Audrey Hepburn by Gary Saderup

Audrey Hepburn?(born?Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 ¨C 20 January 1993) was a British?actress and humanitarian. Recognized as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the?American Film Institute?as the?third-greatest female screen legend?from the?Golden Age of Hollywood, and was inducted into the?International Best Dressed List?Hall of Fame.

Born in?Ixelles,?Brussels, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands. She studied ballet with?Sonia Gaskell?in Amsterdam beginning in 1945, and with?Marie Rambert?in London starting in 1948. She began performing as a chorus girl in?West End?musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. She starred in the 1951?Broadway?play?Gigi?after being spotted by the French novelist?Colette, on whose work the play was based.

She rose to stardom in the romantic comedy?Roman Holiday?(1953) alongside?Gregory Peck, for which she was the first actress to win an?Oscar, a?Golden Globe Award, and a?BAFTA Award?for a single performance. That year, she won a?Tony Award?for?Best Lead Actress in a Play?for her performance in?Ondine. She went on to star in a number of successful films such as?Sabrina?(1954), in which?Humphrey Bogart?and?William Holden?compete for her affection;?Funny Face?(1957) a musical where she sang her own parts; the drama?The Nun's Story?(1959); the romantic comedy?Breakfast at Tiffany's?(1961); the thriller-romance?Charade?(1963), opposite?Cary Grant; and the musical?My Fair Lady?(1964). In 1967 she starred in the thriller?Wait Until Dark, receiving Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations. After that, she only occasionally appeared in films, one being?Robin and Marian?(1976) with?Sean Connery. Her last recorded performances were in the 1990 documentary television series?Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.

Hepburn won three BAFTA Awards for?Best British Actress in a Leading Role. In recognition of her film career, she received BAFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award, the?Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the?Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and the?Special Tony Award. She remains one of only sixteen people who have won?Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards.

Later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to?UNICEF, to which she had contributed since 1954. Then, she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America, and Asia between 1988 and 1992. In December 1992, she received the?Presidential Medal of Freedom?in recognition of her work as a?UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. A month later, she died of?appendiceal cancer?at her home in?Switzerland?at the age of 63.

Information provided by Wikipedia.