Audrey Hepburn Biography Quotes 35 Report mistakes

Early Life
Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, to Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, a British subject, and Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch baroness. Her father later adopted the surname Hepburn-Ruston, and Audrey took the professional name Audrey Hepburn. She spent her early childhood moving among Belgium, England, and the Netherlands, learning multiple languages and developing a disciplined temperament that would shape her later work. After her parents separated, she lived primarily with her mother. The outbreak of the Second World War found her in the Netherlands, where the hardship of occupation, including the severe Hunger Winter of 1944, 45, left a lasting impression on her health and outlook.

Training and Early Career
After the war, Hepburn studied ballet under Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam and later with Marie Rambert in London. Though talented, she was advised that wartime malnutrition and her height would likely impede a career as a principal ballerina. She pivoted to acting, appearing as a chorus girl and taking small parts in British films. Early screen credits included bit roles in One Wild Oat, Laughter in Paradise, The Lavender Hill Mob, and Secret People, where she performed a ballet sequence. While filming in France, she caught the eye of the novelist Colette, who insisted that the young actress star as Gigi on Broadway. Gigi introduced Hepburn to American audiences, and her stage presence and freshness drew admiring notices.

Breakthrough and Stardom
Hepburn's film breakthrough came with Roman Holiday (1953), directed by William Wyler and co-starring Gregory Peck. As a runaway princess discovering Rome incognito, she charmed international audiences and won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with major critical acclaim. Her next films established her range and screen persona: Sabrina (1954), directed by Billy Wilder and co-starring Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, began her lifelong collaboration with designer Hubert de Givenchy, whose elegant lines became inseparable from her image. She continued with War and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957) opposite Fred Astaire for director Stanley Donen, and The Nun's Story (1959), directed by Fred Zinnemann, a demanding role that brought further acclaim.

In the 1960s, Hepburn appeared in several films that cemented her status as a style and cultural icon. In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), directed by Blake Edwards and co-starring George Peppard, her portrayal of Holly Golightly, framed by Givenchy's little black dress and Henry Mancini's Moon River, became indelible. She showed sparkling comedic timing in Charade (1963) with Cary Grant and returned to lavish production with My Fair Lady (1964), directed by George Cukor and co-starring Rex Harrison, though her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon. She diversified roles with How to Steal a Million (1966) opposite Peter O'Toole, Two for the Road (1967) with Albert Finney, and the thriller Wait Until Dark (1967) with Alan Arkin, for which she earned another Academy Award nomination.

Stage Work and Awards
Alongside film, Hepburn maintained a connection to the stage. In 1954 she won a Tony Award for Ondine, performing opposite Mel Ferrer, whom she would marry later that year. Over her career she won an Academy Award and a Tony, and received multiple BAFTA and Golden Globe honors. Decades later, she would posthumously receive an Emmy for Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn and a Grammy for a spoken-word recording, making her one of the rare performers recognized across major media.

Personal Life
Hepburn married actor and director Mel Ferrer in 1954. They worked together on projects including War and Peace and Wait Until Dark and had a son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, in 1960. The marriage ended in 1968. In 1969 she wed Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti; their son, Luca Dotti, was born in 1970. That marriage ended in 1982. In her later years, she shared her life with Dutch actor Robert Wolders, a partnership she often described as deeply fulfilling. Hepburn maintained close friendships with colleagues including Gregory Peck and Cary Grant, and her creative partnership with Hubert de Givenchy shaped both her public image and the evolution of modern fashion.

Later Career and Select Roles
After the late 1960s Hepburn chose projects more sparingly, prioritizing family. She returned to the screen in Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery, explored suspense in Bloodline (1979), and worked with Peter Bogdanovich on They All Laughed (1981). She made a graceful final film appearance in Steven Spielberg's Always (1989), embodying a serene, guiding presence.

Humanitarian Work
In the 1980s, Hepburn devoted increasing energy to humanitarian causes, drawing upon her own wartime memories. Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1989, she undertook field missions to countries including Ethiopia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Somalia, advocating for children affected by conflict and famine. Colleagues at UNICEF and collaborators such as photographer John Isaac observed her calm insistence on witnessing conditions firsthand and amplifying the voices of local health workers and mothers. Her speeches, delivered in a measured, multilingual cadence, helped mobilize public support and funding. In 1992, the United States awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her advocacy.

Illness and Death
Late in 1992, after returning from missions to Africa, Hepburn experienced abdominal pain and was diagnosed with cancer. She spent her final weeks at home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, surrounded by family, including her sons and Robert Wolders, as well as friends like Hubert de Givenchy. Audrey Hepburn died on January 20, 1993, at the age of 63. She was laid to rest in Tolochenaz.

Legacy
Audrey Hepburn's legacy balances cinematic achievement, humanitarian service, and a distinctive style that merged simplicity with grace. Her collaborations with directors such as William Wyler, Billy Wilder, Stanley Donen, George Cukor, and Blake Edwards, and with actors including Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, and Rex Harrison, produced films that remain cultural touchstones. With Hubert de Givenchy she helped redefine mid-century elegance, influencing designers and audiences for decades. Through UNICEF she converted global recognition into advocacy for vulnerable children, leaving an example of empathy matched to action. Her sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti, have stewarded her memory and supported causes aligned with her values, ensuring that the name Audrey Hepburn continues to connote both artistry and humanitarian care.

Our collection contains 35 quotes who is written by Audrey, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Justice - Love - Funny.

Other people realated to Audrey: Shirley MacLaine (Actress), Truman Capote (Novelist), Sam Levenson (Author), Alan Jay Lerner (Dramatist), Eli Wallach (Actor)

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