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Audrey Hepburn dazzled film audiences with her enchanting beauty and mercurial sparkle, but her inner beauty glowed brightest of all.

Despite her sometimes fragile appearance, Audrey could be tough, a quality honed by growing up in Europe during German domination. Born in 1929 in Belgium, Hepburn seemed destined for a privileged life in the home of her father, a prominent English banker, and her mother, of Dutch royalty. The two soon divorced, however, and while living in the Netherlands with her mother, Audrey became a victim of the Nazi occupation.

Hepburn saw her uncle shot for helping the Dutch resistance, but an accomplished ballerina by 15, she often gave secret performances at great personal risk to raise money for the cause. She later observed, “The best audience I ever had made not a single sound at the end of my performances.”

After the D-Day invasion, the Netherlands experienced famine because the Nazis confiscated most of the food. Audrey and many others survived by turning tulip bulbs into flour for cakes and muffins.

Hepburn saw German soldier execute people on the streets and herd Jews into railroad cars for their journey to death camps. She also recognized the similarities between herself and Anne Frank. “She and I were exactly the same age,” she said. “I read her book in Dutch and it affected me deeply because I was not reading it as a book, as printed pages, but as my life.” 

Years later, to avoid the painful memories, Audrey turned down the role of Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank.

Following the liberation of Europe, Hepburn received a scholarship to study ballet in London. She also began a modeling career, but soon drew attention from film producers. In 1953, Paramount Pictures cast Audrey in Roman Holiday opposite Gregory Peck.  She portrayed Princess Ann, a bored and overly-protected young lady who falls in love with an American journalist in Rome. The film scored big and Audrey won an Oscar as Best Actress.

At first, the producers of Roman Holiday wanted to cast Elizabeth Taylor as Ann, but Hepburn so impressed director William Wyler with her screen test, she won the role. “She had everything I was looking for.” Wyler said. “Charm. Innocence. Talent. She was absolutely enchanting.”

At one point in Roman Holiday, however, Wyler became quite frustrated with Audrey’s acting. The scene where she says goodbye to Joe (Peck) called for her to cry, but time after time, she failed. But when Wyler complained about wasted takes, she burst into tears and they finished the scene.

Just after receiving her Oscar for Roman Holiday, Hepburn received the Tony Award for Best Actress in her stage performance of Ondine.

In 1954, Audrey received a second Oscar nomination for Sabrina alongside Humphrey Bogart and William Holden.  After receiving still another Oscar nomination for her role as Sister Luke in The Nun’s Story (1959), Hepburn reached the zenith of her career in 1961 as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Once again, she received an Oscar nomination.

Audrey earned $750,000 for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but her famous black dress commanded even more, going for $920,000 at a 2006 Christie’s auction. Among movie memorabilia, only the Oscar statue for Gone with the Wind has sold for more.

Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Henry Mancini (music) wrote “Moon River” for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Hepburn sang it in the film, and Mancini later said, “Moon River’ was written for her. No one else has ever understood it so completely. There have been more than a thousand versions, but hers is unquestionably the greatest.”

Audrey also sang a famous version of “Happy Birthday.” While everyone remembers Marilyn Monroe serenading John F. Kennedy on his birthday in 1962, she sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK on his last birthday in 1963.

In 1963, Hepburn starred opposite Cary Grant in Charade. An absolutely mesmerized Grant later said, “All I want for Christmas is another film with Audrey Hepburn.”

Audrey gave one of her most sparkling performances in My Fair Lady (1964).  Once asked about his favorite leading lady, co-star Rex Harrison replied without hesitation, “Audrey Hepburn.” 

Hepburn received still another Oscar nomination for Wait Until Dark in 1967, but more and more, she began spending her time on humanitarian efforts because, as she said, “I am mostly concerned about matters of the heart.” 

In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador for the United Nations UNICEF Fund for children. Her fluency in English, Spanish, French, Dutch/Flemish, and Italian served her well as she visited poverty-stricken areas around the world.

“I can testify to what UNICEF means to children,” Hepburn said, “because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II. It just breaks my heart to realize two million people are in imminent danger of starving to death, many of them children.”

For her UNICEF efforts, President George Bush 41 awarded Audrey “The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” one of the two highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.

The world cried in 1993 when Audrey Hepburn passed away, but did bestow final respects – an Emmy (Outstanding Individual Achievement in Informational Programming) for Gardens of the World, and a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children with Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales. 

Audrey Hepburn rests now in Switzerland where a simple cross and flowers protect her and keep her company.

Courtesy of Alexandra Spürk (Alexi)