Audrey Hepburn

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

74

Gender

Female

Birthday

1929-05-04

Day of death

1993-01-20 (63 years old)

Place of Birth

Ixelles, Belgium

Audrey Hepburn

Biography

Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston) was an actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. Born in Ixelles, Brussels, to an aristocratic family, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands. She studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam beginning in 1945, and with Marie Rambert in London from 1948. She began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. She rose to stardom in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) alongside Gregory Peck, for which she was the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for a single performance. That year, she also won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine. She went on to star in a number of successful films such as Sabrina (1954), in which Humphrey Bogart and William Holden compete for her affection; Funny Face (1957), a musical where she sang her own parts; the drama The Nun's Story (1959); the romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); the thriller-romance Charade (1963), opposite Cary Grant; and the musical My Fair Lady (1964). In 1967 she starred in the thriller Wait Until Dark, receiving Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations. After that, she only occasionally appeared in films, one being Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery. Her last recorded performances were in the 1990 documentary television series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming. Hepburn won three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role. In recognition of her film career, she received BAFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and the Special Tony Award. She remains one of only seventeen people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. Later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to UNICEF, to which she had contributed since 1954. Between 1988 and 1992, she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America, and Asia. In December 1992, she received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. A month later, she died of appendiceal cancer at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, at the age of 63.

Known For

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Wogan

    Wogan

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • Bambi

    Bambi

  • Intimate Portrait

    Intimate Portrait

  • What Am I?

    What Am I?

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Cinépanorama

    Cinépanorama

  • My Fair Lady

    My Fair Lady

  • Roman Holiday

    Roman Holiday

  • Charade

    Charade

  • Breakfast at Tiffany's

    Breakfast at Tiffany's

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • Wait Until Dark

    Wait Until Dark

  • The Nun's Story

    The Nun's Story

  • Secret People

    Secret People

  • War and Peace

    War and Peace

  • Producers' Showcase

    Producers' Showcase

  • The Fred Astaire Songbook

    The Fred Astaire Songbook

  • Always

    Always

  • Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic

    Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic

  • Roger Moore: A Matter of Class

    Roger Moore: A Matter of Class

  • Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood

    Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood

  • The Children's Hour

    The Children's Hour

  • Funny Face

    Funny Face

  • Bloodline

    Bloodline

  • Sabrina

    Sabrina

  • Directed by William Wyler

    Directed by William Wyler

  • Love in the Afternoon

    Love in the Afternoon

  • Paris When It Sizzles

    Paris When It Sizzles

  • Love Among Thieves

    Love Among Thieves

  • Two for the Road

    Two for the Road

  • Audrey Hepburn: The Fairest Lady

    Audrey Hepburn: The Fairest Lady

  • Becoming Cary Grant

    Becoming Cary Grant

  • Audrey Hepburn - Ein Star auf der Suche nach sich selbst

    Audrey Hepburn - Ein Star auf der Suche nach sich selbst

  • How to Steal a Million

    How to Steal a Million

  • Audrey

    Audrey

  • Very Ralph

    Very Ralph

  • The Unforgiven

    The Unforgiven

  • Mayerling

    Mayerling

  • Nicotine - A Drug with a Future

    Nicotine - A Drug with a Future

  • Laughter in Paradise

    Laughter in Paradise

  • Robin and Marian

    Robin and Marian

  • The Lavender Hill Mob

    The Lavender Hill Mob

  • Green Mansions

    Green Mansions

  • It's So Audrey!  A Style Icon

    It's So Audrey! A Style Icon

  • They All Laughed

    They All Laughed

  • Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

    Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

  • Edith Head: The Paramount Years

    Edith Head: The Paramount Years

  • More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of 'My Fair Lady'

    More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of 'My Fair Lady'

  • Audrey Hepburn: Remembered

    Audrey Hepburn: Remembered

  • Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn

    Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn

  • Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1960's

    Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1960's

  • Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years

    Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years

  • Audrey Hepburn: The Magic of Audrey

    Audrey Hepburn: The Magic of Audrey

  • Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe

    Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe

  • Young Wives' Tale

    Young Wives' Tale

  • Monte Carlo Baby

    Monte Carlo Baby

  • Discovering Audrey Hepburn

    Discovering Audrey Hepburn

  • Dutch in Seven Lessons

    Dutch in Seven Lessons

  • Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words

    Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words

  • Audrey Hepburn, the choice of elegance

    Audrey Hepburn, the choice of elegance

  • Darcey Bussell: Looking for Audrey

    Darcey Bussell: Looking for Audrey

  • Beautiful Like a Poem

    Beautiful Like a Poem

  • One Wild Oat

    One Wild Oat

  • Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man

    Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man

  • Gregory Peck: His Own Man

    Gregory Peck: His Own Man

  • Restoring Roman Holiday

    Restoring Roman Holiday

  • Legenden: Audrey Hepburn

    Legenden: Audrey Hepburn

  • Femme De La Lune

    Femme De La Lune

  • Clemence & Alexis

    Clemence & Alexis

  • Audrey Hepburn Test

    Audrey Hepburn Test