Audrey Kathleen Ruston, better known as Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993) was an English actress and film icon. Resistant at only eleven years old, she subsequently joined Unicef.
Resistant to eleven years
Daughter of Baroness Ella Van Heemstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, Audrey was born on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, in Belgium. His mother has two sons from a previous union. Imaginative, Audrey launched herself into classical dance around the age of 5, which became a passion for her.
In 1935, following frequent arguments, her father left the family home without a word and Audrey was sent to England to a boarding school where she received a strict education. In 1939, when war was declared, Baroness Van Heemstra brought her daughter back to the Netherlands to save her from the bombardments. She changes her name to Edda to avoid revealing her British origins.
During the war, Audrey took classical dance lessons at the Arnhem Conservatory and devoted herself to performing. She reads a lot and is fluent in English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. From the age of 11, she took part in the resistance, first by carrying messages and then by raising funds with shows. She suffers from severe malnutrition which even pushes her to interrupt her dance lessons.
Launch of her acting career
After the war, Audrey chose Hepburn, her father's presumed ancestor, as her stage name. She and her mother moved to London and the young girl worked as a model while continuing her dance lessons; but her body has suffered too much during the war and she must give up this passion. In 1948, she got her first small film role in The Dutchman in Seven Lessons then multiply minor roles and advertisements.
Noticed by Colette, Audrey is chosen to play the main role of her play Gigi on Broadway. In 1953, she obtained her first major film role in Roman Holidays and also won the Oscar for Best Actress. Her career was launched and, until 1968, she toured with the greatest directors and actors. She plays in particular in War and Peace , Funny face , Green Residences , Charade and My Fair Lady .
Ambassador of Unicef
On September 25, 1954, Audrey Hepburn married actor, director and producer Mel Ferrer, with whom she worked on several occasions and with whom she had a son. Following marital difficulties, they divorced on November 20, 1968. The same year, Audrey Hepburn announced that she was ending her career; however, she will still play in a few rare films. In January 1969, she remarried with Doctor Andrea Dotti with whom she had a son; they divorced in 1982 and Audrey moved in with Dutch actor Robert Wolders.
Audrey then committed to Unicef, of which she became an ambassador in 1988. As such, she traveled around the world until 1992.
Audrey Hepburn died of cancer on January 20, 1993. In 2002, Unicef inaugurated a statue in her memory at its headquarters. She remains a true icon of cinema today.