Everyone knows the elegant and chic British female actress. But, why was she an icon?
By virtue of Women’s History Month, I chose Hepburn to write about. I have always found her inspiring in so many ways. Growing up, I had a photo of Hepburn sleeping with a mask, with fake eyelashes and eyebrows, from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, in my room. My mother gave it to me, and I always loved it. It represented a sense of solace and beauty in sleeping. The photo reminded me to get my beauty sleep, and all the wonderful things Hepburn stood for.
Audrey Hepburn, born in Belgium in 1929, was best known for her roles in “Roman Holiday” (1953), “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) and “My Fair Lady” (1964). The Hollywood actress played a huge part in cinematographic history, especially being a woman. However, like any celebrity in the public eye, she had more to her story.
The surname “Hepburn” was adopted by her father, and she decided to use it for her acting career. She was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston and looked for an alias to hide her English origin during the German occupation. Under Nazi rule, she and her family relocated to the Netherlands, where she flourished as a ballet dancer. She also worked part-time as a model and made her film debut. She left for the United States, in her early-twenties, and she landed a star performance in “Roman Holiday,”. This performance won her an Oscar for Best Actress. She became one of the most iconic characters in 20th-century cinema and set new standards for fashion. She also won an Emmy, a Tony and an Academy Award.
Hepburn was ranked as the third greatest screen legend in American cinema by the American Film Institute and was considered one of the most beautiful women of all time.
Hepburn was also a vigorous advocate for children’s rights. In 1989, she became a United Nations Children’s Fund Goodwill Ambassador. UNICEF helped children in crisis and was created in the aftermath of World War II. She was a child who received food and medical relief from UNICEF and understood how this agency helped firsthand.
I believe this was the greatest role of her career. She used her high profile for good. Hepburn made more than 50 trips for the agency’s projects, including Ethiopia, and helped raise global awareness of humanitarian crises.
Just because Hepburn finished her film career, she decided to devote the rest of her life to helping others. She had two children and grandchildren. At 63-years-old, Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer in Switzerland. A month before, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as an ambassador.
Hepburn was an inspiration.
This is one of my favorite quotes by her:
“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Audrey-Hepburn
https://www.thelist.com/187998/the-untold-truth-of-audrey-hepburn/?utm_campaign=clip