Audrey Hepburn

Beautiful Audrey Hepburn in publicity for the 1954 classic SABRINA. Born on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Audrey spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands. She studied ballet in Amsterdam beginning in 1945 and in London starting in 1948. She began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. Audrey starred in the 1951 Broadway play "Gigi" after being spotted by French novelist Colette, on whose work the play was based. 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 same year, Audrey 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, including "Sabrina" (1954), "Funny Face" (1957), the drama "The Nun's Story" (1959); the romantic comedy "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961); the thriller-romance "Charade" (1963) and the musical "My Fair Lady" (1964), which won the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Picture. In 1967 she starred in the thriller "Wait Until Dark" receiving Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. Later in life Audrey devoted much of her time to UNICEF, to which she had contributed since 1954. Then she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America, and Asia between 1988 and 1992. In December 1992, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. A month later, Audrey passed away of appendiceal cancer at her home in Switzerland at the age of 63. Her elegance and unique style will always be remembered in film history.

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