Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baron Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman and her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian children. After her parents' divorce, Audrey moved with her mother to London, where she attended a private girls' school. She later attended a private school when her mother returned to the Netherlands. Hitler's army occupied the city while she was on her vacation with her mother in her Arnhem in the Netherlands. Here she went through difficult times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition.

After her release from Nazi occupation, she was awarded a scholarship, and she began her modeling career at the Ballet School in London. As her model, she was elegant, and she seemed to find a niche in her own life until the arrival of a filmmaker. In 1948, after her producer saw her as her model, she won her cameo role in the European film The Dutchman in Seven Lessons (1948). She later played the role of Eva Lester in the 1951 film A Tale of Young Wives (1951). Since her role was still small, she went to America to try her luck. Audrey immediately rose to fame in America for her role in "Roman Holiday" (1953). The film was a huge success, and she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Born: May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Died: January 20, 1993 in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland (appendiceal cancer)
Birth Name: Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Nickname: Edda van Heemstra
Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m)
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 5
BAFTA Awards: 3
BAFTA Nominations: 5
Golden Globes: 1
Golden Globe Nominations: 9