Audrey Hepburn Biography
Audrey Kathleen Ruston came from an upper-class family that had roots of aristocracy extending as far as the 17th Century. She was however born a commoner with no riches to talk, May 4 1929 marked her birth date and her place of birth was Ixelles, Belgium . Her mother was Ella Ruston and she married an older love named Victor Ruston against the wishes of her parents. Since her spouse had no title and was a fellow country man Ella lost her status in the family and she had no claim to the family wealth of prestigious title.
This would turn out to be a bad choice on Ella’s part since her once love turned out to be a Nazi who abandoned his family the moment he got a chance. Left under the care of an unskilled mother who had never known the bounds of hard labour the family was left in a miserable state as basic necessities like food were hard to come by. Around the same time the 1939 World War II was spreading fast to areas in Europe. It soon hit London where the family resided and they had to move from one war camp to another as sounds of gunfire chased them from behind.
Hepburn experienced first-hand the pain of war victims and she vowed to give as much help as she could in the future. Hepburn’s debut role was on Gigi, a 1952 Broadway production that showed in London, England. She found it very difficult to be on set despite her interest and talent in acting so after the play Hepburn enrolled for acting lesson at the Miss Rigden's School in London in order to polish on her talent. At the same school Hepburn also received coaching on Ballet and she performed for London crowds for upkeep money.
Following roles included films like ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, ‘Wait Until Dark’, ‘Sabrina’, ‘Roman Holiday’ and ‘The Nun’s Story’. The media fell in love with her instantly and fans brought in millions at the box office. Hepburn became the highest paid actress of her time and she received Golden Globe, Academy and Tony Awards for her performances. The 50’s went on to become the actress’ most successful decade.
In the media Hepburn acquired the status of a sex symbol and was often voted one of the sexiest female celebrities. Her keen sense of fashion has remained timeless so much that present day fashion designers look back on her well put wardrobe for inspiration on new creations.
In the early 60’s Hepburn took up roles in ‘Charade’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Wait until Dark’ and the less publicised film ‘Bloodline’.
Hepburn is remembered for her extensive humanitarian work with organisations like UNICEF. She lived up to her childhood promise of supporting victims of war around the world, she travelled as far as Africa, Guatemala and parts of Asia to donate relief food for the needy. She was nominated UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1960 and one of her duties was to campaign for the provision of clean water and sanitation to developing countries around the world.
Audrey Hepburn succumbed to cancer in 1993.
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