Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels on May 4, 1929 to a Dutch Baroness and a wealthy English banker. When she was young her parents divorced and Audrey moved with her mother to the Netherlands. Soon after, the Nazi army invaded Holland. Audrey suffered from severe starvation, anemia, respiratory problems, and edimia. The occupation ended when Audrey was sixteen. Her mother moved to London where Audrey studied dance.

She was finally discovered by Collette, a French novelist who insisted that Audrey be casted as the lead role in Gigi, a Broadway adaption of her novel. Despite her lack of acting experiences, Audrey impressed audiences with her performance and was given the role as Princess Anne in William Wyler's Roman Holiday starring opposite Gregory Peck. Audrey's film debut gave her the Oscar that year for best actress.

From 1953-1967, Audrey starred in several more successful films and nominated four more times for an Oscar for her work in Sabrina, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Wait Until Dark.

In 1954, Audrey married Mel Ferrer and with him acheived one of her lifelong goals, to have a child. Sean was born on July 17, 1960. Audrey took time off from film making to raise her son. But in 1968, she and Mel divorced. A year later Audrey married Italian psychiatrist Dr. Andrea Mario Dotti and the couple also gave birth to another son, Luca. However, two years later Audrey and the doctor separated and finally divorced in 1980.

In 1987, Audrey was officially appointed to succeed Danny Kaye (who died that year) as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Accompanied by her companion until her death, Robert Wolders, she visited such places as Ethiopia, the Sudan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. After returning from Somalia in 1991, Audrey was diagnosed with colon cancer. On January 20, 1993, Audrey Hepburn died at the age of 63 in Tolchenaz, Switzerland.

 

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