Audrey Hepburn was an award-winning actress. The American Film Institute considered her to be the third greatest actress of all time. She also became a fashion and cultural icon, and continues to be so today. She was also a magnificent humanitarian. The memories of World War II horrors shaped her desire to help children and so she served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

 

Hepburn was born in 1929 as Audrey Ruston in Brussels, Belgium. She was the only child of an Englishman and a Dutch aristocrat. She was educated at a private school in England. Her parents divorced in 1935 and her father left. His leaving was the most traumatic moment of her life. After World War II, Hepburn studied ballet in London.

 

Audrey was too tall to be a ballerina and went into acting. In 1951, her first big break came when she starred as Gigi in a London theatre. She won an award and lots of publicity. Her second break came two years later in the movie classic ‘Roman Holiday’, for which she won an Oscar for best actress.

 

Hepburn became one of Hollywood's most successful stars and starred in many unforgettable movies. She used her fame to work with UNICEF for several decades. She declared, "I have a broken heart”, after seeing Ethiopia’s famine in 1988. She also famously said: “'Third World' is a term I don't like very much, because we're all one world.” Hepburn died in 1993 but remains a much-loved legend.