May 4, 1929: In Brussels, Belgium, the Baroness Ella van Heemstra gives birth to a healthy baby girl. Her name is Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn Ruston. The babe and mother soon moved to the Netherlands, where she was brought up with dance training. She wished to stay in dance, but she needed money so she decided to play a role in a Dutch independent film entitled Nederlands in Zeven Lessen. She was then bitten by the acting bug and moved to America where she began a career in film and theater (for which she changed her name to simply Audrey Hepburn). Audrey played in small roles until her career skyrocketed with her first lead role, Princess Anne in “Roman Holiday.” She was not only nominated for an Oscar for the role, she won! The following year, amidst all her success, she married her co-star on the Broadway show “Ondine,” Mel Ferrer. They were wed on September 24, 1954, and had a good marriage while continuing their careers. Then, on July 17, 1960, Audrey Hepburn Ferrer gave birth to a healthy 9.5 pound baby boy name Sean. Audrey continued on, and in 1965, her most celebrated film was released, “My Fair Lady.” Audrey deserved the Oscar that year for her role, according to many critics, but the studio executives decided to use Marni Nixon’s voice in place of Audrey’s in the movie, which omitted her from the nominations. But she managed to receive a nomination for “Wait Until Dark” in 1968, her fifth and final, but unfortunately it went to Katherine Hepburn. As if that disappointment wasn’t enough, November 21 of the same year brought the divorce papers between her and Mel Ferrer. However, surprisingly Audrey was the first to remarry. Andrea Dotti and she married in Morges, Switzerland on January 18, 1969. Audrey decided to then take a leave of absence from show biz to become a housewife for Andrea. Then on February 8, 1970 Luca Dotti was born. Sadly enough though, Dr. Dotti’s stepfather announced in September of 1980 that Andrea and Audrey’s marriage was officially over. In 1986, Audrey appeared with many other actors to make a commemorative tribute to William Wyler, her director from “Roman Holiday,” among others. She then became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, an organization she spent her last years supporting and raising funds for. She made her final movie in 1990, Steven Spielburg’s “Always,” in which she played an angel named Hap. She then went on an African trip for UNICEF, but continuing abdominal pains brought her back to America, where she was taken into surgery on November 2nd of ‘92 for colon cancer. With her close family and nurses, she flew back to her beloved Tolochenaz, Switzerland. While there, the U.S. Ambassador came and awarded her the 1992 Presidential Medal of Freedom because of her UNICEF work. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award for that year as well, and on January 10, 1993, Julia Roberts read her acceptance speech for the world to hear. Ten days later, at the age of 63, Audrey Hepburn died peacefully in her sleep. Audrey Hepburn will be remembered forever as not just a legend in her time, but a “huckleberry friend” for always!
