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119-411: The reviews are in and a new play starring Beatrice Page and produced by Harry Phillips is a flop. Long divorced but still a team, they need a new project and meet playwright Stanley Krown, who has written one in which the lead roles are a mother and a 19-year-old daughter. Beatrice wants to play the daughter. She can't pass for 19 but believes she can for 29, so wants the play rewritten. She also displays

238-662: A BAFTA Award for Best British Actress in a Leading Role , and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama in 1953. In his review in The New York Times , A. H. Weiler wrote: "Although she is not precisely a newcomer to films, Audrey Hepburn, the British actress who is being starred for the first time as Princess Anne, is a slender, elfin, and wistful beauty, alternately regal and childlike in her profound appreciation of newly-found, simple pleasures and love. Although she bravely smiles her acknowledgement of

357-673: A chorus girl in the West End musical theatre revues High Button Shoes (1948) at the London Hippodrome , and Cecil Landeau's Sauce Tartare (1949) and Sauce Piquante (1950) at the Cambridge Theatre . Also, in 1950, she worked as a dancer in an exceptionally "ambitious" revue, Summer Nights, at Ciro's London , a prominent nightclub . During her theatrical work, she took elocution lessons with actor Felix Aylmer to develop her voice. After being spotted by

476-472: A European princess who escapes the reins of royalty and has a wild night out with an American newsman ( Gregory Peck ). On 18 September 1951, shortly after Secret People was finished but before its premiere, Thorold Dickinson made a screen test with the young starlet and sent it to director William Wyler , who was in Rome preparing Roman Holiday . Wyler wrote a glowing note of thanks to Dickinson, saying that "as

595-664: A German attack. While there, Hepburn attended the Arnhem Conservatory from 1939 to 1945. She had begun taking ballet lessons during her last years at boarding school, and continued training in Arnhem under the tutelage of Winja Marova, becoming her "star pupil". After the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Hepburn used the name Edda van Heemstra, because an "English-sounding" name was considered dangerous during

714-699: 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 . Later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to UNICEF , to which she had contributed since 1954. Between 1988 and 1992, she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America and Asia. In December 1992, Hepburn received

833-537: A ballet scholarship with Ballet Rambert , which was then based in Notting Hill . She supported herself with part-time work as a model, and dropped "Ruston" from her surname. After she was told by Rambert that despite her talent, her height and weak constitution (the after-effect of wartime malnutrition) would make the status of prima ballerina unattainable, she decided to concentrate on acting. While Ella worked in menial jobs to support them, Hepburn appeared as

952-482: A crisis when another sister, a weaker student, accuses her of pride. The local superior poses a startling challenge to Sister Luke: Would she consider failing her oral examination to demonstrate humility? Hesitating to answer and clearly agonizing over the choice, she eventually passes the exam--fourth in a class of eighty. Afterward, she is assigned not to the Congo but to a European mental hospital, where she assists with

1071-602: A false ideal and that she is essentially not cut out to be a nun, a common Christian framing of the source material. With progress being made on the script, the production turned its attention to Europe, where the film was shot, and where cooperation with religious organizations was crucial. Producer Henry Blanke soon learned that the Catholic Church in Belgium were not impressed with the book, finding it injurious to religious vocations, and it would not cooperate with

1190-547: A fashion photographer, discovers a beatnik bookshop clerk (Hepburn) who, lured by a free trip to Paris, becomes a beautiful model. Hepburn starred in another romantic comedy, Love in the Afternoon (also 1957), alongside Gary Cooper and Maurice Chevalier . Hepburn played Sister Luke in The Nun's Story (1959), which focuses on the character's struggle to succeed as a nun, alongside co-star Peter Finch . The role produced

1309-533: A jungle girl who falls in love with a Venezuelan traveller, and The Unforgiven (1960), her only western film , in which she appeared opposite Burt Lancaster and Lillian Gish in a story of racism against a group of Native Americans. Hepburn next starred as New Yorker Holly Golightly in Blake Edwards 's Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), a film loosely based on the Truman Capote novella of

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1428-591: A leading figure in Dutch ballet, and Russian teacher Olga Tarasova. Due to the loss of the family fortune, Ella had to support them by working as a cook and housekeeper for a wealthy family. Hepburn made her film debut playing an air stewardess in Dutch in Seven Lessons (1948), an educational travel film made by Charles van der Linden and Henry Josephson. Later that year, Hepburn moved to London after accepting

1547-520: A limited release. Six years later, Hepburn co-starred with Robert Wagner in a made-for-television caper film , Love Among Thieves (1987). After finishing her last motion picture role—a cameo appearance as an angel in Steven Spielberg 's Always (1989)—Hepburn completed only two more entertainment-related projects, both critically acclaimed. Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn

1666-415: A mission called "Operation Lifeline". Because of civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. The mission was to ferry food to southern Sudan . Hepburn said, "I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution – peace." In October 1989, Hepburn and Wolders went to Bangladesh. John Isaac , a UN photographer, said, "Often

1785-514: A musical in which 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, Hepburn only occasionally appeared in films, one being Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery . Her last recorded performances were in

1904-507: A nearby center of missionary and medical activity where cast and crew met the famous missionary Stanley George Browne . Fred Zinnemann had originally intended to film only the African scenes in color, with Europe rendered in stark black and white. There was originally a scene towards the end of the film depicting three men endangered by quicksand and rapidly rising water, but it was never filmed due to adverse conditions. Interior scenes for

2023-544: A new assignment. Due to the impending war in Europe, she cannot return to the Congo, and she is assigned as a surgical nurse at a hospital near the Dutch border. While at her new assignment, Sister Luke's struggle with obedience becomes impossible for her to sustain as she is repeatedly forced into compromises to cope with the reality of the Nazi occupation , including that they have killed her father. No longer able to continue as

2142-584: A nightmare. I have seen famine in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, but I have seen nothing like this – so much worse than I could possibly have imagined. I wasn't prepared for this." Though scarred by what she had seen, Hepburn still had hope stating: As we move into the twenty-first century, there is much to reflect upon. We look around us and see that the promises of yesterday have to come to pass. People still live in abject poverty, people are still hungry, people still struggle to survive. And among these people we see

2261-611: A nun, she requests, and she is granted a dispensation from her vows. She is last seen changing into lay garb and exiting the convent through a back door. Warner Brothers was in touch with the Production Code Office as early as March 23, 1956, regarding a possible film adaptation of The Nun's Story . Warners provided Jack Vizzard of the Production Code Office with a 20-page synopsis of the novel, which had yet to be published. Vizzard became one of

2380-529: A play. The meeting led them to collaborate in Ondine , during which they began a relationship. Eight months later, on 25 September 1954, they were married in Bürgenstock , Switzerland, while preparing to star together in the film War and Peace (1956). She and Ferrer had a son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer , born on 17 June 1960. Prior to Sean's birth, Hepburn had two other pregnancies that ended in miscarriages,

2499-431: A result of the test, a number of the producers at Paramount have expressed interest in casting her." The producers of the film had initially wanted Elizabeth Taylor for the role, but Wyler was so impressed by Hepburn's screen test that he cast her instead. Wyler later commented, "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence, and talent. She also was very funny. She was absolutely enchanting, and we said, 'That's

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2618-523: A romantic interest in Stanley. A young actress first calling herself Sally Carver and then Peggy Pruitt wants an audition. Stanley has her do some typing on his rewrite, and a jealous Beatrice finds her an acting job out of town. Stanley's play previews in Washington, D.C., and flops. Sally, now calling herself Claudia Souvain, tries to persuade Stanley that the actress is too old for the role. Seeing

2737-545: A scene that was removed from the final cut. The scene is alluded to in the final film when Dr. Van Der Mal mentions a restaurant reservation at the beginning of the film. Zinnemann removed the scene because he felt it was redundant and hindered the pace of the film's opening. The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall on June 18, 1959. In April 1959, the film was screened at the Paris Warner Brothers office for nuns and religious officials who had helped with

2856-619: A series of successful films during the remainder of the decade, including her BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Natasha Rostova in War and Peace (1956), an adaptation of the Tolstoy novel set during the Napoleonic wars, starring Henry Fonda and her husband Mel Ferrer. She exhibited her dancing abilities in her debut musical film , Funny Face (1957), wherein Fred Astaire ,

2975-562: A third Academy Award nomination for Hepburn, and earned her a second BAFTA Award. A review in Variety reads: "Hepburn has her most demanding film role, and she gives her finest performance", while Henry Hart in Films in Review stated that her performance "will forever silence those who have thought her less an actress than a symbol of the sophisticated child/woman. Her portrayal of Sister Luke

3094-456: A treatment plan that allows her to remain there rather than having to convalesce in Europe. After Sister Luke recovers and returns to work, Fortunati is forced to send her to Belgium as the only nurse qualified to accompany a VIP who has become mentally unstable. She spends an outwardly reflective but inwardly restless period at the motherhouse in Brussels before the superior general gives her

3213-494: A young widow pursued by several men who chase after the fortune stolen by her murdered husband. The 59-year-old Grant, who had previously withdrawn from the starring male lead roles in Roman Holiday and Sabrina , was sensitive about his age difference with 34-year-old Hepburn, and was uncomfortable about the romantic interplay. To satisfy his concerns, the filmmakers agreed to alter the screenplay so that Hepburn's character

3332-432: Is a 1959 American drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Audrey Hepburn , Peter Finch , Edith Evans , and Peggy Ashcroft . The screenplay was written by Robert Anderson , based on the popular 1956 novel of the same name by Kathryn Hulme . The film tells the life of Gabrielle Van Der Mal (Hepburn), a young woman who decides to enter a convent and make the many sacrifices required by her choice. The film

3451-579: Is a prominent surgeon in Belgium, enters a convent of nursing sisters in the late 1920s, hoping to serve in the Belgian Congo. After receiving the religious name of Sister Luke, she undergoes her postulancy and novitiate which foreshadow her future difficulties with the vow of obedience. She takes her first vows and is sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp . There she experiences

3570-529: Is a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, which was based on the life of Belgian nun Marie Louise Habets . Latter portions of the film were shot on location in the Belgian Congo and feature Finch as a cynical but caring surgeon. The film was a financial success and was nominated for eight Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Actress for Hepburn. Gabrielle "Gaby" Van Der Mal ( Audrey Hepburn ), whose father, Hubert ( Dean Jagger ),

3689-479: Is a suspense thriller in which Hepburn demonstrated her acting range by playing the part of a terrorised blind woman. Filmed on the brink of her divorce, it was a difficult film for her, as husband Mel Ferrer was its producer. She lost fifteen pounds under the stress, but she found solace in co-star Richard Crenna and director Terence Young . Hepburn earned her fifth and final competitive Academy Award nomination for Best Actress; Bosley Crowther affirmed, "Hepburn plays

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3808-405: Is even more luminous as the daughter and pet of the servants' hall than she was as a princess last year, and no more than that can be said." Hepburn also returned to the stage in 1954, playing a water nymph who falls in love with a human in the fantasy play Ondine on Broadway . A critic for The New York Times commented that "somehow, Miss Hepburn is able to translate [its intangibles] into

3927-403: Is one of the great performances of the screen." Hepburn spent a year researching and working on the role, saying, "I gave more time, energy, and thought to this role than to any of my previous screen performances". Following The Nun's Story , Hepburn received a lukewarm reception for starring with Anthony Perkins in the romantic adventure Green Mansions (1959), in which she played Rima ,

4046-654: Is so winning and so right that she is the success of the evening". Hepburn also received a Theatre World Award for the role. The play ran for 219 performances, closing on 31 May 1952, before going on tour, which began 13 October 1952 in Pittsburgh and visited Cleveland , Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D. C., and Los Angeles, before closing on 16 May 1953 in San Francisco. Hepburn had her first starring role in Roman Holiday (1953), playing Princess Ann,

4165-465: Is that Audrey Hepburn superbly justifies the decision of Jack Warner to get her to play the title role." Gene Ringgold of Soundstage also commented that, "Audrey Hepburn is magnificent. She is Eliza for the ages", while adding, "Everyone agreed that if Julie Andrews was not to be in the film, Audrey Hepburn was the perfect choice." The reviewer in Time magazine said her "graceful, glamorous performance"

4284-401: Is too much for me. The 'Third World' is a term I don't like very much, because we're all one world. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering. In August 1988, Hepburn went to Turkey on an immunisation campaign. She called Turkey "the loveliest example" of UNICEF's capabilities. Of the trip, she said, "The army gave us their trucks, the fishmongers gave their wagons for

4403-533: The New York Times praised The Nun's Story as an "amazing motion picture" and "a thoroughly tasteful film," writing that "Mr. Zinnemann has made this off-beat drama describe a parabola of spiritual afflatus and deflation that ends in a strange sort of defeat. For the evident point of this experience is that a woman gains but also loses her soul, spends and exhausts her devotion to an ideal she finds she cannot hold." The National Legion of Decency classified

4522-682: The Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List . Born into an aristocratic family in Ixelles , Brussels, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England and the Netherlands. She attended boarding school in Kent, England from 1936 to 1939. With the outbreak of World War II , she returned to the Netherlands. During the war, Hepburn studied ballet at

4641-753: The Ealing Studios casting director, Margaret Harper-Nelson, while performing in Sauce Piquante , Hepburn was registered as a freelance actress with the Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC). She appeared in the BBC Television play The Silent Village , and in minor roles in the films One Wild Oat , Laughter in Paradise , Young Wives' Tale , and The Lavender Hill Mob (all 1951). She

4760-501: The German occupation . Her family was profoundly affected by the occupation, with Hepburn later stating that "had we known that we were going to be occupied for five years, we might have all shot ourselves. We thought it might be over next week… six months… next year… that's how we got through". In 1942, her uncle, Otto van Limburg Stirum (husband of her mother's older sister, Miesje), was executed in retaliation for an act of sabotage by

4879-1002: The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her contribution to humanity. In 2002, at the United Nations Special Session on Children , UNICEF honoured Hepburn's legacy of humanitarian work by unveiling a statue, "The Spirit of Audrey", at UNICEF's New York headquarters. Her service for children is also recognised through the United States Fund for UNICEF 's Audrey Hepburn Society. Alongside her native English and Dutch, Hepburn also had some fluency in French (which she learned at school in Belgium), German, Italian, and Spanish. Throughout her life, Hepburn lived in many countries, including spending her childhood in Belgium, England, and

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4998-637: The 1960s, Hepburn renewed contact with her father after locating him in Dublin through the Red Cross ; she supported him financially until his death although he remained emotionally detached. After Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Hepburn's mother moved her daughter back to Arnhem in the hope that, as during the First World War , the Netherlands would remain neutral and be spared

5117-559: The 1990 documentary television series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn , for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming . In 1994, Hepburn's contributions to a spoken-word recording titled Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales earned her a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children . She stands as one of few entertainers who have won competitive Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards known as EGOT . Hepburn won three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in

5236-644: The Academy and Tony Awards for Best Actress in the same year (the other two are Shirley Booth and Ellen Burstyn ). During the production, Hepburn and her co-star Mel Ferrer began a relationship, and were married on 25 September 1954 in Switzerland. Although she appeared in no new film releases in 1955, Hepburn received the Golden Globe for World Film Favorite that year. Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, she starred in

5355-631: The Arnhem Conservatory and by 1944, she performed ballet to raise money to support the Dutch resistance . Hepburn studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam beginning in 1945 and with Marie Rambert in London from 1948. She began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. Hepburn rose to stardom in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) alongside Gregory Peck , for which she

5474-510: The B.U.F. Joseph left the family abruptly in 1935 after a "scene" in Brussels. He subsequently moved to London, where he became more deeply involved in the Fascist activity and never visited Hepburn abroad. That same year, Ella moved to her family's estate in Arnhem with her daughter; her sons, Alex and Ian, were sent to The Hague to live with relatives. Joseph wanted Hepburn to be educated in

5593-686: The Belgian portions of the film were shot in Rome at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and Cinecittà on sets designed by Alexandre Trauner . Extras for these scenes were recruited from the ballet corps of the Rome Opera company. Zinnemann wanted actors who were capable of precise and coordinated movement. Belgian exteriors were shot on location in Bruges, but the novel was set in Ghent. According to Zinnemann, composer Franz Waxman 's dislike of

5712-477: The Catholic Church was a conspicuous influence on early drafts of the score. This is part of the reason why the final scene has no score, an uncommon stylistic choice for the era. Regardless of Waxman's work, Zinnemann had always wanted the film to end in silence. The original theatrical trailer for the film contains a brief shot of Gabrielle and her father sitting at a cafe. The shot is an excerpt from

5831-495: The Dutch resistance effort. It was long believed that she participated in the Dutch resistance itself, but in 2016 the Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein' reported that after extensive research it had not found any evidence of such activities. A 2019 book by Robert Matzen provided evidence, based on Hepburn's personal statements, that she had supported the resistance by giving "underground concerts" to raise money, delivering

5950-508: The Jesuit Magazine America . On September 12, 1956, Columbia Pictures also reached out to the Production Code Office regarding The Nun's Story . The Production Code Office replied by forwarding the same memo that had been sent to Warners with an additional postscript warning of religious disillusionment. Eventually Warners secured the rights to the book, and Robert Anderson and Fred Zinnemann signed to write and direct

6069-663: The Los Angeles chapter of the National Legion of Decency . One conclusion was that "The present script, although being substantially acceptable, lacked showing some of the true and proper joy of religious life. It contains a somberness of mood that approaches the Jansenistic . An effort will be made to supply the one and eliminate the other." Some specific criticisms were entered, and it was suggested that an effort be made to show that Gabrielle enters religious life with

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6188-600: The Mother General of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary in Ghent. The Sisters provided a lengthy set of objections and their own version of the script. Many of these suggestions were in some way accounted for. For example, the Sisters did not want the film to feature the clickers that they typically used to signal each other. They worried that European audiences would find this strange or even comedic. Eventually

6307-477: The Netherlands, and her adult years in the United States, Italy, and Switzerland, and traveled extensively during her later years of life as part of her humanitarian work with UNICEF. In 1952, Hepburn became engaged to industrialist James Hanson , whom she had known since her early days in London. She called it "love at first sight", but after having her wedding dress fitted and the date set, she decided

6426-424: The Sisters agreed to allow observation of their order and guidance for the production. They wanted their help to remain private and refused to appear on camera. With support growing, the cast and crew began to make their way to Europe for preparation and photography. The cast and crew included few if any Catholics. Fred Zinnemann was Jewish. Audrey Hepburn and Edith Evans were Christian Scientists . Robert Anderson

6545-602: The US Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador . A month later, she died of appendix cancer at her home in Tolochenaz , Vaud, Switzerland at the age of 63. Audrey Kathleen Ruston (later, Hepburn-Ruston ) was born on 4 May 1929 at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles , a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. She was known to her family as Adriaantje . Hepburn's mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra (1900–1984),

6664-536: The United Kingdom, so in 1937, she was sent to live in Kent, where she, known as Audrey Ruston or "Little Audrey", was educated at a small private school in Elham . Her parents officially divorced the next year. Later in her life, she often spoke of the effect on a child of being "dumped" as "children need two parents"; she professed that her father's departure was "the most traumatic event of my life". In

6783-421: The Wind has a motion picture created such universal excitement as My Fair Lady ", although Hepburn's casting in the role of Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle was a source of dispute. Julie Andrews , who had originated the role on stage, was not offered the part because producer Jack L. Warner thought Hepburn was a more "bankable" proposition. Hepburn initially asked Warner to give the role to Andrews but

6902-407: The affections of their chauffeur's innocent daughter (Hepburn). For her performance, she was nominated for the 1954 Academy Award for Best Actress, while winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role the same year. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times stated that she was "a young lady of extraordinary range of sensitive and moving expressions within such a frail and slender frame. She

7021-400: The children, always the children: their enlarged bellies, their sad eyes, their wise faces that show the suffering, all the suffering they have endured in their short years. United States president George H. W. Bush presented Hepburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work with UNICEF , and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences posthumously awarded her

7140-478: The couple subsequently lived. Before divorcing in 1925, they had two sons, Jonkheer Arnoud Robert Alexander Quarles van Ufford (1920–1979) and Jonkheer Ian Edgar Bruce Quarles van Ufford (1924–2010). Hepburn's father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston (1889–1980), was a British subject born in Auschitz , Bohemia , Austria-Hungary. He was the son of Victor John George Ruston, who was of British and German-Austrian background, and Anna Juliana Franziska Karolina Wels, who

7259-545: The end of that affair, she remains a pitifully lonely figure facing a stuffy future." Hepburn was signed to a seven-picture contract with Paramount , with 12 months in between films to allow her time for stage work. She was featured on 7 September 1953 cover of Time magazine, and also became known for her personal style. Following her success in Roman Holiday , Hepburn starred in Billy Wilder 's romantic Cinderella -story comedy Sabrina (1954), in which wealthy brothers ( Humphrey Bogart and William Holden ) compete for

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7378-418: The entire production." She respected her co stars William Holden and Paul Douglas as actors but said they would go drinking at lunch and form a tight group that excluded her; "they never spoke to me unless I spoke to them." She added that Rapper "was not my type of director. His behaviour was cold and unfeeling. Because of the attitudes on set, I was unhappy I ever became involved with this film." Julius Epstein

7497-427: The famine. Suffering from the effects of malnutrition , after the war ended Hepburn became gravely ill with jaundice , anaemia , oedema , and a respiratory infection. In October 1945, a letter from Ella asking for help was received by Micky Burn , a former lover and British Army officer with whom she had corresponded while he was a prisoner of war in Colditz Castle . He sent back thousands of cigarettes, which she

7616-426: The film "is not too well acted", with the exception of Hepburn, who "gives the impression of being sensitive and pure" of its "muted theme". Variety magazine also compliments Hepburn's "soft sensitivity, marvelous projection and emotional understatement", adding that Hepburn and MacLaine "beautifully complement each other". Hepburn next appeared opposite Cary Grant in the comic thriller Charade (1963), playing

7735-402: The film as A-II, "Morally Unobjectionable for Adults and Adolescents" with the observation that, "This entertainment film, noble, sensitive, reverent, and inspiring in its production, is a theologically sound and profound analysis of the essential meaning of religious vocation through the story of a person who objectively lacked the fundamental qualification for an authentic religious calling. If

7854-451: The film fails to capture the full meaning of religious life in terms of its spiritual joy and all-pervading charity, this must be attributed to the inherent limitations of a visual art." According to correspondences in the Kathryn Hulme collection at Yale University, both Mary Louise Habets and Kathryn Hulme were pleased with the film and its success. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in eight categories, but received no Oscars in

7973-471: The film for her perfume. Dubbed " marshmallow -weight hokum" by Variety upon its release in April, the film was "uniformly panned" but critics were kinder to Hepburn's performance, describing her as "a refreshingly individual creature in an era of the exaggerated curve". Hepburn's second film released in 1964 was George Cukor 's film adaptation of the stage musical My Fair Lady , which premiered in October. Soundstage wrote that "not since Gone with

8092-452: The film has an approval rating of 85% based on reviews from 20 critics. The Nun's Story was a major box office success. Produced on a budget of $ 3.5 million, it grossed $ 12.8 million at the domestic box office, earning $ 6.3 million in theatrical rentals in the U.S. The Nun's Story was considered, for a time, to be the most financially successful of Hepburn's films and the one the actress often cited as her favorite. Bosley Crowther of

8211-500: The film's preparations. Despite mostly not speaking English, the audience was reportedly captivated. The film premiered in Italy on October 10, 1959, at Cinema Fiammetta with Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in attendance. The Nun's Story received its first official North American DVD release on April 4, 2006. Hulme's and Habets' relationship was the subject of The Belgian Nurse , a radio play by Zoe Fairbairns, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on January 13, 2007. On Rotten Tomatoes

8330-411: The film's themes might alienate Catholics. The novel was published on June 1, 1956, to great acclaim. Although the book was popular among devout followers of many religions, it proved somewhat divisive: Some praised its intimate and empathetic view of religious conviction, and others worried that it might discourage potential postulants. One vocal proponent was Harold C. Gardiner, the literary editor of

8449-408: The film. Zinnemann had been introduced to the source material by actor Gary Cooper , and he was immediately interested in an adaptation. Reportedly there was little traction from studios until Audrey Hepburn expressed her interest. On August 14, 1957, Warners submitted the script for The Nun's Story to the Production Code Office. It was reviewed in conference with Monsignor John Devlin, the head of

8568-576: The filming, and decided to cast Hepburn in the title role in the Broadway play Gigi . Hepburn went into rehearsals having never spoken on stage, and required private coaching. When Gigi opened at the Fulton Theatre on 24 November 1951, she received praise for her performance, despite criticism that the stage version was inferior to the French film adaptation. Life called her a "hit", while The New York Times stated that "her quality

8687-509: The girl! ' " Originally, the film was to have had only Gregory Peck's name above its title, with "Introducing Audrey Hepburn" beneath in smaller font. Peck suggested Wyler elevate her to equal billing so her name appears before the title, and in type as large as his: "You've got to change that because she'll be a big star, and I'll look like a big jerk." The film was a box-office success, and Hepburn gained critical acclaim for her portrayal, unexpectedly winning an Academy Award for Best Actress ,

8806-613: The kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them. I had never seen that. Other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. Children would just come up to hold her hand, touch her – she was like the Pied Piper ." In October 1990, Hepburn went to Vietnam, in an effort to collaborate with the government for national UNICEF-supported immunisation and clean water programmes. In September 1992, four months before she died, Hepburn went to Somalia. Calling it "apocalyptic", she said, "I walked into

8925-462: The language of the theatre without artfulness or precociousness. She gives a pulsing performance that is all grace and enchantment, disciplined by an instinct for the realities of the stage". Her performance won her the 1954 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play three days after she won the Academy Award for Roman Holiday , making her one of three actresses to receive

9044-441: The marriage would not work because the demands of their careers would keep them apart most of the time. She issued a public statement about her decision, saying "When I get married, I want to be really married". In the early 1950s, she also dated future Hair producer Michael Butler . At a cocktail party hosted by mutual friend Gregory Peck , Hepburn met American actor Mel Ferrer , and suggested that they star together in

9163-421: The most difficult and violent cases. A violent patient with psychosis ( Colleen Dewhurst ) tricks Sister Luke into opening the cell door in violation of the rules. She attacks Sister Luke, who barely escapes and once again faces the shame of her disobedience. Eventually she takes her solemn vows , and she is sent to her long-desired posting in the Congo. Once there, she is disappointed that she will not be nursing

9282-418: The natives, but will instead work in a segregated whites/European patient hospital. She develops a strained but professional relationship with the brilliant, atheistic surgeon there, Dr. Fortunati ( Peter Finch ). Eventually, the work strains and spiritual struggles cause her to succumb to tuberculosis . Fortunati, not wanting to lose a competent nurse and sympathetic to her desire to stay in the Congo, engineers

9401-399: The northern port of Shoa . It can't be distributed. Last spring, Red Cross and UNICEF workers were ordered out of the northern provinces because of two simultaneous civil wars... I went into rebel country and saw mothers and their children who had walked for ten days, even three weeks, looking for food, settling onto the desert floor into makeshift camps where they may die. Horrible. That image

9520-405: The now-married Hepburn, and his alcoholism was beginning to affect his work. After principal photography began, she demanded the dismissal of cinematographer Claude Renoir after seeing what she felt were unflattering dailies . Superstitious, she also insisted on dressing room 55 because that was her lucky number and required that Hubert de Givenchy , her long-time designer, be given a credit in

9639-514: The part of a dutiful daughter trying to help her father with the help of a man played by Peter O'Toole . The film was followed by two films in 1967. The first was Two for the Road , a non-linear and innovative British dramedy that traces the course of a couple's troubled marriage. Director Stanley Donen said that Hepburn was freer and happier than he had ever seen her, and he credited that to co-star Albert Finney . The second, Wait Until Dark ,

9758-556: The plane. Production was delayed as she recovered. The cast was completed by Colleen Dewhurst , making her first screen appearance and Renée Zinnemann, the wife of the director who played the assistant of the Mother Superior (Edith Evans). The film was shot partially in the then Belgian Congo, now Democratic Republic of the Congo , with production based in then Stanleyville, now Kisangani . Some scenes were shot in Yakusu ,

9877-464: The play in a small town with Sally in the lead, now under her real name of Clara Mootz, convinces Stanley that she is right. Beatrice finally concedes that it's time for her to act her age. She agrees to take the mother's part, and on Broadway the play is a huge success. The film was originally called Rosalind then Reaching for the Stars . The role of Clara was meant for Audrey Hepburn . However, she

9996-484: The poignant role, the quickness with which she changes and the skill with which she manifests terror attract sympathy and anxiety to her and give her genuine solidity in the final scenes." After 1967, Hepburn chose to devote more time to her family and acted only occasionally. She attempted a comeback playing Maid Marian in the period piece Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery co-starring as Robin Hood , which

10115-486: The production in any form. After recovering from an automobile accident, Jack Vizzard went to work on his European connections, hoping to convince Leo Joseph Suenens , auxiliary bishop of Mechelen to relinquish his objections. Father Leo Lunders helped facilitate these conversations. In September 1957, Lunders asked the Belgian Office of Warner Brothers who would be cast as Doctor Fortunati. Lunders objected to

10234-456: The production of Bloodline (1979), sharing top-billing with Ben Gazzara , James Mason , and Romy Schneider . The film, an international intrigue amid the jet-set , was a critical and box-office failure. Hepburn's last starring role in a feature film was opposite Gazzara in the comedy They All Laughed (1981), directed by Peter Bogdanovich . The film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Dorothy Stratten , and received only

10353-481: The production's early allies. The first step of development was domestic approval, ensuring that the film could be released in the United States. Vizzard initially suggested only two mandatory changes. In particular he objected to the scene in which Sister Luke's clothes are torn off by a mental patient passing as the Archangel Gabriel and a discussion of anal suppositories. More generally Vizzard wondered if

10472-459: The proposals of Montgomery Clift and Raf Vallone , suggesting someone older. Vizzard traveled to Europe in October 1957 to help with negotiations. At this point, Harold C. Gardiner became aware of the production and lent his enthusiasm and support. Together with Lunders, who soon was contracted as the film's ecclesiastical advisor, Vizzard won over Monsignor Suenens, but still needed to convince

10591-402: The resistance movement; while he had not been involved in the act, he was targeted due to his family's prominence in Dutch society. These family events were the turning point in the attitude of Hepburn's mother, who had flirted with Nazism up to this point. Hepburn's half-brother Ian was deported to Berlin to work in a German labour camp , and her other half-brother Alex went into hiding to avoid

10710-708: The same fate. "We saw young men put against the wall and shot, and they'd close the street and then open it, and you could pass by again... Don't discount anything awful you hear or read about the Nazis. It's worse than you could ever imagine." —Hepburn on the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands After her uncle's death, Hepburn, Ella, and Miesje left Arnhem to live with her grandfather, Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra, in nearby Velp . Around that time Hepburn gave silent dance performances that reportedly raised money for

10829-485: The same name. Capote disapproved of many changes that were made to sanitise the story for the film adaptation, and would have preferred Marilyn Monroe to have been cast in the role, although he also stated that Hepburn "did a terrific job". The character is considered one of the best-known in American cinema , and a defining role for Hepburn. The dress she wears during the opening credits has been considered an icon of

10948-636: The second one at six months. Ferrer was rumoured to be too controlling, and had been referred to by others as being her " Svengali " – an idea that Hepburn laughed off. William Holden was quoted as saying, "I think Audrey allows Mel to think he influences her." After a 14-year marriage, the couple divorced in 1968. Hepburn met her second husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti , on a Mediterranean cruise with friends in June 1968. She believed she would have more children and possibly stop working. They married on 18 January 1969, and their son Luca Andrea Dotti

11067-495: The set of the 1960 film The Unforgiven . Zinnemann also continued his usual practices of collaborating with the film's writer on the second draft of the screenplay (but not receiving a writing credit) and meeting with each major actor for an in-depth discussion of his or her character. Patricia Bosworth learned that she was pregnant on the same day that she was cast as Simone. She underwent an underground abortion immediately before leaving for Rome and began to hemorrhage while on

11186-649: The source material. The Kathryn Hulme collection at Yale University contains 37 of these letters. To prepare for her role, Audrey Hepburn met with both Hulme and Marie Louise Habets, the inspiration for the novel and film. The three spent a considerable amount of time together, apparently becoming known as "The 3-H Club". Hepburn and Habets had some surprising similarities. Both had Belgian roots and had experienced personal trauma during World War II, including losing touch with their fathers and having their brothers imprisoned by Germans. Habets later helped nurse Hepburn back to health following her near-fatal horse-riding accident on

11305-492: The suburban Brussels municipality of Linkebeek in 1932. Hepburn's early childhood was sheltered and privileged. Due to her father's job, the family travelled back and forth between three countries, enhancing her multinational background. In the mid-1930s, Hepburn's parents recruited and collected donations for the British Union of Fascists (B.U.F). Ella met Adolf Hitler and wrote favourable articles about him for

11424-476: The summer of 1962 before Charade, Hepburn reunited with her Sabrina co-star William Holden in Paris When It Sizzles (1964), a screwball comedy in which she played the young assistant of a Hollywood screenwriter, who aids his writer's block by acting out his fantasies of possible plots. Its production was troubled by several problems. Holden unsuccessfully tried to rekindle a romance with

11543-420: The time, Joseph worked for a trading company, but soon after the marriage, the couple moved to Europe, where he began working for a loan company; reportedly tin merchants MacLaine, Watson, and Company in London. After a year in London, they moved to Brussels, where he had been assigned to open a branch office. After three years spent traveling between Brussels, Arnhem, The Hague and London, the family settled in

11662-726: The twentieth century, and perhaps the most famous "little black dress" of all time. Hepburn stated that the role was "the jazziest of my career" yet admitted: "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did." She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. The same year, Hepburn also starred in William Wyler's drama The Children's Hour (1961), in which she and Shirley MacLaine play teachers whose lives are destroyed after two pupils accuse them of being lesbians. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times writes that

11781-584: The underground newspaper, and taking messages and food to downed Allied flyers hiding in the woodlands north of Velp. She also volunteered at a hospital that was the center of resistance activities in Velp, and, according to Hepburn, her family temporarily hid a British paratrooper in their home during the Battle of Arnhem . In addition to other traumatic events, she witnessed the transportation of Dutch Jews to concentration camps , later stating that "more than once I

11900-869: The vaccines, and once the date was set, it took ten days to vaccinate the whole country. Not bad." In October, Hepburn went to South America. Of her experiences in Venezuela and Ecuador, Hepburn told the United States Congress, "I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shantytowns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle – and the miracle is UNICEF. I watched boys build their own schoolhouse with bricks and cement provided by UNICEF." Hepburn toured Central America in February 1989, and met with leaders in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. In April, she visited Sudan with Wolders as part of

12019-537: The year that Ben-Hur swept the awards. Fred Zinnemann was honored as best director by both the New York Film Critics and the National Board of Review. In 2020 America again praised the film, celebrating it as Hepburn's most overlooked work and contrasting it with some of her less devout roles. There is no mention of the magazine's late literary editor Father Gardiner and his support for

12138-489: Was "the best of her career". Andrews won an Academy Award for Mary Poppins at the 1964 37th Academy Awards and Hepburn earned Best Actress nominations for Golden Globe and New York Film Critics Circle awards. Hepburn appeared in an assortment of genres including the heist comedy How to Steal a Million (1966). Hepburn played the daughter of a famous art collector, whose collection consists entirely of forgeries that are about to be exposed as fakes. Her character plays

12257-566: Was a PBS documentary series, which was filmed on location in seven countries in the spring and summer of 1990. A one-hour special preceded it in March 1991, and the series itself began its national PBS premiere on 24 January 1993, the day of her funeral services in Tolochenaz. For the "Flower Gardens" episode, Hepburn was posthumously awarded the 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming. The other project

12376-492: Was a Dutch noblewoman. Ella was the daughter of Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra , who served as the mayor of Arnhem from 1910 to 1920 and as the governor of Dutch Guiana from 1921 to 1928, and Baroness Elbrig Willemine Henriette van Asbeck (1873–1939), a granddaughter of Count Dirk van Hogendorp . At age 19, she married Jonkheer Hendrik Gustaaf Adolf Quarles van Ufford—an oil executive based in Batavia, Dutch East Indies , where

12495-521: Was a Protestant, and Peggy Ashcroft was agnostic. Given the eventual support of most local religious organizations, the production was able to observe and participate in many real religious ceremonies and traditions. Before principal photography, the leading actresses spent time embedded in Assumptionist convents in Paris. The production also corresponded regularly with Kathryn Hulme, the author of

12614-439: Was a spoken word album, Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales , which features readings of classic children's stories and was recorded in 1992. It earned her a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children . In the 1950s, Hepburn narrated two radio programmes for UNICEF , re-telling children's stories of war. In 1989, Hepburn was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF . On her appointment, she stated that she

12733-505: Was able to sell on the black market and thus buy the penicillin which saved Hepburn's life. The Van Heemstra family's financial situation changed significantly through the occupation, during which time many of their properties (including their principal estate in Arnhem) were damaged or destroyed. After the war ended in 1945, Hepburn moved with her mother and siblings to Amsterdam , where she began ballet training under Sonia Gaskell ,

12852-463: Was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. I remember, very sharply, one little boy standing with his parents on the platform, very pale, very blond, wearing a coat that was much too big for him, and he stepped on the train. I was a child observing a child." After the Allied landing on D-Day , living conditions grew worse, and Arnhem

12971-454: Was born on 8 February 1970. While pregnant with Luca in 1969, Hepburn was more careful, resting for months before delivering the baby via caesarean section . Hepburn suffered a miscarriage in 1974. Dotti and Hepburn were unfaithful, he with younger women and she with actor Ben Gazzara during the filming of Bloodline (1979). The marriage lasted twelve years and was dissolved in 1982. The Nun%27s Story (film) The Nun's Story

13090-649: Was cast in her first major supporting role in Thorold Dickinson 's Secret People (1952), as a prodigious ballerina, performing all of her own dancing sequences. Hepburn then took a small role in a bilingual film, Monte Carlo Baby (French: Nous Irons à Monte Carlo , 1952), which was filmed in Monte Carlo . Coincidentally, French novelist Colette was at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo during

13209-563: Was eventually cast. Further friction was created when, although non-singer Hepburn had sung in Funny Face and had lengthy vocal preparation for the role in My Fair Lady , her vocals were dubbed by Marni Nixon , whose voice was considered more suitable to the role. Hepburn was initially upset and walked off the set when informed. Critics applauded Hepburn's performance. Crowther wrote that, "The happiest thing about [ My Fair Lady ]

13328-544: Was going to direct the film but tried directing some tests with actors and did not like it. Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn (née Ruston ; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Hepburn had a successful career in Hollywood and was recognised as a film and fashion icon , she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from

13447-651: Was grateful for receiving international aid after enduring the German occupation as a child, and wanted to show her gratitude to the organisation. Hepburn's first field mission for UNICEF was to Ethiopia in 1988. She visited an orphanage in Mek'ele that housed 500 starving children and had UNICEF send food. Of the trip, she said, I have a broken heart. I feel desperate. I can't stand the idea that two million people are in imminent danger of starving to death, many of them children, [and] not because there isn't tons of food sitting in

13566-411: Was moderately successful. Roger Ebert praised Hepburn's chemistry with Connery, writing, "Connery and Hepburn seem to have arrived at a tacit understanding between themselves about their characters. They glow. They really do seem in love. And they project as marvellously complex, fond, tender people; the passage of 20 years has given them grace and wisdom." Hepburn reunited with director Terence Young in

13685-672: Was of German-Austrian origin and born in Kovarce . In 1923–1924, he was an Honorary British Consul in Semarang , Dutch East Indies and, prior to his marriage to Hepburn's mother, was married to Cornelia Bisschop, a Dutch heiress. Joseph later changed his surname to the more "aristocratic" double-barrelled Hepburn-Ruston, perhaps at Ella's insistence, as he mistakenly believed himself descended from James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell . Hepburn's parents were married in Batavia in 1926. At

13804-492: Was pursuing him. The film turned out to be a positive experience for him; he said, "All I want for Christmas is another picture with Audrey Hepburn." The role earned Hepburn her third, and final, competitive BAFTA Award, and another Golden Globe nomination. Critic Bosley Crowther was less kind to her performance, stating that, "Hepburn is cheerfully committed to a mood of how-nuts-can-you-be in an obviously comforting assortment of expensive Givenchy costumes." Although filmed in

13923-477: Was subsequently heavily damaged during Operation Market Garden . During the 1944–45 Dutch famine , the Germans hindered or reduced the already limited food and fuel supplies to civilians in retaliation for Dutch railway strikes that were held to disrupt the occupation. Like others, Hepburn's family resorted to making flour out of tulip bulbs to bake cakes and biscuits, a source of starchy carbohydrates; Dutch doctors provided recipes for using tulip bulbs throughout

14042-451: Was the first actress to win an Oscar , a Golden Globe Award , and a BAFTA Award for a single performance. That year, she also won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine . Hepburn 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),

14161-515: Was unavailable and the producer and director were not happy with other girls under contract to Paramount. They saw over 500 actors in New York before settling on Pat Crowley, who made her film debut. At the very end of the film, a clip featuring Pat Crowley is shown with the caption "A future Paramount star". Rogers later wrote in her memoirs that although she liked the script she felt the studio "spent more money publicizing" Crowley "than they did on

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