Actress, fashion icon, and philanthropist Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium. At age 22, she starred in the Broadway production of Gigi. Two years later, she starred in the film Roman Holiday(1953) with Gregory Peck. In 1961, she set new fashion standards as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn is one of the few actresses to win an Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award. In her later years, acting took a back seat to her work on behalf of children.
11 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Soon after becoming a UNICEF ambassador, Audrey Hepburn went on a mission to Ethiopia, where years of drought and civil strife had caused terrible famine. (Photo: Derek Hudson/Sygma/Corbis)
12 of 13Audrey Hepburn: At the time of her death, she was involved with Dutch actor, Robert Wolders. Although they weren't married Hepburn always viewed it as though they were married, just not formally. (Photo: Photo B.D.V./CORBIS)
13 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Hepburn with her first son Sean Ferrer. Sean would later work in many aspects of the motion picture business and he would later create the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. (Photo: Photo B.D.V./CORBIS)
1 of 13Audrey Hepburn: By the end of World War II, with no water or electricity in their home in the Netherlands, Audrey and her family were eating tulip bulbs to stay alive. (Photo: Bettmann/CORBIS)
2 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden on the set of 'Sabrina.' Hepburn and Holden reportedly engaged in a brief but passionate affair during the filming though Holden was married at the time. (Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
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4 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Hepburn receives an Oscar for her first appearance in an American picture, 'Roman Holiday', in 1954. Her co-star Gregory Peck, was initially set to get top billing in the film but Peck made Paramount executives change it, saying, '...I'm smart enough to know this girl's going to win the Oscar(R) in her first picture, and I'm going to look like a damned fool if her name is not up there on top with mine. (Photo: Underwood & Underwood/CORBIS)
BackgroundBorn on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Hepburn was a talented performer known for her beauty, elegance and grace. Often imitated, she remains one of Hollywood's greatest style icons. A native of Brussels, Hepburn spent part of her youth in England at a boarding school there. During much of World War II, she studied at the Arnhem Conservatory in The Netherlands. After the Nazis invaded the country, Hepburn and her mother struggled to survive. She reportedly helped the resistance movement by delivering messages, according to an article in The New York Times.
After the war, Hepburn continued to pursue an interest in dance. She studied ballet in Amsterdam and later in London. In 1948, Hepburn made her stage debut as a chorus girl in the musical High Button Shoes in London. More small parts on the British stage followed. She was a chorus girl in Sauce Tartare (1949), but was moved to a featured player in Sauce Piquante (1950).
11 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Soon after becoming a UNICEF ambassador, Audrey Hepburn went on a mission to Ethiopia, where years of drought and civil strife had caused terrible famine. (Photo: Derek Hudson/Sygma/Corbis)
12 of 13Audrey Hepburn: At the time of her death, she was involved with Dutch actor, Robert Wolders. Although they weren't married Hepburn always viewed it as though they were married, just not formally. (Photo: Photo B.D.V./CORBIS)
13 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Hepburn with her first son Sean Ferrer. Sean would later work in many aspects of the motion picture business and he would later create the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. (Photo: Photo B.D.V./CORBIS)
1 of 13Audrey Hepburn: By the end of World War II, with no water or electricity in their home in the Netherlands, Audrey and her family were eating tulip bulbs to stay alive. (Photo: Bettmann/CORBIS)
2 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden on the set of 'Sabrina.' Hepburn and Holden reportedly engaged in a brief but passionate affair during the filming though Holden was married at the time. (Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
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4 of 13Audrey Hepburn: Hepburn receives an Oscar for her first appearance in an American picture, 'Roman Holiday', in 1954. Her co-star Gregory Peck, was initially set to get top billing in the film but Peck made Paramount executives change it, saying, '...I'm smart enough to know this girl's going to win the Oscar(R) in her first picture, and I'm going to look like a damned fool if her name is not up there on top with mine. (Photo: Underwood & Underwood/CORBIS)
BackgroundBorn on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Hepburn was a talented performer known for her beauty, elegance and grace. Often imitated, she remains one of Hollywood's greatest style icons. A native of Brussels, Hepburn spent part of her youth in England at a boarding school there. During much of World War II, she studied at the Arnhem Conservatory in The Netherlands. After the Nazis invaded the country, Hepburn and her mother struggled to survive. She reportedly helped the resistance movement by delivering messages, according to an article in The New York Times.
After the war, Hepburn continued to pursue an interest in dance. She studied ballet in Amsterdam and later in London. In 1948, Hepburn made her stage debut as a chorus girl in the musical High Button Shoes in London. More small parts on the British stage followed. She was a chorus girl in Sauce Tartare (1949), but was moved to a featured player in Sauce Piquante (1950).