Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn Facts
| Sign | Taurus |
| Born |
May 4, 1929 Ixelles, Belgium |
| Died |
Jan 20, 1993 Tolochenaz, Switzerland |
| Age | Died at 63 |
| Total Facts | 83 |
Henry Mancini said of her: "'Moon River' was written for her. No one else had ever understood it so completely. There have been more than a thousand versions of 'Moon River', but hers is inquestionably the greatest".
According to director William Friedkin, Audrey was Warner Bros. first choice for the role of Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973) after her box-office successes with the studio's The Nun's Story (1959), My Fair Lady (1964) and Wait Until Dark (1967). She would only agree to star if the film were made in Rome. Both Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty rejected the proposal.
According to her biography, "Audrey Hepburn: An Intimate Portrait", she made a vow to herself never to exceed 103 pounds. With the exception of her pregnancies, she succeeded.
After Wait Until Dark (1967) was offered the leads in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), 40 Carats (1973), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), The Exorcist (1973), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and The Turning Point (1977) but decided to stay in retirement and raise her sons.
Although not diagnosed with appendicular cancer until 1 November 1992, her son Sean H. Ferrer believes it had probably been developing over the course of the previous five years.
Art was one of her longtime hobbies, she drew pictures of stories when she was a child to distract herself from chronic hunger pains during WWII. As an adult, she took up painting to pass time while pregnant with her son, Luca. Samples of her work can be seen in the book "Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit".
As of 2005, she is one of only nine performers to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy Award.
As of 2007, she and Katharine Hepburn are the only "Best Actress" Oscar-winners to share a last name. Of course, they are not related.
Asked for the part of Emma Jacklin in The Turning Point (1977) but Anne Bancroft had already been cast in the role.
Audrey felt that she was miscast as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) although it was one of her most popular roles.
Broke her back during filming of a horse-riding scene in The Unforgiven (1960).
Broke her back during filming of a horse-riding scene in The Unforgiven (1960).
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#8). [1995]
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1990]
Christened simply Audrey Kathleen Ruston, her mother Baroness Ella Van Heemstra temporarily changed the actress' name from Audrey to Edda during the war, feeling that "Audrey" might indicate her British roots too strongly. During the war, being English in occupied Holland was not an asset; it could have attracted the attention of the occupying German forces and resulted in confinement or even deportation. After the war, her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, found documents about his ancestors, some of whom bore the name Hepburn. This is when he added it to his name, which caused her daughter to have to legally add Hepburn to her name as well, thus Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston.
Died on January 20, 1993, the 67th birthday of Patricia Neal. They starred together in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).
Died on the day of Bill Clinton's first inauguration as President of the United States.
During his acceptance speech honoring her work for UNICEF, Sean H. Ferrer dedicated his mother's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to "the children of the world".
During World War II, 16-year-old Audrey was a volunteer nurse in a Dutch hospital. During the battle of Arnhem, Hepburn's hospital received many wounded Allied soldiers. One of the injured soldiers young Audrey helped nurse back to health was a young British paratrooper - and future director - named Terence Young. More than 20 years later, Young directed Hepburn in Wait Until Dark (1967).
Followed winning the Academy Award for Roman Holiday (1953) with winning Broadway's 1954 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "Ondine."
Godfather of her first child, Sean H. Ferrer, was Scottish writer, A.J. Cronin.
Godmother of Victoria Brynner, the daughter of Doris Kleiner and Yul Brynner.
Had a breed of tulip named after her in 1990.
Hepburn was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer in 1992 (not colon cancer, as it is often mistakenly called). The cancer spread into the lining of her small intestine. She had one foot of intestine removed in surgery and went through chemotherapy, but in a second surgery it was decided that the cancer had spread too far and could not be treated.
Hepburn was offered the role of a Japanese bride opposite Marlon Brando in Sayonara (1957) but turned it down. She later explained that she "couldn't possibly play an Oriental. No one would believe me; they'd laugh. It's a lovely script, however, I know what I can and can't do. And if you did persuade me, you would regret it, because I would be terrible".
Her biggest film regret was not getting the Anne Bancroft role in The Turning Point (1977). "That was the one film", she later admitted, "that got away from me."
Her character in Funny Face (1957) was inspired by Suzy Parker, who made a fashionable cameo appearance in the film (her first film) in the "Think Pink" sequence.
Her famous "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), designed by Hubert de Givenchy, was sold at a Christie's auction for approximately $920,000 (5 December 2006).
Her last humanitarian mission for UNICEF was to Somalia in the summer of 1992. She was reported to have begun feeling stomach pains towards the end of the trip, which sadly turned out to be cancer.
Her mother was Ella baroness van Heemstra (1900-1984).
Her performance as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) is ranked #32 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
In 1954, she was presented with her Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday (1953) by Jean Hersholt. In 1993, she was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
In 1992 President George Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work for UNICEF.
In 1993 she became the thirteenth performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar - Best Actress for Roman Holiday (1953), Tony for Best Actress in a Play for "Ondine" (1954) and Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming for "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" (1993).
In 1996 the British magazine Harpers & Queen conducted a poll to find the most fascinating women of our time. She was in the #1 spot.
In addition to her son Sean H. Ferrer, Hepburn became pregnant another four times by her husband Mel Ferrer (in 1954, 1958, 1965 and 1967). However she suffered miscarriages on all of those occasions.
In Arnhem, The Netherlands, during the Second World War, she worked with the Dutch Underground, giving ballet performances to collect donations for the anti-Nazi effort.
In Italy she was almost exclusively dubbed by Maria Pia Di Meo, except in her first two films (Roman Holiday (1953) (Vacanze Romane) and Sabrina (1954)) and in Green Mansions (1959) (Verdi dimore), where she was dubbed by Fiorella Betti.
Interred in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.
Is one of the only 12 people who are an EGOT, which means that she won at least one of all of the four major entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The other ones in chronological order are Richard Rodgers, Barbra Streisand, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg. Barbra Streisand, however, won a Special Tony Award, not a competitive one, and Liza Minnelli won a Special Grammy.
Is one of twelve actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Shirley Booth, Liza Minnelli, Rita Moreno, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy, Anne Bancroft, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Ellen Burstyn.
Is portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) (TV)
Like Humphrey Bogart, Hepburn also starred in five of the movies listed by American Film Institute in its Top 100 U.S. love stories (2002). They are Roman Holiday (1953), ranked #4 on the list, Sabrina (1954) ranked #54, which co-starred Bogart, My Fair Lady (1964) ranked #12, Two for the Road (1967) at #57 and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) #61.
Lived together with Robert Wolders in the final years of her life.
Met future husband Mel Ferrer at a party hosted by Gregory Peck. It was Ferrer who sent Hepburn the script for "Ondine", which Hepburn agreed to play on Broadway, in which the couple co-starred.
Mother of Sean H. Ferrer, with first husband, Mel Ferrer.
Nearly married James (later Lord) Hanson, a businessman, after filming Roman Holiday (1953). An ivory satin wedding gown was designed by the Fontana sisters, but Hepburn called off the wedding at the last minute.
Once admitted that she would not have accepted the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady (1964) if she had known that producer Jack L. Warner planned to have all of her singing dubbed.
Presented the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards four times (in 1955, 1960, 1966, and 1975) more than any other actress.
Ranked #50 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]