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra (born 1900) and John Hepburn Ruston (born 1889), a wealthy English banker. Audrey once said, that if she were to ever write a book about herself, it would start out like this, "I was born on May 4, 1929, and I died three weeks later." True, for at 21 days old, Audrey contracted a horrible case of whooping cough, and her heart stopped. Ella, being the strict Christian Scientist that she was refused to call a doctor and revived her daughter by spanking her. Audrey's son Sean Ferrer later related that this "had an effect on her whole life, as if she'd been given a second chance." Hepburn's parents had a turbulent marriage, and in 1938, when she was 9 years old, they were formally divorced (with Ella maintaining primary custody of Audrey), after Hepburn Ruston had abandoned his wife and six year old daughter 3 years earlier. Much later on in life, Audrey related his leaving as "the most traumatic event in my life" and "a tragedy from which I don't think I've ever recovered. I worshipped him and missed him terribly from the day he disappeared..." At the time, Audrey was attending a boarding school in England, and Ella began to spend more time there with her. She had first sent her there to hopefully rid Audrey of the constant bickering between herself and Audrey's father (who has been rumored to have been a heavy drinker at the time) and also in part to draw her out of her shell, as Audrey was a shy child, who was always far away in thought. "I was terrified about being away from home" Audrey said. She was often teased for being shy, her less than perfect English, and the slight weight problem she had at the time, which has been related back to the depression s she so often experienced when her parents fought, and so she sought out food for comfort. This minor problem would change shortly ahead, though. Despite the trauma of her parent's break up, Audrey made the honor role at school and also began making friends, and it is at this point, that Audrey first fell in love. With dancing, that is. A certain Miss Rigden was helping her 'discover' the art form. In a village in Kent, where Audrey stayed, "there was this young dancer who would come up from London and give ballet lessons, I loved it, just loved it." In 1939, Audrey was disappointed to find that her mother was taking her out of school. One dance instructor even offered to take her to London with her to further her talent, but Ella said, "No. "She's coming back to Holland with me." To give you a quick overview of the happenings at the time, England had declared war on Germany, following the Nazi invasion of Poland, in September of 1939. Travel was scarce at the time, and Ella feared she might not see her daughter for years, so she returned to England panicked, and obtained court approval to remove Audrey back to Holland, where she thought it would be safe. Ella was under the impression that London would be bombed and that she and Audrey would be safer in Arnhem. In hindsight, this action is considered foolish, but at the time, Holland was quite neutral, and Ella's naive assumption that Hitler would most likely respect his "Dutch Cousins", and so returning to Holland seemed to be the most sensible and safest idea at the time. >From this point on, Audrey's childhood was spent in Nazi-occupied Holland. The young Audrey endured the murder of relatives, survived by eating tulip bulbs, and carried secret messages for the resistance in her ballet shoes. Due to severe malnutrition, Audrey's metabolism changed, and this resulted in her "skinniness"; a mere 110 pounds, which she managed to maintain for the rest of her life. Audrey's adolescent years were spent in England with the Baroness after they both left Holland shortly after the end of the war. In 1948, Audrey was accepted to the famed Marie Lambert ballet school on scholarship, but was unable to attend right away due to the lack of funds. Later, Audrey's dreams were crushed when she left the Marie Lambert ballet school due to her limitations, (her lofty height and inadequate training). Audrey later spent most of her time working as a chorus girl and occasionally snagging photo shoots and bit part roles in movies. By 1952, Audrey had appeared in several films as a minor character, including "One Wild Oat" (1951), "Laughter in Paradise" (1951) and "The Lavender Hill Mob" (1951) with Alec Guiness. In 1952, after completing "The Secret People", in which she had a rather large role, Audrey traveled to the French Riviera to shoot "Monte Carlo Baby". While filming in a hotel lobby, the famed French writer Collette spots Audrey. Collette's play "GigI" was currently in the middle of casting and the main character, Gigi, had yet to be cast. Collette, 78 at the time, was being wheeled around the lobby in her wheelchair when she accidently became entangled in technical wires and such that were being used during filming. While waiting to be untangled, Collette spots Audrey frolicking off to the side with two musicians while on a break. She was dancing around playfully with them. Collette's was mesmerized. "Voilá! There is my Gigi." And so are the beginnings of a legend. Upon meeting with Collette, and hearing that she was intended for such a role, politely declined, "I'm sorry Madame, but it is impossible. I wouldn't be able to, because I can't act." Collette managed to change her mind, and Audrey read for the part. Although initially, her reading was disappointing, Collette insisted on having Audrey as Gigi, and so she was. Shortly after, Audrey met with Hollywood director, William Wyler and read for the role of "Princess Anne" in his upcoming picture, "Roman Holiday". Later, while viewing her reading, Wyler determines that Hepburn is irresistible and casts her as his upcoming leading lady. Being signed on for her first Broadway play and Hollywood film, Audrey leaves for New York alone for the first time in her life. "Gigi" rehearsals began in October of 1951, and it became obvious that Audrey was going to have to do a lot of hard work. After vocal lessons and seriously applying herself to the role, Audrey's skills improved greatly. The play opened, and while critics did not favor it, no one could deny that Audrey was a shining star. After much praise and success, Audrey decides to resume her vocal and dance lessons at the Tarassova School of Ballet in New York City. Audrey's long time beau, James Hanson, had traveled to New York for "Gigi's" premiere, and while there, proposed marriage. Audrey accepted. However, this relationship would not lead to marriage. After several months of postponing wedding plans, Audrey broke it off with Hanson. She knew if she married him, she would not be able to continue with her career, and so the two parted ways. After "Gigi's" closing date in early 1952, Audrey was immediately flown to Rome to begin "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck. Peck was so blown away with Audrey's talent, that he called the studio and insisted on having Audrey's name above the title, because it would be incredibly foolish of them if they didn't. "Roman Holiday" was completed in September of 1952 and opened with a smash. Audrey was a hit and Hollywood was in love with her. Her regal air and delicate, pixie-like figure was a refreshing change from the buxom bottle blondes the studios had been used to. Audrey was on her way to becoming a superstar. In September 1953, Audrey began shooting her second film; the Billy Wilder directed version of the British stage hit, "Sabrina Fair", renamed simply "Sabrina", with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Before filming, Audrey was sent to Paris to pick up some French couture clothing for filming, as her character in the movie comes back from Paris the epitome of Parisian style. Audrey chooses a little shop that a young designer by the name of Hubert de Givenchy owned. Upon hearing that a "Miss Hepburn" was there to see him, he rushed up front to find Miss Hepburn, just not the one he had been expecting. After seeing that is was not Katherine Hepburn, but some skinny doe-eyed young woman he'd never heard of, he said he was too busy to make her anything, and that she should just browse the racks. However, after several minutes in her presence, Givenchy was totally enchanted with Audrey and was soon taking her measurements for the dresses he would make for her. The originally Givenchy's featured in "Sabrina" are still regarded as the definition of Audrey's simple chic style and were a great hit at the time. Hepburn and Givenchy would pair up again for several of her other films, and remained close friends for the rest of their lives. During the filming of "Sabrina," Audrey began a romance with her cast mate, Holden. They actually spoke of marriage, but those ideas were crushed when Audrey learned that Holden had had a vasectomy. More than anything, Audrey wanted to have children of her own, and that wasn't possible with Holden, so she broke off their relationship before the production of their film was complete. While at a party in 1954, Audrey is introduced to a fellow actor, Mel Ferrer by their mutual friend, Gregory Peck. The two hit it off and a few months later, Ferrer introduced a script to Audrey called "Ondine", an upcoming Broadway play about a water sprite who falls in love with a handsome knight. Audrey accepted the role and "Ondine" started it's successful run on Broadway. During this time, Hepburn and Ferrer began a blossoming romance, one that lead to Ferrer proposing marriage later on. During the production of "Ondine", Audrey was shocked to learn that she had been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in "Roman Holiday". The ceremony, which was held on March 25, 1954, was being shot in both Los Angeles and New York. Audrey attended the latter, as she was in New York at the time with "Ondine". She arrived slightly late, as she had just finished performing the aforementioned play and showed up still in her stage make-up. After a tense time, the Best Actress category came up. Jean Hersholt read the nominees, and announced that Audrey had won the award. Audrey, obviously very moved, gave an emotional and grateful speech and left the stage in somewhat of a daze. Three days after the Oscar ceremony, Audrey received yet another shock. She had received the Tony for best on stage actress for her role in "Ondine." "How will I ever live up to them?" Audrey asked a group of reporters, when asked about her recent accolades. "It's like being given something when you're a child - something too big for you that you must grow into." "Ondine" closed July 3, 1954 after 157 showings. Shortly after, Mel Ferrer flew to Switzerland and proposed to Audrey, who accepted over her mother Ella's objection. They were married in a civil ceremony on September 24, 1954 and repeated their vows at a religious ceremony in a Protestant chapel a day later, presided over by Pastor Maurce Eindigver. In late 1954, after honeymooning in Italy, Audrey was thrilled to learn that she was pregnant! But sadly, she miscarries shortly before she was to co-star with Mel in the great epic film, "War and Peace." This was the first of several miscarriages Audrey suffered. Audrey became very depressed and smoked heavily after most of the ordeals. Being a mother was all that mattered to her, and yet it seemed she could never achieve such a blessing. The best way Mel knew to get Audrey out of her slumps was to get her working, and so they once again started filming "War and Peace." Within the following years, Audrey shot many successful films. Mainly romantic comedies about a young girl who finds romance with an older man, including "Funny Face", the 1957 musical with Fred Astaire and "Love in the Afternoon" that same year with Gary Cooper. After completing 5 films with charming romantic story lines, Audrey was ready for a challenge. She wanted to prove herself to all those who thought her only able to pull off syrupy love stories. In 1959, Audrey began filming "The Nun's Story", a serious drama based on the Kathryn C. Hulme's autobiography of Marie-Louise Habets and her tale of her life as a nun and struggling for her worth after her father died at war and is faced with the decision to with the sisterhood or go off and fight the nazis. The role won Audrey great praise and her third Academy Award nomination. Also in 1959, Audrey shot "Green Mansions", which co-starred Anthony Perkins and was directed by her husband, Mel Ferrer. However, the film was a disappointment and Audrey moved on to her next project, John Huston's "The Unforgiven". While shooting, Audrey was thrown from a horse, causing her to break her back. Thankfully, she was not paralyzed. The amazing thing about it was, that she did not complain about her situation at all. She merely stated that the pain "wasn't too bad" and refused medication. She was soon back on the set, but was deeply troubled due to the fact that she was pregnant when the accident occurred. Shortly after "The Unforgiven" was completed, she miscarried again. Shortly after, Audrey becomes pregnant again and this time refuses all roles. She stays at home taking in some well-deserved rest and relaxation. The rest pays off, for on January 17, 1960, at thirty years old, Audrey gives birth to the first of her greatest achievements, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Sean, meaning "Gift of God", was born at Lucerne's Municipal Maternity Clinic at nine and a half pounds. After seeing her son and crying for joy, Audrey abruptly passed out. The same Pastor baptized Sean at the same chapel who had married Audrey and Mel some years before. After about a year of Audrey's maternity break, she resumed her Hollywood life and began filming "the role she was born to play." "Breakfast at Tiffany's", a novella by Truman Capote was about Holly Golightly, a young woman living in New York who was just trying to avoid the "mean reds," and everything else in life, for that matter. Golightly was a stylish playgirl who after evading love for the better part of her life falls for the writer upstairs who also happens to be a "kept man." Capote hated the idea of Hepburn as Golightly, and made it well known that he had originally intended the role for Marilyn Monroe. Audrey, not at all fazed by Capote, filmed with impeccable charm and style, thanks in part to yet another pairing with Givenchy. Audrey received her fourth Oscar nod and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is forever encased as the standard stylish film of the 20th century. Shortly after, Audrey filmed "The Children's Hour" with Shirley Maclaine, a tale of cruel student who accuses the two headmistresses at her school of lesbianism. Due to it's content; the film was deemed somewhat scandalous. Audrey the moved on to the stylish Stanley Donen directed film, "Charade" about a widow who is sought after by a group of thugs who claim that her recently deceased husband stole a large sum of money from them and wants it back. She has no idea what they mean, and is soon so caught up in a web of lies and mystery that she doesn't know who to trust, particularly her would be love interest, the ever so charming Cary Grant. "Paris When It Sizzles," co-starring her former love, William Holden, followed. The film however was not entirely favored by critics. In 1963, Audrey is cast as the lead in the musical "My Fair Lady," the sweet tale of Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl who wants to learn to be a "real lady." Rex Harrison costars as Professor Higgins, the man who will finesse her into high society. During filming, Audrey was appalled to find out that after being told she would indeed be able to sing some tracks, her singing voice will be dubbed entirely by Marni Nixon. As a deliberate snub for this, Audrey was not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. It was won that year by Julie Andrews (for "Mary Poppins") who had originated the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, but had been cast over for the costly film due to her unknown Hollywood stature. Sometime in 1964, Audrey begins to hear rumors of her father death. Mel decides to investigate, only to find her father living in Dublin. Audrey visits him there to discover that at 74, he has remarried. It was a bittersweet reunion, and from then until his death 20 years later, Audrey would send him money on a monthly basis. In 1966, Audrey filmed the clever art caper "How to Steal a Million" with Peter O'Toole which was then followed by "Two for the Road," the account of one couple's romance over the years. It's high points, it's low points, their rises and their falls. "Two for the Road" seemed to hit home for Audrey, for she could relate greatly to the stressed relationship she portrayed on film. Throughout the years of her film success, the greater Audrey became, the more she and Mel fell apart from one another. It is said that Mel was jealous of his wife's fame and that he turned to other female companions for comfort. In a last ditch effort to save her marriage, Audrey agreed to shoot "Wait Until Dark" with Mel at the director's helm. The psychological thriller tells of a blind woman who is harassed by three devious men for a doll that unbeknownst to our heroin, is filled with heroin. The film was a great success earning Audrey her fifth and final Academy Award nomination, but it did no good for the Ferrer marriage. On December 5, 1968, Audrey and Mel are divorced with Audrey retaining custody of Sean and "La Paisible," (The Peaceful Place) their home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. Audrey doesn't want to work anymore, and she refuses all scripts. Earlier that year, Audrey had met Dr. Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist, aboard Princess Olympia Torlonia's yacht. Sparks flew and on January 18, 1969, Audrey marries Dr. Dotti, six weeks after her divorce from Ferrer. Four months after her marriage, she soon finds herself pregnant again. Staying with her previous method, Audrey avoids all activity and stays home to rest. Her peace is not long lived after she finds her private life in the papers after rumors fly about Andrea's constant female companions. Audrey looked past this, though, and onto the upcoming arrival of her second child. On February 8, 1970, Audrey and Andrea's son Luca is born at the Cantonal Hospital in Lausanne by caesarean section. After living in Rome with Dotti for about a year, she tried convinced him to move his practice to Switzerland so that her son's could be raised in a safe and loving environment, La Paisible. Dotti was somewhat annoyed at the suggestion and refused. Audrey however did take the children to Tolochenaz while Andrea stayed in Rome, leaving him plenty of time to party at the local discos. In 1976, after years away from the silver screen, Audrey decides to jump back into her acting, starring alongside Sean Connery in "Robin and Marian," the tales of the older Robin and Marian, what they were after the "ever after" ending. She continued three years later with "Bloodline", based on a Sidney Sheldon book, Audrey starred as a paleontologist with her co-star, Ben Gazarra. Audrey had raised her children with Dotti for 10 years the best she could, but became fed up with his extra marital excursions and filed for divorce in 1980. The two were formally divorced in 1982. After the divorce, Audrey felt once again as though she had failed. She soon began to shoot the film "They All Laughed." Towards the end of filming, she met actor Robert Wolders Both had a lot in common, such as the fact that they were both recently single, (Robert's wife had just passed on shortly before their meeting) and their shared Dutch heritage. They became great friends and companions until Audrey's death. On August 26, 1984, Audrey's mother Ella passes away after having lived with Audrey at La Paisible in Tolochenaz for 10 years, leaving Audrey deeply saddened. Robert had moved in with Audrey at La Paisible and was a great comfort to her during her divorce and the loss of her mother. The presence of Robert in Audrey's life was a refreshing one. "I love Robbie very, very much" she said. "It's not Romeo and Juliet; we've had our tiffs, but very few. It's a wonderful friendship; we like each other... He is solid in every way. I can trust him. I trust his love; I never fear I'm losing it." It was in 1987 that Audrey began her most important role; Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). UNICEF is an organization that assists children in crises by providing nutritional supplements, medical care and educators. Audrey, having been a victim of war felt deeply in debt for such an organization, for it was the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) who came in with food and supplies after the ending of WWII and virtually saved a malnourished Audrey's life. Accompanied by Robert, Audrey begins the first of her many field trips of behalf of UNICEF starting with Macao and then followed by Japan and Ireland. She spends most of 1988 on field assignments, doing her best to provide care and create awareness to the situations that the world's children live in. Several memorable trips would include Ethiopia, Turkey and South America. 1989 was a busy year that Audrey began in Central America. In April, Audrey represents UNICEF before the House Select Subcommittee in Washington D.C. by testifying on Hunger. She was then off to Sudan, Bangkok and Bangladesh, overseeing work there. It was towards the end of that year that Audrey would appear in her last film, "Always." Directed by Stephen Spielberg and co-starring Richard Dreyfuss, Audrey made a cameo as an angel named Hap. Later in 1990, Audrey shot a television series called "Gardens of the World" that featured beautiful gardens in select spots all over the world, beginning in her home, Holland. In October, Audrey makes more UNICEF trips, including Vietnam, and later on to Norway to help co-host the "Concert for Peace," with Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela. In June of 1991, Audrey makes another trip to congress to promote the need for aid in Africa. In September of 1992, Audrey travels to Somalia, where the people were starving and the country was a general nightmare. After Somalia, Audrey and Robert decide to travel to California to see Sean. While there, Audrey developed severe stomach pains. Fearing that she had contracted some sort of disease while over seas, she was rushed to the hospital. It was not a virus that had caused Audrey's pain. Audrey was diagnosed with colon cancer, and later operated on. The doctor gave her three months to live, but she hung on for a mere seventy-nine days. After the surgery, Audrey returns to her beloved La Paisible to recover. She tried to take small walks around her beautiful gardens, but was rarely strong enough. While recovering, Audrey receives the news of several accolades that have been bestowed upon her. The first was the SAG Achievement Award, which was accepted on her behalf by Julia Roberts. Later, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for 1992 for her work on behalf on UNICEF. In early 1993, Audrey was told she was to be awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the April ceremony. Sean Ferrer would later accept this honor on behalf of his mother. On January 10, 1993, Audrey takes her last walk around her gardens at La Paisible, supported by Robert, stopping at each plant and telling him what sort of attention it would need come spring. Ten days later, on January 20, 1993, Audrey Hepburn passes away (At seven P.M.) at her home peacefully in her sleep. Four days later, her funeral takes place at which one of her dearest friends, Hubert de Givenchy, and ex-husband Mel Ferrer are pallbearers. UNICEF's Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan delivered a eulogy and Maurice Eindiguer, the very same pastor who had married Audrey and Mel Ferrer some 30 years earlier presided over her funeral. On January 20, 1993, Tiffany's stores around the world place her picture and a sign in their windows... Audrey Hepburn 1929 - 1993 Our Huckleberry Friend In losing Audrey, the world not only lost a movie star, we lost a princess; an angel; a person who inspired us all and whose selfless and loving example shall always be remembered. © Jenna Actaboski - 2001

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