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Audrey Hepburn is born!
Audrey Kathleen Van Heemstra Ruston was born in Brussels, to Ella Van Heemstra and Joseph Hepburn-Ruston. Her mother belonged to an ancient family of Dutch nobility, while her father was born Slovakia and later became a banker. Although the name Hepburn does not appear on Audrey's birth certificate, it is said that her mother, Ella, later added it to "spiff up" her and her daughter's calling cards. -
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WWII
Audrey and her family were not affected by WWII until May 10th, 1940, when German troops marched through Arnhem. On May 15th, Germany took control of Holland. All of Holland's resources were used by the Germans, rations grew lower and lower, and almost all of Audrey's familys belongings were confiscated. On August 5th, 1942, Audrey's uncle was shot and killed simply for publicity. Conditions became worse, food and money were scarce, and Audrey became tall, skinny, and malnourished. -
Audrey's family moves to Holland
Before the start of World War II, Ella moved Audrey and her two older step-brothers, Alexander and Ian (Audrey's father walked out on the family in May of 1935), to Arnhem, Holland. Ella thought that London was going to be bombed, and that Holland was the safest place to be. However, she was very wrong. -
WWII ends
On May 4th, 1945 (Audrey's 16th birthday), WWII officially ended, and Audrey's Dutch town of Arnhem was liberated. On that day, Audrey was sixteen, five-foot-six, and weighed only ninety pounds. Soon, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (which later became UNICEF), delivered food, blankets, medication and clothes to Arnhem. This is why, later in her life, Audrey had such a commitment to UNICEF. -
Gigi opens on Broadway
Gigi was Audrey's first Broadway show, and was based off a novel written in 1945 by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Audrey was chosen for the leading role of Gigi when Colette spotted her during the shooting of Monte Carlo Baby, and automatically wanted her for the part. The play was quite a success when it opened on November 24th, 1951 at Fulton Theatre, and was the beginning of Audrey's road to fame. -
Audrey is married
On September 4th, 1954, Audrey married Mel Ferrer on the shores of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Mel and Audrey met through actor Gregory Peck, and got along very well. Mel Ferrer was an author/actor/directer, who had most recently played the part of a carnival puppeteer in the musical 'Lilli!'. He and Audrey were married for fourteen years, until 1968. -
Sean is born
On July 17th, 1960 Audrey's first son, Sean Ferrer, was born in Lucerne, Switzerland. Audrey had always wanted to be a mother more than anything, and before she gave birth to Sean she had suffered two miscarriages. When Sean was finally born, Audrey was extremely relieved and very happy. -
Breakfast at Tiffany's is released
Breakfast at Tiffany's is probably one of Audrey's most famous movies, and Holly is a role that she is best known for. Audrey played the lead role, Holly Golightly, who is a quirky Manhattan society girl with country roots. Marilyn Monroe was originally wanted for the part, but it went to Audrey and became one of the most iconic characters she portrayed during her career. -
My Fair Lady is released
My Fair Lady is another movie that Audrey Hepburn is best known for. Audrey was the lead role, Eliza Doolittle, a poor, filthy English girl with a strong Cockney accent who is taught to be a proper lady. Julie Andrews had played the role of Eliza in the Broadway version of My Fair Lady and many people thought that she should have gotten the role in the movie as well, rather than Audrey. However, Julie was never even offered the part and Audrey was later praised for her performance in the movie. -
Audrey is divorced
On November 21st, 1968, Audrey and Mel were officially divorced after trying to make their marriage work for fourteen years. During their marriage, many people seem to think that Mel took control of Audrey's life and career and made all of her decisions for her, something which she always denied. If these suspicions were true, however, then that was probably one of the main reasons for their divorce. -
Audrey is remarried
On January 18th, 1969, Audrey married Andrea Dotti. Andrea was an Italian psychiatrist who Audrey had met the year before on a cruise. Soon after they married, Audrey, Andrea and Sean settled down in Rome. -
Luca is born
Audrey's second son, Luca Dotti, was born on February 8th, 1970 to Audrey and Andrea Dotti. He was ten years younger than his step-brother, Sean Ferrer, but both boys were Audrey's pride and joy. When Audrey and Andrea divorced twelve years later, Audrey only stayed in touch with Andrea because of Luca. -
Audrey is divorced again
On March 1st, 1982, Audrey and Andrea Dotti were officially divorced. They had been married for thirteen years and had had one son, Luca. After her divorce from Andrea, Audrey met Robert Wolders, a Dutch actor. Audrey and Robert were "romantically involved" from 1980 until Audrey's death in 1993, although they were never officially married. -
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Audrey is involved with UNICEF
From the years 1987 to 1992 (almost until the end of her life), Audrey was very involved with UNICEF. In 1987, Audrey was appointed an official Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and she made many trips to third-world countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. Audrey was very involved with fundraising as well, and helped to draw huge donations through broadcasting and speaking. From the moment she became involved, Audrey was extremely dedicated. -
Audrey passes away
On January 20th, 1993, at the age of 63, Audrey Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer in her sleep. Although she is gone, her legacy still lives on. She was voted third among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time (by the American Film Institute), recieved many awards after her death, and is remembered as one of the greatests actresses and personalities of all time.
