Audrey Hepburn led a great career in acting. She starred in her first film “Gigi” when she was 22. In 1953, at age 24, she acted as Princess Ann in “Roman Holiday” with Gregory Peck, impressing everyone with her performance. After Hepburn’s screen test, William Wyler, the director, said, “She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence, and talent. She was also very funny. She was absolutely enchanting and we said, ‘That’s the girl!’” I think that this says something about how charming Audrey Hepburn’s personality was. Four years after “Roman Holiday,” Hepburn showed her dancing talent in “Funny Face.” She starred alongside Fred Astaire in this film, who, as well as Gregory Peck, was one of the most famous male actors at the time. But the role she felt was the hardest for her to pull off in her whole career was starring as Holly Golightly, a girl living in New York who acts carefree but is really very troubled, in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The author of the book that the movie was based off of was actually disappointed with Audrey Hepburn being chosen to play the lead role, which he had envisioned for Marilyn Monroe.
“Complicated” is the word that best describes Audrey Hepburn’s love life. After starring in “Ondine” with Mel Ferrer, they fell in love and married on September 25, 1954, and had a son together named Sean Hepburn Ferrer. They divorced in 1968, however, because Ferrer was too controlling and had a bad temper. Years later, Hepburn met Andrea Dotti, a psychiatrist, on a cruise ship and they married in the February of 1970. One year following their wedding, they had a son, Luca Dotti. But their marriage fell apart thirteen years later, owing to both Hepburn and Dotti having relationships with other people. Finally, Audrey Hepburn ended up meeting a Dutchman, Robert Wolders, who she spent the rest of her life with. She herself said, “Took me long enough.”
Perhaps one of Audrey Hepburn’s most defining qualities was that she was a great fashion icon, although she did say, “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.” This quote tells you that Hepburn was her own person, and she didn’t let what other people thought affect her! She was very good friends with the man who created many of her unforgettable outfits, Hubert de Givenchy. The dress he designed for her in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was sold for about 920,000 dollars, and the money was donated to help children in India. This is one of the actions that show how much of a philanthropist Hepburn was. The head of the charity was incredibly touched by this, and he said, “There are tears in my eyes. I am absolutely dumbfounded to believe that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks and cement to put the most destitute in the world into schools.” The money made from a lot of Hepburn’s dresses was donated to organizations like those.
Audrey Hepburn was a philanthropist. She started working with UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) in 1967, and from that point on, she only acted once in a while. Hepburn traveled around the world, visiting Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America, raising awareness about all the children who are starving and homeless. She expressed what she felt about working with UNICEF by saying, “As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Audrey Hepburn knew what is was like to be hungry all the time from her days living through World War II, which is partly why she had so much compassion for the starving children in the world. “I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shanty towns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle – and that miracle is UNICEF.” – Hepburn told how UNICEF has been able to make a change.
Later on in her life, Hepburn still acted, but not as often. In 1959, she showed her acting talent in “The Nun’s Story,” as she portrayed a nun who underwent a lot of struggles in her life. From the 1960s to the 1980s, she starred in two thrillers, one with Cary Grant in “Charade,” and Ben Gazzara in “Bloodline.” “Wait Until Dark” was a film in which she played the role of a blind woman, and it became her fifth Academy Award nomination. The last few films Hepburn starred in were “My Fair Lady,” “Robin and Marian,” and “They All Laughed.” Her last role was in “Always,” by Steven Spielberg.
Audrey Hepburn led a full life. In 1993, she won an Academy Award for her heartfelt work with UNICEF, but died in the January of that same year before it was given to her. Hepburn died of colon cancer in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. The cancer proved to have spread too much to be treated, and she passed away when she was 63 years old. Her whole family was with her when she died, and four days later her funeral was held in a church in Tolochenaz. She was buried in the Tolochenaz cemetery on that same day.
The legacy left by Audrey Hepburn will never be forgotten. One of the things is known for is being a fashion icon. Hubert de Givenchy designed quite a few of her outfits for movies like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Paris When it Sizzles,” and, interestingly, she felt that she had a lot in common with him. Audrey Hepburn said, “Givenchy gave me a look, a kind, a silhouette. He has always been the best and he stayed the best. Because he kept the spare style that I love.” Apart from making a fashion statement, Hepburn won many awards for her talent in acting and starred in countless successful films. Her work for UNICEF also continues to make a difference. The Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund was created by her family after she died, and Hepburn’s image has been used for advertising many things, from UNICEF campaigns to commercials for tea.
Works Cited
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"Audrey Hepburn." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
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"Audrey Hepburn Quotes." BrainyQuote. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.
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"Audrey Hepburn Biography." Biography Online. 24 Mar. 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.
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