Audrey Hepburn

Name: Audrey Hepburn
Birth Name: Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Rusten
Height: 5' 7''
Sex: F
Nationality: British
Birth Date: May 4, 1929
Birth Place: Brussels, Belgium
Profession: actress, model
Education: Arnhem Conservatory (ballet)
  Studied ballet with Sonia Gaskel and acting with Felix Aylmer
Place of Death: January 20, 1993
Death Date: Tolochenaz, Switzerland
Death Cause: Colon cancer
Husband/Wife: Andrea Dotti (psychiatrist; married in1969; divorced), Mel Ferrer (actor; married in 1954; divorced in 1968)
Relationship: Robert Wolders (former actor)
Father: Joseph Anthony Hepburn-Ruston (an English banker)
Mother: Ella Hepburn-Ruston (née van Heemstra; a Dutch baroness)
Son: Sean Ferrer (actor, producer; father: Mel Ferrer), Luca Dotti (art student; father: Andrea Dotti)
Claim to fame: as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday (1953)
   
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AUDREY HEPBURN NEWS AND TRIVIA
  • Voted as the most naturally beautiful woman of all time by an extensive poll of beauty editors, makeup artists, model agencies and fashion photographers. (2004)
  • Brother Sean Hepburn Ferrer said in his book, Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit that she was a woman beset with sadness and self-doubt.
  • Hepburn was remembered in a U.S. postage stamp released by the Postal Service on Wednesday as part of its Legends of Hollywood series. (June 12, 2003)
  • Rome is honoring Hepburn with an exhibit of 130 posters and sketches from Italian publicity campaigns for her movies, which along with ROMAN HOLIDAY include SABRINA, MY FAIR LADY and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S -- The proceeds will go toward the building of a school in the Horn of Africa, sponsored by UNICEF for whom Hepburn was an ambassador from 1987 until her death at 63 in 1993. (April 30, 2003)
  • On Monday evening, admirers of the late Hepburn had the chance to take home some of the actress' personal effects and other donated items at a Sotheby's charity, which raised $177,000 -- Hepburn's son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, said the money would be used to support the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, which was founded in 1994, a year after she died, and works with the U.S. fund for UNICEF. (April 23, 2003)
  • Hepburn's family is blasting a museum dedicated to the late actress and wants it shut down - her two sons charge that an exhibition in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, is cheapening and exploiting her good name. (November 5, 2002)
  • Hepburn epitomized a waif-like glamour, combining charm, effervescence, and grace.
  • Magical screen presence, fashion arbiter, shrine to good taste, and tireless crusader for children's rights, Hepburn has become one of the most enduring screen icons of the twentieth century.
  • In BEN-HUR(1959), she visited the set during the filming of the chariot race (she was in the midst of shooting THE NUN STORY (1959)). This led to the false legend that she was an extra in the crowd scenes, as a favor to her former director, William Wyler.
  • John Frankenheimer was hired to shoot BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY (1961) with Marilyn Monroe . When the producers suddenly moved to Switzerland and Hepburn replaced Monroe, she said she had never heard of Frankenheimer and insisted that he be paid off and another director be hired.
  • In BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY (1961), she hated Danish pastries, making filming the famous opening scene a bit of a chore for her.
  • GARDENS OF THE WORLD WITH AUDREY HEPBURN (1993) (mini) is her only TV series. It was also her last appearance before cameras (not counting awards shows appearances) before her death.
  • Hepburn and William Holden fell in love during the making of SABRINA (1954), but she broke off the relationship on learning that Holden could not have children.
  • Despite getting an Oscar nomination for WAIT UNTIL DARK, Hepburn would not make another film until ROBIN AND MARIAN (1976).
  • Her singing in MY FAIR LADY (1964) was dubbed by Marni Nixon, despite her lengthy preparation for the role.
  • Seriously injured when she was thrown by a horse between scenes of THE UNFORGIVEN (1960). Hepburn, who was several months pregnant, spent 6 weeks in the hospital and completed her role wearing a back brace, which her wardrobe had to be redesigned to hide. Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage a few months later, which some blamed on her injury from this movie. John Huston blamed himself for the mishap and hated this movie. Hepburn, however, bore no ill will towards the director. While Hepburn was in hospital, Huston filmed scenes using a double.
  • She and director Terence Young attended a school for the blind to learn more about the visually impaired. Hepburn even learned to read Braille for taking part in WAIT UNTIL DARK. She had to be fitted with special (and painful) contact lenses because her eyes were deemed too expressive for a blind person.
  • She narrowly missed getting an Oscar nomination for TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967). The Academy had to choose between her performances in this film and in WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967) and chose the latter.
  • She won the role of Ann thanks to a legendary screen test. In it, she performed one of the scenes from the film, but the cameraman was instructed to keep the cameras rolling after the director said cut. Several minutes of unrehearsed, spontaneous Hepburn was thus captured on ROMAN HOLIDAY and this; combined with some candid interview footage, won her the role.
  • The joke where Joe (Gregory Peck) pretends that his hand was bitten off in the mouth of the stone carving was adlibbed by Peck, and thus Hepburn's reaction is genuine. (ROMAN HOLIDAY)
  • Turned down the title role in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959) to be in this GREEN MANSIONS (1959).
  • Two years before the musical made its Broadway debut, Paramount bought the rights to the Von Trapp Singers story, intending to cast Hepburn as Maria. When her declined, Paramount dropped plans for a film (THE SOUND OF MUSIC).
  • WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967) was produced by her then-husband, actor Mel Ferrer. Hepburn's film residence is at 4 St. Luke's Place in Manhattan
  • When filming the scene in ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) where the princess (Audrey Hepburn) says her goodbyes to Joe, the inexperienced Hepburn was unable to produce the necessary tears, eventually causing director William Wyler to complain at the number of wasted takes. Hepburn promptly burst into tears and the scene was filmed successfully.
  • Refused the role of Anne Frank in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959) because she wanted to star in GREEN MANSIONS (1959).
  • According to Hepburn the scene where Regina spills ice cream on Adam's suit is based on a real-life accident where Hepburn spilled red wine over Cary's suit at a dinner party.
  • Audrey was in 41 different movies.
  • She was a size 7 in her shoes and a size 8 in the waist and she was 5 foot 7 inches.
  • She liked Julia Roberts (the way she acted) before she died
  • Her favorite colour was white
  • She had a miscarriage during a film
  • She was once in Ireland because she came to see her dad
  • Hepburn's sons, who gave priceless items from her private collection to a non-profit making museum in Swiss village of Tolochenaz, have demanded the museum return their mother's belongings to them - because the venue is turning into a tourist circus. (October 16, 2002)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama Academy Awards Golden Globe Awards for WAIT UNTIL DARK (1968)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for TWO FOR THE ROAD (1968)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for MY FAIR LADY (1965)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for CHARADE (1964)
  • Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1962)
  • Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for THE NUN'S STORY (1960)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama at Golden Globe Awards for THE NUN'S STORY (1960)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON (1958)
  • Nominated for Best British Actress at BAFTA Awards for WAR AND PEACE (1957)
  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama at Golden Globe Awards for WAR AND PEACE (1957)
  • Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for SABRINA (1955)
  • Nominated for Best British Actress at BAFTA Awards for SABRINA (1955)

Quotes
  • If I'm honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.
  • "I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."
  • "My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless dresses."
  • "I am not beautiful. My mother once called me the ugly duckling. But listed separately, I have a few good features."
  • "My own life has been much more than a fairy tale. I've had my share of difficult moments, but whatever difficulties I've gone through, I've always gotten a prize at the end."
  • I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing.
  • "For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart."
  • "It's having the best of both worlds, Hubert (de Givenchy) and Ralph (Lauren). I don't want to compare them. I just want to wear them."
  • I never thought I'd land in pictures with a face like mine.
  • "I've been lucky. Opportunities don't often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them."
  • "If I get married, I want to be very married."
  • "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."
  • "I'm not a born actress, as such, I care about expressing feelings."
  • "I know I have more sex appeal on the tip of my nose than many women in their entire bodies. It doesn't stand out a mile, but it's there."
  • Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you're exactly the same.
  • "I never understood what makes me so special...that was a job, not reality."
  • "My career is a complete mystery to me. It's been a total surprise since the first day. I never thought I was going to be an actress, I thought I was going to be in movies, I never thought it would all happen the way it did."
  • "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. In fact, I hiccup more than most."
  • "I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I'd invented it, because it's very true."
  • "I am proud to have been in a business that gives pleasure, creates beauty, and awakens our conscience, arouses compassion, and perhaps most importantly, gives millions a respite from our so violent world."
  • "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."
  • "I never expected to be a star, never counted on it, never even wanted it. Not that I didn't enjoy it all when it happened."
  • "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."
  • "When my marriage to Mel [Ferrer] broke up, it was terrible; more than that, it was a keen disappointment. I thought a marriage between two good, loving people had to last until one of them died. I can't tell you how disillusioned I was. I'd tried and tried."
  • I tried always to do better: saw always a little further. I tried to stretch myself.
  • "When I was a child, I didn't even comprehend the meaning of the words film star."
  • All my life I dream of dancing with Fred Astaire and what do I get? Caked in mud.
  • "My mother is Dutch, my father is Irish and I was born in Belgium, if I was a dog I'd be in a right mess."
  • The fact that I've made movies doesn't mean breakfast gets made or that my child does better in his homework. I still have to function as a woman in a household.
  • "If I blow my nose, it gets written all over the world."
  • "It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so don't fuss, dear; get on with it."
  • "I was lost without my mother. She had been my sounding board, my conscience. She was not the most affectionate person - in fact there were times when I thought she was cold - but she loved me in her heart, and I knew that all along. I never got that feeling from my father, unfortunately."
  • "I'm glad I've got a name, because I'm using it for what it's worth. It's like a bonus that my career has given me."
  • There's a very big division between what's in the public eye and what you feel about yourself. I never saw in myself what other people saw in me.
  • "Truly, I've never been concerned with any public image. It would drive me around the bend if I worried about the pedestal others have put me on. And also I don't believe it."

Awards
  • Women in Film Crystal Awards: Crystal Award (1996)
  • SAG Awards: Past Life Achievement Award (1993)
  • Academy Awards: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1993)
  • Emmy Awards: Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming, Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn (1993)
  • Film Society of Lincoln Center: Gala Tribute (1991)
  • Golden Globe Awards: Cecil B.DeMille Award (1990)
  • British Academy Award: Best British Actress, CHARADE (1965)
  • British Academy Award: Best British Actress, THE NUN'S STORY (1960)
  • New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Best Actress, THE NUN'S STORY (1959)
  • San Sebastián International Film Festival: Zulueta Prize - Best Actress, THE NUN'S STORY (1959)
  • Laurel Awards: Top Female Comedy Performance for Love in the Afternoon (1958)
  • Golden Globe Awards: World Film Favorites (1955)
  • Academy Awards: Best Actress, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1954)
  • British Academy Award: Best British Actress, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1954)
  • Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role-Drama, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1954)
  • New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Best Actress, ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)
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