Audrey Hepburn

Born: 4 May 1929
Where: Brussels, Belgium

Arguably one of the all time greatest female actresses Audrey Hepburn has graced our television screens for more than half a century and continues to woe us further to this day.

Remembered mostly for her performances in Gigi, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Funny Face and My Fair Lady, Hepburn has become an aspiring grace for actresses to live up to still.

With an Oscar under her belt and several nominations for Academy Awards her achievements appear even more astounding taking her earlier years into consideration.

Following the divorce of her wealthy English banker father, and her mother, a Dutch baroness, Audrey moved to London with her mother and attended a private girls school, before going back to the Netherlands.

It wasn't long before she fell under tough times. With Nazi occupation storming over Europe, like many others Audrey became a sufferer of depression and malnutrition.

After the war ended Audrey gained a ballet scholarship in London, before starting a modelling career. An elegant and beautiful model, Hepburn believed she found her long term profession. However, it was this attractiveness that engrossed film producers and so began Audrey Hepburn's acting career.

Her first role was in the European film Nederlands in 7 lessen in 1948, followed by Young Wives. But the bright lights were calling and Audrey wanted to try her luck in America. It was here that she became the legend that she is.

Audrey gained immediate status in the American film industry with her role in the 1953 film Roman Holiday for which she won an Oscar. This success catapulted Hepburn into prime position for roles.

Roman Holiday was followed by a role in Sabrina, and an excellent performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Her role in Love and the Afternoon also received rave reviews, and another Oscar nomination soon followed for her work in Nun's Story.

Having become a storming success in the fifties, the sixties weren't so plentiful. However it was during this period that Hepburn had some her most remembered and highly acclaimed successes. She reached the peak of her career playing Holly Golightly opposite Cary Grant in Breakfast at Tiffany's, for which she received yet another Oscar nomination.

Audrey is also remembered for giving an exceptional performance as the unrefined English girl in My Fair Lady. Her role in the 1967 film Wait Until Dark! netted her a fifth and final Oscar nomination.

By the end of the sixties, after her divorce from actor Mel Ferrer, Audrey decided to retire. Later she married Dr. Andrea Dotti.

Hepburn disappeared from the big screen for almost a decade, but returned in 1976 for her first 'middle aged' performance in Robin and Marian with Sean Connery and she continued to make occasional appearances in feature films, such as her last in Spielberg's Always in 1989.

From 1988 Audrey served as a special ambassador for the UN Children's Fund amongst other charitable works. This new role earned her worldwide admiration, but it was only a few years later in 1993 that Audrey succumbed to colon cancer aged 64.

Her grace, beauty and elegance are continuing aspirations. She starred opposite an array of the greatest male actors, including Fred Astaire, Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded her the Jean Hersholt Award for Humanitarian work, and her elegance and style will always be remembered.