Audrey Hepburn with family. The last years of Audrey Hepburn's life

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Audrey Hepburn biography - family

Audrey was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium, and died three weeks later. The girl fell ill and her little heart stopped beating. Audrey's mother brought her back to life and stayed at her bedside day and night until the crisis passed.
The name and surname of the actress given to her at birth was Andrey Kathleen Ruston. The name Andrei is rather unusual for a girl. Due to the fact that her name was often incorrectly pronounced and written, it was later changed to Audrey. The surname Hepburn came from Audrey's paternal great-grandmother. Audrey chose the surname Hepburn later for her professional career.
Despite being born in Belgium, Audrey never held Belgian citizenship. Her father was English and her mother was Dutch. The family was unusually multiethnic: paternal English, Scottish, Irish, French and Austrian roots; Dutch, Hungarian and French roots - on the maternal side. Audrey's parents met and married in the Dutch East Indies (since 1949 - Indonesia). Baroness Ella van Heemstra, Audrey's mother, already had two sons from a previous marriage.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - childhood

Surrounded by two older brothers, little Audrey grew up and played like a rip-off head. She disliked dolls and girly activities, adored adventure books and often acted out scenes from them, using pet cats and dogs as helpers.
Later it became noticeable that the character of the girl was unusually artistic. She loved to dance and often drew the hands and feet of ballerinas in her notebooks.

Her background and her parents' lifestyle developed Audrey's aptitude for languages. From an early age, she learned to speak several languages: English, Dutch and French.

BIOGRAPHY OF AUDREY HEPBURN - school.

At the age of five, Audrey was sent to a boarding school in Elham, Kent (England). She was teased by her children for her shyness and plumpness, as well as for her imperfect English. Over time, she managed to adapt, after she discovered her love for ballet. The teacher informed her mother that Audrey was extremely talented, and that she could achieve high results if she was willing to work hard on herself and go to a good ballet school.
When Audrey was 6 years old, her father left the family. Audrey would later call this the "most horrifying and hurting" event of her life. "When I fell in love and got married, I lived in constant fear that they would leave me. Over time, I realized that there is no love without fear of losing," Audrey said in adulthood.
When England and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, the baroness was in Holland with her sons. To keep her daughter safe, she took immediate action to have Audrey evacuated to "safer" Holland. The decision to survive the war in Arnhem, in the east of Holland, turned out to be one of the most unfortunate of all possible decisions.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - the years of the German occupation

In the city of Arnhem (Holland), Audrey continued her studies at school and the ballet class at the Conservatory. She dreamed of a career in ballet and how she would be a prima ballerina. Recalling her childhood dream, Audrey said: "I could not imagine self-expression in ballet when I danced with twelve other girls. I did not want to obey the rules. I wanted to dance solo, and for this I had to work hard."

During the war, Audrey, like many other students, helped the local Resistance fighters who operated from the Conservatory. Later, she forbids talking about herself as a heroine of the Resistance. According to Audrey, every patriotic person at that time worked on the side of the Resistance.
In 1944 serious food problems began. From malnutrition, Audrey began to suffer from anemia, asthma, and chronic headaches. She often skipped school due to lack of energy, suffered from joint pains and developed jaundice.
One of the many lessons of the war that Audrey learned was that the human body and spirit can endure much more hardship than it seems possible at first glance.
Audrey never fully recovers from her illnesses during the war. Until the end of her life, her weight will not exceed 50 kg.
“Everything I saw during the German occupation taught me to look at life realistically. Since then, I have maintained the same views on life. Never try to minimize the horrors of Nazism. I went through the war with a sense of gratitude for being alive. I realized that human relationships are the most important thing in a person's life: more important than money, food, luxury, career ... "(Audrey Hepburn)

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - the beginning of a career

After the war, Audrey and her mother moved to Amsterdam, where Audrey continued her studies at the ballet school. Her mother started working in a flower shop and later in a beauty salon. To help my mother pay for the ballet school. Audrey came up with the idea of ​​making hats and selling them to clients of the beauty salon. According to her friend, Audrey had an extraordinary taste. She could buy an ordinary hat and have it redesigned to look like it was made by a top designer.
Having accidentally heard about the opportunity to study at the London Academy with the famous ballerina Maria Rambert, and about the possibility of obtaining a scholarship for the duration of her studies, Audrey decided to move to London. Sending documents and formalities took a long time, but at this moment Audrey unexpectedly got a role in a television project. She was 19 years old. According to the Dutch director, Audrey radiated cheerfulness, style, good manners and intelligence. She was noticed ... But despite this, the young ballerina considered filming only as an opportunity to pay for her ballet lessons.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - Years in London

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - first roles

The role in the film "Secret People" was the first in her acting career. The role she played was given to her with ease. According to director Thorold Dickinson, Audrey should not have thought about acting technique. Her beauty made her look like a fairy, and her naturalness and intelligence shone from within.
In the later years of her life, Audrey said this about her acting career: "Perhaps I was one of the rare examples of movie stars who, according to the laws of logic, could never succeed. At every stage of my career, I lacked experience. At least I never tried to appear more capable than I was." The first role did not bring Audrey success with the public. But she immediately received an offer to star in the comedy "Child of Monte Carlo". The film was to be shot in Monaco, and it was there that her career took a different turn.
During the filming of the film at the Hotel de Paris, she was noticed by the famous French writer Colette, who was staying at the hotel as a guest of Prince Rainier and the royal family. "You are my Zhizhi! You have the qualities necessary for this role. Would you like to play this role?" Goo was a play on Broadway in the early fifties. But Audrey's acceptance was only the beginning. Numerous interviews followed, after which she was nevertheless approved for the main role.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - Broadway

Audrey was overwhelmed by her lucky break. That she had landed a leading role on Broadway in such a short time and that she was soon to leave for America was like a dream.
According to the people who worked with her, Audrey had no idea how to play in the theater. But she had a rare quality - to keep the audience - and the audience looked only at her ... During rehearsals, she was fired several times. But, fortunately, it was too late to replace Audrey. The end result amazed everyone. A Variety reporter wrote, "Miss Hepburn has real talent as well as magnetism." The play had to be played eight times a week.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - "Roman Holiday"

Audrey and the movie "Roman Holiday" seemed to be made for each other. It was easy to believe that Audrey was a real princess. Even if you never knew her before, you would still believe it.
To sketches for "Roman Holiday" Audrey added what she always preferred for herself: simple collars and wide belts. She always knew exactly how she wanted to look and what clothes looked best on her. However, Audrey was never demanding or haughty.
The film "Roman Holiday" made a splash. Time magazine dedicated a feature story to Audrey in its September 1953 issue, which was a very unusual move for a young actress. Over time, Audrey became the darling of Time and Life magazines.
Biography of Audrey Hepburn in photos
Women tried to look like Audrey, went on all sorts of diets and bought wide skirts and blouses, which she wore in the film. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Roman Holiday. This film turned Audrey into a star who became famous not only in the US, UK and Europe, but also in Japan, where she is still considered a favorite actress. "Roman Holiday" became the most famous foreign film in Japan, along with "Gone with the Wind".

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - at the pinnacle of success

Her next film was Sabrina. The lavish costumes for the film were designed by budding fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. Audrey flew to Paris to meet him. She did not even suspect that this meeting would turn into friendship and alliance. For all her future films, Audrey wanted to be dressed in Givenchy costumes.
Sabrina didn't win an Oscar for Audrey. But Edith Head received a special prize for the costumes in the film, thus assigning merit for the work of designer Givenchy. Givenchy decided not to take any legal action against such an injustice. Audrey was very upset. She called Givenchy, apologized and promised to take all measures to ensure that such a situation would never happen again. She kept her word.
Audrey's next role in the Broadway play "Ondine" brought her the title of the best dramatic actress of 1953-1954.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn - the best roles

On September 24, 1954, Audrey married actor Mel Ferrer. The wedding took place in Switzerland. For the rest of her life, Audrey will call Switzerland her home.
The next big role for Audrey was the role in the film "War and Peace" based on Tolstoy's novel. Natasha's character was as if written for Audrey: a dark-eyed girl full of life with a wide mouth, thin arms and a thin figure ...
The critics' verdict was harsh: "the worst Russian film." However, Audrey's role in the film was described as "bewitching" and "dominant" in this epic film.
The Nun's Tale, played by Audrey Hepburn, became Warner Brothers' most famous film of 1959.
For Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey was able to once again choose Hubert de Givenchy as the film's designer. Of all the chic costumes made for this film, the simplest black dress was a hit that took the world by storm.
Other remarkable roles followed one after another: "My Fair Lady", "How to Steal a Million", "Wait for Darkness", etc. Audrey never recognized her merit for acting. "I never became an actress, in the sense that if they ask me how I played it, my answer would be: "I don't know."

Audrey Hepburn biography - personal life

Audrey's first son, Sean, was born in 1960. After the birth of her son, her life became more centered around home and family. At that time, many people thought that Audrey was trying to belittle herself in order not to harm her husband's career. In any case, she did not succeed because of her popularity. Despite her best efforts to save the marriage, her married life with Mel Ferrer ended in divorce in 1967.
Two years later, Audrey Hepburn married famous Italian psychologist and playboy Andrew Dotti. The title of countess, which she received in this marriage, she refused to use categorically. She became just Signora Dottie, who herself went shopping in the store and answered the phone. Audrey's second son, Luca Dotti, was born in 1970. Despite the fact that her husband had a reputation as a wonderful family man and father, he also had a reputation as a conqueror of women's hearts. Just like in her first marriage, Audrey did everything possible to save her family. Just like in her first marriage, she did not succeed. "Where there is love, there is no place for infidelity," Audrey said of her second divorce.
Some people have to go through real trials of failure before they meet their true love. This was exactly the case for Audrey Hepburn when she met actor Rob Walders, who, like her, had Dutch roots. He was almost like a "spiritual twin" to Audrey, the man she dreamed of spending her whole life with. Rob Wolders became her love, friend and companion for the rest of her life. Biography of Audrey Hepburn - work at UNICEF
Audrey Hepburn was not destined to experience a quiet life in retirement. She became a UNICEF Special Ambassador, a job that will take up the last 5 years of her life.
Her dedication to work was very strong. She traveled a lot, and this led her to emotional and physical exhaustion. Audrey refused to rest and from a more measured pace in work. At the age of sixty-three, she was diagnosed with cancer. Audrey Hepburn died at her home in Switzerland on January 20, 1993.
Once, when asked to describe herself in one word, Audrey Hepburn smiled and replied: "Happy."

Star children, sisters and other relatives are increasingly becoming the protagonists of fashion news. But it's one thing to be a relative of an action star or a well-known British model in narrow circles, and quite another to be the heiress of Audrey Hepburn. The fashion world has high hopes for her granddaughter Emma Ferrer

Daughters of TV stars take over the catwalks and become the faces of Tom Ford and Estée Lauder, the sons of Pierce Brosnan and Arnold Schwarzenegger take their first steps in the film and modeling business, the younger sisters of British models follow the example of their older sisters - recently, relatives of various sizes of celebrities are increasingly becoming the main newsmakers. In the past week alone, we have written about five "new names": Immy Waterhouse, Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford's daughter), Dylan Brosnan, Jack Kilmer and, of course, our today's heroine - 20-year-old Emma Ferrer. And she has a much harder time than the rest. Although it will not be soon before the headlines will hear their own names, and not the names of their parents with explanations "daughter / son / sister / seventh water on the jelly of such and such", the pressure on behalf of Audrey Hepburn is perhaps a little more than from the one known to a relatively narrow circle Suki Waterhouse. Even being a relative of an ex-James Bond or an ex-Batman is not such a test as being the granddaughter of the famous Audrey.

An icon of style, the most beautiful woman in the world, a fragile girl with deer eyes - as soon as they called the graceful, sophisticated Audrey Hepburn. There is hardly a person over 15 years old who has not watched a single film with her participation. Let not "Sabrina" or "Funny Face", but certainly "Roman Holiday" or "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and completely scattered not only into quotes, but also into pictures for Tumblr and avatars for forums. And comparisons of Emma, ​​the eldest granddaughter of Audrey Hepburn, with her famous grandmother will always not be in favor of Ferrer. She is not so graceful, she does not have that shy fragility characteristic of Audrey, and she does not at all look like a refined, big-eyed nymph - rather, a full-blooded strong girl of 20 years old, in whom it is not so easy to discern her ballet past.

Everyone started talking about Emma in September, when the girl appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, the main issue of the year. The granddaughter of Audrey Hepburn was photographed by the grandson of Richard Avedon, the legend of the world of photography, Michael Avedon, a 23-year-old promising photographer. His grandfather also worked with Audrey at the dawn of her career.The legendary actress, when "Roman Holiday", the film that became a real breakthrough in her career, was four years older than Emma.But the granddaughter and her famous grandmother never saw each other - Audrey died shortly before the girl's birth, in 1993

What did we learn about Emma after the release of the September issue of Harper's? She is 20, she has been studying at the Academy of Arts in Florence for the third year already. , used to do ballet. Her parents divorced, and now she spends more time with her father - son Audrey named Sean. Emma's favorite film with her famous grandmother is "Funny Face", but she did not watch all of her films: also "My Beautiful Lady", "Roman Holiday", "Sabrina" and, of course, "Breakfast at Tiffany's". The latter, according to her, she liked "just like any girl in the whole world." And from the things Audrey left on her memory to Emma, ​​she named a cashmere turtleneck "which I adore and wear all winter" and a white teddy bear.

After the first photo shoot, the girl was noticed by Alber Elbaz and immediately invited to go out as a model at the Lanvin show. At first she agreed, and then at the last moment refused, preferring to calmly take a seat in the front row. Emma then explained her decision by her unwillingness to start a modeling career - she saw herself only as an artist and did not want to be distracted from her studies in Florence. But fashion week seems to have changed her plans, and after visiting the Lanvin shows, Alexander Wang, Ralph Lauren and more, the girl decided to think about a career in fashion. And this week, a few months later, she unexpectedly signed her first modeling contract with Storm Model Management, which opened the world to Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. In January, Emma is waiting for the first castings - and she still leaves Florence for New York.

Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, interesting in the first place, let's not pretend, not with model data, but with their origin, have already proved that the "right" family is the key to success in any business. Especially now that pop culture is slowly merging with high fashion. Audrey Hepburn is a star of a completely different scale than the Kardashian family, so it's hard to predict what will happen with her granddaughter's modeling career. We will not guess: time will put everything in its place.

But we are very glad that Emma is following in the footsteps of the famous grandmother, collaborating with UNICEF. Audrey started working with the organization back in 1954, participating in her radio programs, and in In 1988 she became an international Goodwill Ambassador. The last trip for her was to Somalia and Kenya - there she first felt sharp pains in her stomach, which, as it turned out, upon her return, were signals of a tumor. Local doctors were unable to make an accurate diagnosis, but Hepburn, in spite of everything, brought the trip to the end. She died of cancer in January 1993, a year before Emma was born. Her granddaughter continues the family business with dignity: while she does not go on charitable missions to other countries, she is already helping UNICEF in New York. She recently joined the organization in New Jersey, helping to collect items for children in Sudan and Northern Iraq. A grandmother would be proud of her granddaughter.

Celebrity biographies

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04.05.14 12:00

Audrey Hepburn fell ill during one of her many humanitarian missions while in Africa. But I decided to ignore the pain. As it turned out - in vain. Hungry youth in Nazi-occupied Holland caught up with her - in the form of colon cancer, from which the brightest Hollywood star of the 1950s and 60s went out at 63.

Biography of Audrey Hepburn

Daughter of an aristocrat

Probably, Audrey Hepburn inherited a proud posture from her aristocratic mother, although this may be the result of long and exhausting ballet classes. But what is true is true, the mother of the future actress came from a very noble Dutch family, which she could be proud of. Baroness Ella van Heemstra gave birth to a daughter in 1929, from the Irishman Joseph Hepburn-Ruston. Before that, there was a short-term marriage, the fruit of which were two sons. So the youngest in the family was Audrey Hepburn, whose biography turned out to be (compared to other relatives) difficult, but bright.

Spouses Ruston settled in the capital of Belgium. It was Brussels that became the birthplace of our heroine. Her parents cannot be called an ideal couple, quarrels and high-profile scandals “with breaking dishes” were not uncommon in their house. Their marriage lasted 9 years. The last straw was the scene that the proud and jealous Ella threw. Still: she caught her husband under very piquant circumstances, along with a nanny who lived in the house. Hepburn-Ruston packed his things and disappeared from the life of his wife and children. Although Audrey was only 6 years old by that time, she was very attached to her father. It was in honor of him that she took her surname-artistic pseudonym Hepburn (in the birth certificate there is a different name: Audrey Kathleen Ruston). Already being famous, she will find an aged dad and support him financially.

The terrible years of the war

To forget about the failed marriage, Ella decided to return to her homeland. It was there that the Second World War found the family. In the small town of Arnhem, Audrey had a chance to endure all the horrors and hardships of the terrible wartime. Especially went to the inhabitants of the town at the end of the war. It seems that the Great Victory was already close, the long-awaited allies arrived to help. But it was at that time that the Dutch experienced for themselves what it was like for Russians in besieged Leningrad. People were freezing in their houses and on the streets, and there was absolutely nothing to eat.

Audrey Hepburn's life has become hell. Many relatives died: someone was shot, and my brother languished in a concentration camp. The girl herself endured adversity, but her health was undermined by hunger. Humanitarian aid from UNICEF has become a real salvation. The gratitude of the actress was boundless. At first, she spoke on the radio on behalf of her saviors, later she began to participate in trips and missions, being the guardian angel of many disadvantaged people.

New Hollywood Star

Studying at the conservatory, then - classical dance lessons led Audrey to the acting path (the girl turned out to be too big for ballet). External data and talent allowed her to quickly advance in theatrical projects, and in 1952 she was entrusted with a big film role. It was the picture "Secret People".

And after a couple of years, the whole world recognized the young Dutchwoman. "Roman Holiday" brought her an Oscar and fame. A number of no less brilliant works followed, they were staged by eminent directors, and Hepburn's partners were Hollywood idols: Bogart, Grant, Astaire, Connery. The Age of Audrey has begun. They tried to imitate her - in the manner of holding, ways of styling her hair, they copied the styles of the dazzling outfits of her heroines and the makeup of the charming actress Audrey Hepburn. Many of the costumes for her films were made by the legendary couturier Givenchy. The artist was his friend and regular client almost until the end of his days.

In the history of Hollywood, another, namesake of actress Audrey Hepburn, four-time (!) Oscar-winning Katharine Hepburn, left an equally noticeable mark (she was more than 20 years older, and her star of fame rose earlier). So the producers often began to persuade Audrey to change her last name so that she would not be confused with Katherine. But she was unshakable: the memory of her father remained sacred for the artist.

Audrey Hepburn's personal life

She wasn't very lucky with love.

Audrey Hepburn's personal life was not so easy. It was rumored that during the filming of "Roman Holiday" Gregory Peck and Hepburn became lovers, but the couple denied this, but maintained a good relationship until the death of the actress. One of the most touching epitaphs over the coffin of a star belonged to Peck.

William Holden, with whom Audrey starred in Sabrina, fell head over heels in love with her. Hepburn herself ended the stormy romance: a handsome man was barren due to an operation, and the girl dreamed of children.

Long-awaited children of Audrey Hepburn

In 1954, Mel Ferrer, who played with her in the production of Ondine, became the husband of the actress. Handsome has already been married three times and had five offspring, but this did not stop Audrey. After 6 years, she gave birth to a son, Sean. And the marriage with Ferrer lasted until the end of the 1960s.

The second marriage (with the Italian doctor Andrea Dotti) was fleeting, but gave the couple a son. Luke got the star very hard, there was a threat of miscarriage, and she spent a lot of time in bed. It is unlikely that anyone would have recognized Audrey Hepburn in this tired woman. The personal life of the legendary actress, it would seem, froze forever.

The last love of the star was the Dutch actor Robert Wolders. Audrey Hepburn's children, Sean and Lucas, were also mother's favorites - until the very last days.

Peace Ambassador

Then, in the early 1970s, something broke in the career of an actress. An attempt to return to the screen in the film "Robin and Marian" (the story of the already middle-aged Robin Hood, which starred Sean Connery) was unsuccessful. As well as several other films that did not return her to her former glory.

All the strength and energy of Audrey Hepburn, whose biography has now become the biography of the "ambassador of peace", sent to work at UNICEF. Visiting the slums, helping starving children, numerous performances required iron health and nerves. But the years of occupation backfired, and the actress's body could not withstand the overload. A trip to Somalia in 1992 was Hepburn's last good deed in a string of others.

She died on January 20, 1993. The John Hersholt Award - the second "Oscar" was received for the mother in the same year by her son.

Audrey Hepburn is a famous British actress, model and humanitarian. This charming, stunningly beautiful and endlessly talented woman has become a role model all over the world. She is deservedly considered an icon of style and the standard of femininity.

Audrey Hepburn was born in May 1929 in the small town of Ixelles near Brussels. At birth, she received the name Audrey Kathleen Ruston. The girl grew up in the family of the English banker John Victor Ruston and the Dutch baroness Ella Van Heemstra. Later, the father added the name Hepburn to his surname, respectively, the daughter became Audrey Hepburn-Ruston.

Despite her aristocratic origin, the future actress had to face serious difficulties in her childhood. At the age of 6, the girl survived the divorce of her parents, after which she lived with her mother in the Netherlands.

Audrey's school years were spent in Nazi-occupied Arnhem. After the Germans invaded the Netherlands, the girl took the pseudonym Edda van Heemstra, because the English sound of her real name posed a threat at that moment. To this day, many mistakenly consider this option to be the true name of the actress.

During the war, Audrey Hepburn had to starve, which did not have the best effect on her health. The correct metabolism of the actress did not recover even after the end of the war, in the future she suffered from anemia, respiratory diseases, and depression.

When the war ended, always showing an interest in art, Hepburn studied at the Arnhem Conservatory and moved to Amsterdam. There, she and her mother were nurses at a veterans' home. Since 1946, without leaving work, Audrey began to take ballet lessons from Sonia Gaskell. Then the girl studied the art of dancing with the famous teachers Marie Rampert and Vaclav Nijinsky. Hepburn studied ballet to the point of exhaustion, but her short stature, combined with the effects of chronic malnutrition, would still prevent her from becoming a prima ballerina.

In those years, the girl's mother had to take on any menial work in order to feed her family. Audrey Hepburn was forced to earn on her own, and a career as an actress was the best decision.

Movies

The debut of the actress in the cinema took place in 1948 - it was an educational film "Dutch in Seven Lessons". Audrey's first feature film was A Corn of the Wild Oats (1951). Over the next two years, the actress played several inconspicuous roles. She received her first major role in 1952 in the film Secret People.

Real success came to Audrey Hepburn after filming in the film Roman Holiday by William Wyler, which was released in 1953. The film tells about the love that broke out between the heir to the throne and a simple American journalist, played by one of the most sought-after actors of that time. For the role of Princess Anne, Audrey received an Oscar. In addition, the work was awarded the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.

After the resounding success of Roman Holiday, director W. Wyler shot Audrey in three more of his films. These were completely different films in terms of genre - the staging of S. Taylor's play "Sabrina" (1954), the drama "Children's Hour" by L. Hellman, the comedy detective story "How to Steal a Million" (1966).

Audrey Hepburn starred in other directors - she perfectly coped with the image of the gentle and reverent Natasha Rostova in "War and Peace", filmed by King Vidor in 1956. The audience remembered the role in Fred Zinnemann's film "The Nun's Story" (1959) - the heroine Hepburn during the film turns from a young, full of strength girl into a "nanny" drooping and exhausted by work in the hospital.

One of the most significant works was the role performed in the film by B. Edwards "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961). The image of Holly Golightly has become truly iconic for many years, and the notorious “little black dress” of the heroine is a real hit.

Particularly noteworthy are the roles of Audrey Hepburn in musicals. In 1957, the actress starred in Funny Face, where her shooting partner was the king of the genre, Fred Astaire. Next to the actor, Audrey looked more than worthy.

The actress performed one of her best roles in the film adaptation of the 1964 Broadway musical My Fair Lady by George Cukor.

Hepburn actively filmed until 1967, after which her acting career came to a rather long break. The return of Audrey Hepburn to the screen took place with the release of the 1976 film Robin and Marian. Since then, she has moved on to age roles and starred from time to time. The last work was the role performed by the actress in the film "Always" (1989).

Public life

After the end of her acting career, Audrey Hepburn was appointed to the position of special ambassador for UNICEF. At the same time, the actress began to cooperate with the organization back in 1954: then she took part in programs broadcast on the radio.

Hepburn was grateful to the foundation for her own salvation after the Nazi occupation. She devoted the last years of her life to improving the fate of children living in poor countries.

For five years with the mission of UNICEF, Audrey Hepburn traveled to more than 20 countries around the world, taking care of disadvantaged children and their families. So, she visited Ethiopia, Turkey, Vietnam, the countries of South and Central America, Bangladesh. She dealt with the implementation of programs for the supply of those in need of humanitarian assistance, vaccinations, and the provision of drinking water.

The work of the actress was facilitated by the knowledge of several languages. She spoke French, Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish.

In 1992, Audrey Hepburn received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work at UNICEF.

Personal life

During the filming of Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn began a romantic relationship with co-star William Holden. He was married to actress Brenda Marshall, and in their family it was considered normal to have affairs on the side. To prevent children from casual relationships, Holden, who had two sons, made himself a vasectomy. Audrey dreamed of marriage and the birth of children. When the actress found out about the inability of the chosen one to become a father, she immediately broke off relations with him once and for all.

Audrey Hepburn met her future husband, director and actor Melom Ferrer, while working in the production of Ondine. The feelings that flared up between them were not prevented even by the third marriage and five children of Ferrer. The wedding of the actors took place in 1954, and six years later the couple had a son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. But the marriage of Melom and Audrey lasted 14 years. The reasons for the divorce were not announced by the spouses.

The actress painfully experienced a break with Ferrer, she even had to seek qualified medical help. The Hollywood star was treated by the Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, whom she later married and had a son, Luke. After some time, relations in the family went wrong, Dottie began to cheat on his wife. Audrey tried not to notice this, but even her iron patience lasted a little more than ten years.

At 50, Audrey Hepburn fell in love again. The chosen one of the actress was the Dutchman Robert Walders, with whom she was in a relationship until the end of her days. The marriage between Hepburn and Wolders was never formalized, but this did not prevent their happiness.

Death

Work at UNICEF took a lot of energy from Audrey Hepburn. Numerous trips had a negative impact on her health. A visit to Somalia and Kenya in 1992 was the last for the actress. During the trip, Hepburn felt unbearable pain in her abdomen, and African doctors strongly recommended that the mission be curtailed on an emergency basis, but she refused.

A full examination of Audrey Hepburn took place only upon arrival from Africa. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a tumor in her colon. A couple of weeks later, an operation was performed, which the doctors called successful. Unfortunately, three weeks later, the actress was again hospitalized with renewed pain. It turned out that the tumor had metastasized to neighboring tissues - the days of the actress were numbered.

Soon she returned from the hospital to Switzerland, to the small town of Tolochenaz, as the doctors were already powerless. In the circle of children and Walders, she spent the last Christmas, calling it "the happiest in my life."

On January 20, 1993, the heart of the great actress stopped forever. Audrey Hepburn died surrounded by family - she was 63 years old.

Filmography

• "The Lavender Hill Gang"
• "Child of Monte Carlo"
• "Secret People"
• "Sabrina"
• "Roman holiday"
• "Funny face"
• "War and Peace"
• "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
• "Blood Link"
• "Is always"

It has been 22 years since the day when, after a serious and incurable illness, one of the most beautiful and iconic actresses in world cinema, Audrey Hepburn, left this world.

But in addition to professional merits, the star of "Roman Holiday", "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "My Fair Lady" is most often mentioned as a style icon and fashion trendsetter. Meanwhile, few people know about the selfless and devoted service of the actress in UNICEF - the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. It was on incredibly difficult and dangerous trips to the kids in the poorest countries in the world that Audrey did not notice how she wasted her vitality, and she was overcome by a fatal illness.

However, in her two sons - Sean and Luke, the actress also did not cherish the soul, and the usual family dinner was more important for her than any social event or ceremony.

By the way, Audrey Hepburn was married twice, and she gave birth to her eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, in marriage with her partner in the film Ondine, Mel Ferrer, and the youngest son of the actress, Luca Dotti, was born after Audrey married Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti.

Both sons of Audrey idolized their mother, subtly felt her mood and knew about every emotional experience. Even during the life of the actress, Luca often said in an interview that Audrey Hepburn, even with all her awards and merits, was insecure, doubted her professional abilities and considered her appearance unattractive. The youngest son claimed that his mother was extremely surprised that people were so passionate about her person and even called her "the ideal of beauty."

Well, the eldest son of the actress Sean wrote a touching biographical novel "Last Christmas with Mom ...", in which he spoke about the last days of the great actress's life.

And unfortunately, what united the family of Audrey Hepburn so much and destroyed it. It was “motherly love” that 54-year-old Sean and 44-year-old Luca could not share among themselves.

Yesterday it became known that the eldest son of the actress sued the youngest in order to legally distribute all the valuable memories of his mother. And although Audrey bequeathed equal shares of the inheritance to her sons, collections of costumes, hats, scarves, jewelry, photographs, posters and even scripts became more important for the Hepburn heirs than money and real estate.

At the moment, all precious artifacts, as cultural values, are stored in the Los Angeles company Fine Arts & Wine Storage, and even after the judicial division, they will only go to their owners in absentia.

(pictured: Audrey Hepburn's sons - Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dottie)