Hepburn, Audrey (1929-1993), was a motion-picture star who gained international fame for her elegant beauty and gracious charm. She won the 1953 Academy Award as best actress for her portrayal of a young princess in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday.
Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston was born near Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 1929. Her father was an English banker, and her mother was a Dutch baroness. In the late 1940’s, the young woman trained to be a ballet dancer but turned to fashion modeling.
Hepburn made her motion-picture debut in 1951 and became a star in Roman Holiday. She also made two successful starring appearances on Broadway, in Gigi in 1951 and in Ondine in 1954.
Hepburn’s major films include Sabrina (1954), War and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957), Love in the Afternoon (1957), The Nun’s Story (1959), The Unforgiven (1960), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Charade (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), How to Steal a Million (1966),Two for the Road (1967), and Wait Until Dark (1967).
Hepburn made only a few films in the last 25 years of her life, notably Robin and Marian (1976). She settled in Switzerland and devoted much of her time to charitable work. In 1988, she became a special ambassador for UNICEF. For UNICEF, she traveled to many less developed countries in Africa and Latin America to aid hungry children. She died on Jan. 20, 1993.
