November 2, 2024

Women’s History Month is the time to show appreciation for women, so I would like to pay homage to one of my favorites – Audrey Hepburn. 

Many people know of Hepburn for her role as Holly Golightly in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’ The image that pops into most’s minds of the actress is of her wearing that iconic black dress donned with long gloves, a pearl necklace and a tiara placed on top of her bun. However, ‘Tiffany’s’ is barely the epitome of Hepburn’s achievements. Beyond the screen, Hepburn lived an inspirational life that she deserves more credit for.

Hepburn was actually born in Belgium in 1929, with the last name Ruston. Shortly before WWII, Hepburn’s parents divorced and she moved with her mother to the Netherlands. During the war, TIME magazine reported that Hepburn and her mom showed evidence of having been involved with the Dutch Resistance. Hepburn utilized her love of dancing to perform at illegal parties, known as “black evenings,” in which windows were blacked out so Germans couldn’t see inside. “I was quite able to perform and it was some way in which I could make some kind of contribution,” she said to TIME. “They were very amateurish attempts, but nevertheless at the time, when there was very little entertainment, it amused people. Afterwards, money was collected and given to the Dutch Underground.” 

Hepburn was only 11. In a biography written by her son, Luca Dotti, he recalled Hepburn’s comments about surviving through WWII. “I went as long as three days without food,” she had said. “We drank a lot of water to make us feel full. My brother, Alex, would go into the fields to find a few turnips, endives, grass, even tulips.” Unfortunately, Hepburn’s brother was caught and forced to work at a German factory in Berlin until he died (“Dutch Girl”). Eventually, people from the UN came to assist, but Hepburn suffered from anemia the rest of her life as a result of starvation.  

Hepburn used her art to alleviate her struggle and  continued to pursue ballet, which would  eventually bring her and her mom to America. But, as described in the biography, “Audrey Hepburn,” Hepburn struggled to make it as a professional dancer due to her 5 feet 6 inches height. As her dancer dreams began to fade, Colette, a French novelist, spotted Hepburn during a performance. She went on to cast her as Gigi in the stage adaptation of her novel, “Gigi.” From there, Hepburn’s acting career took off. 

Despite quickly becoming a global movie star, Hepburn prioritized being a mom. According to the documentary “Audrey,” Hepburn struggled with conceiving, suffering through six miscarriages (one occurring after falling off a horse while filming ‘Unforgiven’). Eventually, she had two sons and immediately retired to raise them. Dotti said he didn’t even realize his mother was famous until he was 6. “It wasn’t until my dad screened ‘Love in the Afternoon.’ Suddenly, there was my mother kissing Gary Cooper. I ran to my father and said, ‘Dad, this is serious. You should be upset. Mommy is kissing another man.’ So that explains how much I was aware that my mother could possibly be a movie star. I had no idea.”

When Hepburn entered her 50s, she devoted her life to humanitarianism and became an ambassador for UNICEF. She proceeded to go on more than 50 mission trips to places like Ethiopia,  Ecuador, Guatemala, and Sudan and would give interviews about emergency operations as often as 15 times a day. She even testified before the US Congress, took part in the World Summit for Children, launched UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children reports and participated in many benefit tours. Her work earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Her granddaughter, Emma Ferrar, said Hepburn felt a need to work with the organization. “She felt she owed her life to UNICEF and that drove her to help others. She said that we have to stop politicizing our humanity and start humanizing our politics,” (Ferrar told UNICEF). Hepburn was diagnosed with cancer but continued on mission trips until her death at the age of 63. 

Hepburn’s life is even more interesting than I can fit into a column, but there are many great biographies out there.

 To conclude, here are some of my favorite quotes from the wise Hepburn.  “Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist,” “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other,” and, “Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing — not a career, not wealth, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we’re going to survive with dignity.” 

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