Schogor 1
Marianna Schogor
Ms. Records
English 3
05/04/2017
The Life Of Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a very influential actress during the 1950s and 1960s. She
won her first oscar in 1953, and this gained her a huge popularity and more roles in
hollywood movies. The actress had arrived in America from Europe a couple of years
earlier, at a time when the very idea of a movie star was in flux. She was a british
actress and model, active during the hollywood golden age which was in the 1950s and
1960s. Hepburn was born on may 4th, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Ella van
Heemstra, was a Dutch baroness; Audrey's father, Joseph Victor Anthony Hepburn-
Ruston, was born in zice, Bohemia, of English and Austrian descent. She had a really
traumatic childhood but she is an example that no matter what the person is going
through, it is possible to conquer your dreams.
She lived in Europe before moving to the United States. When Audrey was six,
her parents divorced, and one reason for this was that her father was a Nazi
sympathiser. The divorce was very traumatic for six year old Audrey; she would later
say it was the most traumatic incident of her life. (Audrey Hepburn Biography -) . She
lived during the World War II in the Netherlands, where she thought she would be safe
from the Nazi invasion. However, the Netherlands were overruled by the Nazi. Audrey
and her family went to a conservatory at Arnhem, where she went to school and learnt
ballet. Towards the end of the war, Germans took control of the conservatory, leaving
people to starve and freeze to death. As a young girl, Audrey saw her uncle and
mothers cousin shot in the street by the Germans. She also recalls seeing a train load
of Jewish children being herded into cattle trucks for deportation. (Audrey Hepburn
Biography -) . Audrey suffered from her losses but with that horrible experience she
also suffered from malnutrition and depression.
In the beginning of her career as an actress, she started on a speaking role in the
1951 film Young Wives Tale as Eve Lester. She wanted to seek more of this career so
she headed to America and immediately gained a role in Roman Holiday. Coming to
America was the best decision Audrey ever had. This film turned out to be a smashing
success, and she won an Oscar as Best Actress. (Audrey Hepburn) . Later on, she
acted in the movie Sabrina which she received another Academy nomination. Audrey
reached the top of her career when she played Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at
Tiffany's in 1961. For this she received another Oscar nomination. She was named to
People's magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. (Audrey
Hepburn) Audrey Hepburn was not only known by being extremely good as an actress,
but she was known for her exotic and natural beauty in the silver screens as well.
After 15 years of acting, Hepburn became ambassador to the United Nations
UNICEF, She testified before the US Congress, took part in the World Summit for
Children, launched UNICEF's State of the World's Children reports, hosted Danny Kaye
International Children's Award ceremonies, designed fundraising cards, participated in
benefit concert tours and gave many speeches and interviews promoting UNICEF's
work. She was a really hard working person. Hepburn received the United States'
highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in December 1992.
(Audrey Hepburn ).
After many years living the dream of being a Hollywood star with many others
accomplishments, Hepburn dedicated her life to help kids around the world and the
ones in need just like people helped her when she was a kid hiding from the Nazi.
She devoted the final years of her life to UNICEF, making a series of field trips in places
like Turkey, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bangladesh,
Thailand, Vietnam Somalia, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and
Sudan. Upon returning from Somalia to Switzerland in late September 1992, Hepburn
began suffering from abdominal pain. A laparoscopy performed at the Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles revealed a rare form of abdominal cancer belonging to a
group of cancers known as pseudomyxoma peritonei, that was growing slowly over
several years. After surgery, Hepburn began chemotherapy. Audrey and her family
returned home to Switzerland to celebrate her last Christmas. On the evening of 20
January 1993, Hepburn died in her sleep at home. After her death, Audreys family
recited her favorite poem, "Unending Love" by Rabindranath Tagore. She made a total
of 31 high quality movies. Audreys elegance, style, and talent will always be
remembered in film history.
Works Cited
Audrey Hepburn. IMDb, [Link] Accessed 2 May 2017.
Audrey Hepburn . UNICEF | Childrens Rights & Emergency Relief Organization,
[Link] Accessed 2 May 2017.
Audrey Hepburn Biography -. Biography Online,
[Link] Accessed 27 Apr.
2017.