Audrey Hepburn: Star Profile

If there was one person I could emulate in all the world, I'm almost certain it would be Audrey Hepburn. In a career admired and beloved the world over she shows one thing above all else, her gentle, generous and loving soul. There are not many whom young people can look to today to idolise and follow. But Audrey Hepburn stands as an embodiment of grace and style for all the generations of women to come.

In a career spanning just 36 years in which she made only 29 films Audrey Hepburn has become one of the most recognised faces in the world. Despite passing away 21 years ago and walking away from movies 25 years ago she is still as popular today as the day she left.

From her harrowing youth in the harshest of war conditions to becoming the biggest movie star and fashion icon of the 50's and 60's I will be taking a look at the outstanding legacy Audrey Hepburn has left us.


Audrey Hepburn is one of the most beloved movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, however this was not the plan, all she wanted to be was a ballerina. Born May 4th 1929 in Belgium to a Dutch Baroness and businessman father from a young age the baroness encouraged Audrey in dancing. However when World War 2 began 10 year old Audrey and her mother (her father left when she was young) were caught in the very middle of the war. By the time it ended the 16 year old was so malnourished and had missed so many vital training years that she was unable to follow this path. She did however work as a model and make a few small appearances in movies; the most recognisable of which was the Ealing comedy The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Whilst appearing in a small part in the forgettable film Monte Carlo Baby (1953) Audrey was noticed by the French author Collette who happened to be searching for the lead in the upcoming Broadway production of her novel Gigi. Collette saw the beautiful 24 year old and pronounced she had found her Gigi (despite no training for the stage - this was immaterial). With a lot of work Audrey was a success, many critics noted her obvious inexperience but due to her utter magnetism saw it only as a small insignificant issue.

Whilst performing in Gigi Audrey was noticed by Hollywood producers and immediately given the starring role alongside Gregory Peck in William Wyler's Roman Holiday (1953). She would play a princess bored and stifled by the rules and regulations her station commanded. After becoming hysterical she is given a sedative, only to run away into Rome. She is found falling asleep on a bench by a reporter (Peck) desperate for a good story, he takes her home and they end up spending the entire next day together doing all the things the princess has never been able to do. Roman Holiday is a beautifully made film (filmed on location in Rome) and a simple and effective love story. Her innocence and style shone through from the very first frame. Wisely perceiving how big a star this début would make Audrey, Gregory Peck demanded that her name go above the title next to his (this was unheard of and also an extremely generous gesture, the two remained friends until her death). Peck was correct in his assumptions, Audrey won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

Audrey was a hot commodity and she was rushed straight into the next feature of the incomparable Billy Wilder; Sabrina (1954) the film would also co-star Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Audrey would play a chauffeur's daughter who is in love with the youngest son David (Holden) of the well-to-do Larrabee family. She goes away to Paris and returns a sophisticated Parisian woman (this would mark the beginning of her famous lifelong partnership with the designer Hubert De Givenchy). When Sabrina comes in the middle of an important merger that requires David to marry, straight, businesslike - older brother Linus Larrabee (Bogart) intercepts intending to send her straight back to Paris however the two fall in love and the plans go awry. Looking back now the film is great but rather hilarious as the age difference between Hepburn and Bogart was significantly noticeable. But this became a pattern in Hepburn's films, she frequently worked with some of the best leading men in Hollywood, but most were many years her senior; Fred Astaire in the Musical Funny Face (1957) and Gary Cooper in Love in the Afternoon (1958) another Billy Wilder classic romance added to this list in the coming years.

Audrey did take some missteps in her career choices the likes of the epic flop War and Peace (1956) with her husband Mel Ferrer and Green Mansions (1959) under Ferrer's direction. It became apparent that working with her husband was not a successful pairing. After these flops and a series of successful romantic comedies she decided to show her skills with The Nun's Story (1959) the true story of Sister Luke's experiences in a convent and her eventual decision to leave. Films like this and The Children's Hour (1961) in which she plays a young married teacher caught in a scandalous rumour accusing her and another teacher (Shirley MacLaine) of a homosexual relationship (risky for the time) proved that Audrey had hidden depths and could handle tough material, and successfully.

If there was one film upon which Audrey Hepburn's whole image as a film and fashion icon could rest on it would be Blake Edward's adaptation of Truman Capote's novel Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). It is common knowledge today that Capote did not want Audrey for the role of single quirky Holly Golightly (he wanted Marilyn Monroe) it is also said that Audrey herself knew she was not completely suited to the part due to her wholesome image. However she desperately wanted the role and fought for it. Her Holly is on the surface a confidant wacky girl with a liking for Tiffany's diamonds but underneath she is a contradicting vulnerable bundle of nerves. I personally agree that the Hepburn image may not have been right at the time, but she pulled out all the stops and created a character that could now not be played by any other actress, let alone Marilyn Monroe. Givenchy excelled himself for this film, Audrey's little black dress, sunglasses and pearls can be seen on posters, canvasses mugs and all manner of merchandise all over the world to this day. She has become with this character one of the most popular images in history.

After a two year break to work on her troubled marriage Audrey made Charade (1963) a Hitchcock style caper with the much older Cary Grant, and Paris When it Sizzles (1964) a romantic comedy full of industry insider jokes which reunited her with William Holden. It was not highly praised by either critics or audiences however I believe it is much better than given credit for. But this was neither here nor there for Audrey, who at this time was busy fighting for the role of the decade, a character every woman in Hollywood would love to play; Elizabeth Doolittle in George Cukor's adaptation of the tremendously successful stage play My Fair Lady (1964). Audrey was offered the part but initially turned it down when it became clear that the public was very much behind the unknown lead of the Broadway production; Julie Andrews. When Jack Warner of Warner Bros. was going to offer it to a third actress (he refused to cast the untested Andrews in the biggest feature of the decade ) Audrey decided she could do it as well as the third person and accepted the role. Audrey was excellent in the speaking role, she was utterly perfect as the transformed sophisticated Eliza. However there were issues against her from the beginning which were held against her throughout. Many could not except this style icon who naturally had so much poise and grace as a cockney flower girl; filthy and uneducated. More importantly the role required a strenuous amount of singing, no problem for the 4 Octave Soprano voice of Julie Andrews. But it was clear from the beginning that Audrey's voice was not going to cut it, despite leading her to believe that she was improving (she worked every day with a vocal coach) and would perform many of the songs if not all of but large sections, Warner Bros, hired vocalist Marnie Nixon to dub Audrey in almost every instance, Audrey was devastated. When the film was released it did well but many critics and audiences alike held the dubbing against Audrey, when the Academy Awards came round the next year the film won 8 Oscars, but Audrey wasn't even nominated. The winner of the Best Actress Oscar that year; Julie Andrews for her film debut with Walt Disney as Mary Poppins. In her speech she thanked Jack Warner for her award; the best come back ever to any studio head.

My Fair Lady was the last big hit for Audrey for the rest of the sixties she made a handful of good films but they neither reached the success of her early hits or made much impact on the public. How to Steal a Million (1966) with Peter O'Toole was a crime comedy, Two for the Road (1967) and Wait until Dark (1967) both showed a rarely seen side of Audrey the former with Albert Finney was a close inspection at the highs and lows of a married couple over the years (Audrey could relate closely to this, as her marriage was failing at the time). The latter was a thriller in which she plays a blind woman terrorised in her own apartment, a great performance and reviews could not make Audrey satisfied. She walked away from Hollywood to concentrate on her personal life, she didn't return to the screen for 9 years.

In her absence movies had changed, they had become more realistic and violent, as with so many other stars from the studio era, this style of film just didn't suit Audrey she came back for Robin and Marian (1976) in which she plays an older Maid Marian to Sean Connery's ageing Robin Hood. Not exactly a triumph but drew audiences who simply wanted to see Audrey in any way. She made Bloodline (1979) and They All laughed (1981) both with Ben Gazzara however both were flops, her ability to pick good scripts seemed to have failed her by this stage in her life, she was much more content being at home in Switzerland; away from it all with her sons, her pets and her garden.

She was drawn back for one last movie by non other than Steven Spielberg for his less than successful story about a daredevil pilot in love with a girl but takes one too many risks. A strange but touching movie which unfortunately at the time never found its audience Always (1989) saw Audrey in a role that could not be more suited to the glorified image the public had created for her. She played Hap a spiritual guide/Angel, whatever she was, she was from heaven and she was simply heavenly in it. The films star Richard Dreyfuss and Director Spielberg have both stated that when discussing the part of Hap in pre-production Audrey's name was mentioned for the role. Everyone there unanimously agreed there could be absolutely no other person to portray her. What a way to bow out, a being from heaven.

Movies had taken a back seat in Audrey's life she had found a new and more fulfilling calling. She had become a UNICEF Ambassador in the late 80's, her great love for children urged her to spend a good time of the year visiting some of the most dangerous places in the world raising awareness and making a difference to the often war torn and draught ravaged countries.She alerted people of the tragedies occurring to millions of children across the world.

On a trip to Somalia in September of 1992 Audrey complained of stomach pains. She went to a hospital on her return home where she and her family were given the tragic news that she had cancer. It was advanced and she had only a few months. Audrey as was her style came to terms with this quickly and then made it her business to make sure everyone else was OK. Audrey Hepburn died at her home in Switzerland surrounded by her loved ones on January 20th 1993 just 4 months after her diagnosis.

There are few stars who are as popular today as they were at their peak, but Audrey Hepburn is topping that minority and amazingly her peak was over 50 years ago. She changed the image of the modern woman in the 1950's and 60's and could be seen whether in hairstyle or wardrobe all over the world. For any movie fan Hepburn should be at the top of your list, she instils in her movies a soul that can be felt all these years later. She was one of the few who was naturally imbued with an obvious grace and kindness that radiates through the screen, her magnetic features drawing audiences to her like almost no other star.