Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her father, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston, was a banker, and her mother, Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch baroness.
Hepburn and her mother later suffered from malnutrition and oppression during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. Following the war, Hepburn moved with her mother to London and began studying dance there. When she was twenty-one, she was working as a model.
She headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday (1953) in 1953. This film turned out to be a smashing success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more plum roles.
In 1959, she received yet another nomination for her role in The Nun's Story (1959).
Audrey reached the pinnacle of her career when she played Holly Golightly in the delightful film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) in 1961. For this she received another nomination.
One of Audrey's most radiant roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady (1964) in 1964. Her co-star, Rex Harrison, once was asked to identify his favorite leading lady. Without hesitation, he replied, "Audrey Hepburn in 'My Fair Lady.'"
In 1988, she became a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and spent the rest of her life working to improve the conditions of needy children. She died of colon cancer at the age of 63. She was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award posthumously for her work with UNICEF.
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