Audrey Hepburn, born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929, in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, was a renowned actress, model, and humanitarian. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, and her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was a businessman and Honorary British Consul in the Dutch East Indies, with English, Austrian, and Czech-Jewish ancestry.
Following her parents' divorce, Audrey moved to London with her mother, where she attended a private girls' school. Later, her mother relocated to the Netherlands, and Audrey continued her education at private schools. During a vacation in Arnhem, Netherlands, she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation, struggling with depression and malnutrition.
After the liberation, Audrey pursued a ballet school scholarship in London and later began a modeling career. Her graceful demeanor and striking features made her a sought-after model, until film producers took notice. In 1948, she made her film debut in the European production Nederlands in zeven lessen, followed by a speaking role in Young Wives' Tale (1951) as Eve Lester.
Audrey's breakthrough came with Roman Holiday (1953),which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She married actor Mel Ferrer in 1954 and starred in Sabrina (1954),earning another Academy Award nomination. She continued to captivate audiences with roles in Funny Face (1957),Love in the Afternoon (1957),The Nun's Story (1959),and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961),earning another Oscar nomination.
Audrey's personal life included two marriages, to Mel Ferrer and Dr. Andrea Dotti, and the birth of two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti. She retired from acting in 1967, but continued to make occasional appearances on screen.
In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund, helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she held until 1993. She was named one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine and appeared in Always (1989),her final film.
Audrey Hepburn passed away on January 20, 1993, at the age of 63, due to appendicular cancer. She left behind a legacy of 31 high-quality films, cementing her status as a timeless Hollywood icon, recognized by Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".
