Oscar Profile #129: Audrey Hepburn

Born May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium to a wealthy English banker and his wife, a Dutch baroness, Audrey Kathleen Ruston’s father later changed the family surname to Hepburn-Ruston, mistakenly thinking he was descended from James Hepburn, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Her parents were divorced after her mother found her father in bed with the children’s nanny in 1935. She was schooled in England, and then Belgium. She was visiting her mother in Belgium when the town was seized by the Nazis and she fell on hard times. A ballet dancer since 1940, she found work after the war as a London chorus girl, obtaining minor film roles in 1951. Her first starring role was as the runaway princess in 1953’s Roman Holiday opposite Gregory Peck for which she won an Oscar. A Few months after winning the Oscar, she won a Tony for Broadway’s Ondine opposite Mel Ferrer whom she married later that year.

Hepburn played similar gamine roles in 1954’s Sabrina opposite Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, for which she received a second Oscar nomination and 1957’s Funny Face opposite Fred Astaire, which was a worldwide box-office success. Other films during this period included 1956’s War and Peace opposite Henry Fonda and Ferrer; Love in the Afternoon opposite Gary Cooper and Maurice Chevalier and Green Mansions opposite Anthony Perkins.

Hepburn gave perhaps her finest performance in her most challenging role as Sister Luke in 1959’s The Nun’s Story for which she won several awards and received her third Oscar nomination. She followed that with 1960’s The Unforgiven opposite Burt Lancaster and 1961’s audience favorite, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The latter earned her a fourth Oscar nomination.

1961’s The Children’s Hour provided her with one of her best dramatic roles opposite Shirley MacLaine, while 1963’s Charade gave her one of her best comedic roles opposite Cary Grant. 1964’s My Fair Lady opposite Rex Harrison kept her at the top of the box office while 1967’s Two for the Road opposite Albert Finney and Wait Until Dark opposite Alan Arkin put in the enviable position of competing with herself for an Oscar nomination. Her performance in the latter film won out.

Divorced from Ferrer in 1968 and married to Dr. Andrea Dotti in 1969, she retired from the screen to raise her children, one son from each marriage, returning in 1976’s Robin and Marian opposite Sean Connery, after which she sporadically appeared in four forgettable films.

Romantically involved with Dutch actor Robert Wolders, Merle Oberon’s widower, from 1980 on, she and the womanizing Dotti were divorced in 1982. Hepburn, in later years became Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF and took her humanitarian work very seriously. Upon her return form a visit to Somalia in September, 1992 she was diagnosed with abdominal cancer from which she died on January 20, 1993.

The beloved star was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which was accepted by her son, Sean Ferrer. It was Hersholt who had presented her Oscar at the 1953 ceremonies.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), directed by William Wyler

Wyler had wanted Jean Simmons for the role of the runaway princess who is befriended by a an American reporter and photographer, but Howard Hughes refused to allow her to make the film as she still had one more film to make under her RKO contract. Enter Audrey Hepburn, whose first starring role this was. The enchanting new star created the kind of movie magic opposite Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert that all actresses dream about, but few ever achieve.

The film’s ending in which the princess returns to her position had audiences panting for more and they soon got it with Audrey returning a year later as in an equally enchanting role as the chauffer’s daughter in

Sabrina. She won an Oscar for Roman Holiday and received a second nomination for Sabrina

THE NUN’S STORY (1959), directed by Fred Zinnemann

Based on the real life story of a Belgian nun who left the convent after many years of service, Audrey delivered her most heartfelt performance in the film which was her own particular favorite. Backed by a stellar cast that included Peter Finch, Dames Edith Evans and Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Mildred Dunnock and Colleen Dewhurst, her performance prompted fellow Oscar nominee Katharine Hepburn (Suddenly, Last Summer) to declare Audrey “the real Miss Hepburn”.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961), directed by Blake Edwards

Truman Capote wrote his novella for Marilyn Monroe and Audrey herself always considered her iconic portrayal of Capote’s Holly Golightly to be all wrong, but no one else has ever agreed with her. Singing on screen for the first time since 1957’s Funny Face, Audrey’s original rendition of the Oscar winning “Moon River” was declared by composer Henry Mancini to be the best of the hundreds of versions of the song he had since heard.

The film’s one sour note was the casting of Mickey Rooney in an unfunny caricature of a Japanese neighbor. Audrey’s fourth Oscar nomination was in the bag.

MY FAIR LADY (1964), directed by George Cukor

Warner Bros. honcho Jack Warner spent a fortune in purchasing the rights to the most successful Broadway musical up to that time. He wanted to ensure that his film would draw crowds with a dream cast of Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Cagney. Grant and Cagney turned him down, but Audrey accepted for $1,000,000. Starring opposite Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway reprising their Broadway roles, Audrey was loverly, but she wasn’t Julie Andrews. Still, fans were shocked when Audrey failed to receive a fifth Oscar nomination for her performance the same year Julie was nominated (and won) for Mary Poppins.

They would have to wait three more years for that recognition, which came with her portrayal of a blind woman in peril in 1967’s Wait Until Dark.

ROBIN AND MARIAN (1976) directed by Richard Lester

Audrey’s first film in nine years was an event, and the actress didn’t disappoint in her portrayal of Maid Marian tucked away in a nunnery far, far away from Robin Hood (Sean Connery) with whom she reunited in their twilight years.

The film is a bittersweet tale that reunites the principal characters from The Adventures of Robin Hood. There are requisite action scenes to be sure, but the pleasure of it is seeing two of the screen’s most iconic performers work their magic on two of literature’s most unforgettable characters given new life for an adoring audience.