Sara McEwen - Audrey Hepburn: Biography of Hollywoods Greatest Movie Actress

Audrey Hepburn was a rare beauty who managed to be just as graceful and captivating on the inside as she was on the outside. Her lithe dancer's body, large dark eyes and effortlessly chic clothing have made Hepburn a fashion icon for decades, no matter how many other trends may come and go. At the same time, Hepburns refined and charming personality captured her fans' hearts, and her charity work was an important part of her life up until her final years.

With her characteristic and unique blend of tomboy, ballerina and socialite personas, Hepburn worked hard to make her way into the ranks of Hollywood A-listers, but never forgot to stay true to her roots and genuinely care for those in need. After a childhood that was marked with tragedy and hardship, from losing her father to enduring the trials of World War II, Hepburn persevered and quickly became a role model for many people. She showed the world that it was possible to have a blend of poise and playfulness, to be a movie star and a humanitarian at the same time.

Originally born in Brussels and later moving to the United Kingdom, Hepburn would also come to epitomize a very American type of beauty and charm. She was often compared to her contemporary, Marilyn Monroe, although the two had strikingly different looks and sense of style. While Monroe encapsulated the alluring, curvaceous and flirtatious brand of beauty, Hepburn had a different sense of femininity. She was strikingly slim and would often wear understated or even androgynous clothes, her luminous beauty giving the clothes a waifish elegance and appeal. She brought her cosmopolitan, international sensibilities to American movie theaters and fashion magazines, and her carefree yet polished style caught on in the United States in a huge way. Even during the height of her fame, Hepburn maintained a happy and graceful private life, surprisingly free from scandals.

Since her death from a rare form of abdominal cancer in 1993, the year she would have turned 64, Hepburn's popularity has never dimmed or faltered. Unlike many stars who died young, Hepburn was lucky enough to live a full and happy life, and had ample time to give back to the community through her charity work and humanitarian involvement. Not just a pretty face, Hepburn had an elegant spirit and a generous heart. Her natural beauty, sense of style and compassionate, giving nature have inspired many generations, and she is sure to continue inspiring people for years to come.

On May 4, 1929, Audrey Kathleen van Heemstra Ruston was born in Brussels. Her mother, Ella van Heemstra, was Dutch, while her father, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, was from mixed Austrian and British origins. Although he had been born Ruston, Joseph believed he was descended from James Hepburn, a Lord High Admiral of Scotland. It turned out he was mistaken in this belief, but he still took on the name Hepburn-Ruston.

Young Audrey was welcomed by two older half-brothers on her mother's side, Ian and Alexander. Throughout much of her early childhood, Audrey was an international traveler, since her family divided their time between the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. She was a smart, worldly and curious little girl who loved to read and had a natural talent for ballet. For the first five or so years of her life, Audrey's home life seemed stable, even her family moved frequently. However, dark changes were looming on the horizon, for Audrey's family as well as for the world at large.

At the dawn of World War II, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston was unfaithful to his wife, Ella, who discovered Joseph with the children's nanny. In 1935, Joseph walked out of his family's life without a backwards glance, confusing and traumatizing six-year-old Audrey, who had been close to her father. Ella's two sons were still in frequent touch with Joseph, who was now living in The Hague, but Ella and Audrey spent their time in Kent.

When the outbreak of WWII was inevitable, Ella decided to head back to her homeland, hoping that the Netherlands would remain neutral and that she and Audrey would be spared the atrocities of war. In 1940, however, when Audrey was 11 years old, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Ella was constantly fearful for her life, since her relatives had been executed and deported for their political leanings. Ella and Audrey were determined to survive, however, and Audrey even continued attending the Arnhem Conservatory during the occupation.

Due to food rationing and the general challenges of wartime, Audrey developed malnutrition and many other problems, but she pushed herself to succeed as a ballet dancer. She put on private performances and used the money to fund the Dutch Resistance, combining political interest and her talent as an entertainer. The winter of 1944 was particularly grueling for Audrey. Many people around her died, and she managed to stay alive only by grinding tulip bulbs into flour for makeshift cakes . She also lost herself in her artistic work. When the war ended in 1945, despite their struggles, Ella and Audrey had both survived.

After the end of the war, Ella and Audrey moved to Amsterdam and then to London, seeking employment and personal fulfillment. Audrey decided to shorten her name, Hepburn-Ruston, to merely Hepburn. Based on her success as a dancer at the Arnhem Conservatory, Hepburn continued to study with famous ballerinas such as Sonia Gaskell and Marie Rambert. Hepburn dearly hoped to continue on with her studies and become a prima ballerina, but she was 5'7" and still had problems stemming from malnutrition, making her frame wrong for the field.

Ella worked whatever job she could find to support herself and her daughter, and Audrey also worked hard, taking on a job as a London-based chorus girl. Realizing that she needed to improve her voice, Hepburn sought out elocution lessons, and this led to attention from a Paramount Pictures talent scout. Deciding that being an actress might be a lucrative career choice, she registered with British film studios and managed to land a series of small roles during 1951. Although she was barely more than an extra in some films, her distinctive grace and beauty caught the eye of agents and other higher-ups, and Hepburn soon landed the leading role of Gigi in the Broadway play of the same name. She was met with much enthusiasm and critical acclaim, and young Hepburn really felt that her career as an actress was starting to take off.

Fresh off her success as a Broadway star, Hepburn was confident when she auditioned for a movie about a young, headstrong princess and her brief love affair with an American journalist, directed by William Wyler. She was only hoping for a small role, but the director loved the doe-eyed gamine so much that he cast her as the starring role. Hepburn brought the perfect blend of naivety and strength to the role of charming, lonely Princess Ann, and the world took note of this new Hollywood star. Next, Billy Wilder nabbed Hepburn to play the title role in his 1954 film, Sabrina . In the role, Hepburn capably played the love interest to the iconic Humphrey Bogart, and later wowed audiences again opposite the handsome Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday .

As Hepburn went on to star in other plays and films, her popularity as an actress and a fashion and beauty icon soared. She could tackle lighthearted roles, such as the bookish young intellectual who becomes a model in Funny Face (1957), as well as serious roles, such as a struggling nun in The Nun's Story (1959). In 1960, she was cast as the extroverted, damaged and seductive Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's , which would become one of her most recognizable and iconic roles. Hepburn continued to star in critically acclaimed films, working with Cary Grant in