- 6/18/2025
From her challenging early years during WWII to becoming a Hollywood icon and dedicated humanitarian, discover the extraordinary journey of one of cinema's most beloved stars. Join us as we explore her remarkable career, from "Roman Holiday" to "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and her lasting impact as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
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00:00Stop! I don't want to stop, I like it! Take the picture, take the picture!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the story of the style and screen icon Audrey Hepburn.
00:12Few things are lovelier to me than a full-blown rose when it opens its heart.
00:16Early Life
00:17Born on May 4th, 1929 in Belgium, Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was welcomed into the world by her parents,
00:24Elevan Amstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Rustin.
00:28Amstra was a Dutch aristocrat and Rustin worked under many titles, including working for trade and loan companies.
00:35So she grew up in Holland, she was the daughter of a Dutch baroness, a British father, and it was during the time of the war.
00:41At one time, he wrongly believed he was a descendant of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, even going as far as to adopt his surname.
00:49Throughout her childhood, the future starlet moved across Europe from Belgium to England to the Netherlands.
00:54She flew on the last plane that left the UK and then into Amsterdam.
01:00During this time, both of her parents became involved with the British Union of Fascists, with Rustin leaving the family after an incident in Brussels.
01:08She performed for the Dutch resistance, not just to raise monies, but also to entertain people and get their minds off the horrors that they were living through.
01:18World War II, Audrey was only 10 years old when the Second World War broke out.
01:23During this time, she attended the Arnhem Conservatory, a boarding school in the Netherlands, where she started studying ballet, becoming a top student.
01:31In 1940, the Netherlands was invaded by Germany.
01:35She survived the Dutch famine on bread made of tulips, and when they liberated her, she was living in her basement in the Netherlands.
01:44Although her mother, Ella, was a Nazi sympathizer, Audrey did not share her opinions.
01:49Instead, she used her dance training to participate in performances to raise money for the Dutch resistance.
01:54As a child already, you know, ballet, ballet, ballet is what I love most.
01:58She also volunteered in hospitals and helped deliver supplies to Allied forces.
02:03Tragically, her uncle, Adel van Limburg-Styrem, was executed by the Nazis.
02:08This was a turning point for her family, especially her mother, who changed her fascist views.
02:13And you lost very close relatives to the Nazis.
02:17Yes.
02:18And you also had moments when you didn't know whether you would have food in the morning.
02:22Many of them, yes.
02:24Ballet career.
02:25After World War II ended in 1945, Hepburn continued her ballet training.
02:30Eventually, she made her way to London on a dance scholarship where she attended Ballet Rambert.
02:35However, her career path changed when she was told that her weak physical state,
02:39a result of malnutrition during the war, would be the end of her career.
02:43She was only weighed 88 pounds and she was 5'6", which is very, very, very malnourished.
02:49And it affected her for a very, very long time.
02:51Therefore, Hepburn pivoted to acting.
02:53She supported her ambitions working several jobs as a West End chorus girl, a model and nightclub dancer.
02:59She's enchanting.
03:00I couldn't do it better myself.
03:02Well, I thought she was good ever since I found her.
03:05Her hard work paid off when she started to earn small roles in both film and television projects.
03:10While filming Monte Carlo Baby, she met French novelist Colette, who cast her in the Broadway play Gigi.
03:16In the south of France doing a French movie, Monte Carlo Baby.
03:20And by chance, we were doing a scene in Hotel de Paris.
03:26And she was there with her husband.
03:29Roman Holiday
03:30In 1951, after a successful screen test, Audrey Hepburn was cast by William Wyler in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday.
03:38Appearing alongside Gregory Peck, Hepburn played Princess Anne, a sheltered royal who falls for a reporter after a whirlwind adventure in Rome.
03:46Hey, you know, you were great back there.
03:48You weren't so bad yourself.
03:50The film was a box office hit and transformed Hepburn into a star.
03:54She would go on to win the affection of both the public and critics, and an Academy Award for Best Actress.
04:00I received this extraordinary Oscar so early that I really didn't know what hit me.
04:07Following the success of Roman Holiday, she appeared in other notable films such as Sabrina, Funny Face, and War and Peace.
04:14Those handsome young men marching away to fight, to be killed.
04:19Breakfast at Tiffany's
04:21Already a major name in Hollywood and on Broadway, Audrey Hepburn's star power continued to burn bright in the 1960s.
04:28An early role of that decade would, arguably, become her most renowned.
04:32Look, I know what you're thinking and I don't blame you.
04:35I've always thrown out such a jazzy line.
04:38But really, except for darken yourself, Jose's my first non-rat romance.
04:42Based on Truman Capote's novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's was adapted for the silver screen by George Axelrod and directed by Blake Edwards.
04:49Despite Capote's desire to cast Marilyn Monroe, Hepburn earned the part of Holly Golightly.
04:55A Manhattan socialite whose life takes a turn when she becomes neighbors with a young writer named Paul.
05:00Snow flurries expected this weekend in New Orleans.
05:03Isn't that just the weirdest?
05:05I bet they haven't had snow in New Orleans for a million years.
05:08From turning Holly's little black dress into an iconic classic to making Moon River into a standard,
05:14Audrey's performance sparkled and continues to captivate audiences to this day.
05:18My Huckleberry friend, Moon River
05:26Retirement
05:27Throughout the 60s, Audrey Hepburn worked on project after project.
05:31Post Breakfast at Tiffany's, she appeared in titles such as The Children's Hour, Charade, My Fair Lady, and Wait Until Dark.
05:39Pick up the cane, and tap on the floor right where you are so I know where you are. Go on, tap. Tap. Keep tapping.
05:50The decade saw her cement her status as a celebrated actress, but also saw her take on the role of a mother.
05:55Towards the end of the 60s, Hepburn transitioned into a semi-retirement in an effort to focus on family.
06:01Are you going to be more active in pictures now?
06:02I don't know, because I'm very active as we've been talking about before in my life at home.
06:10After nearly 10 years away from the screen, she returned to acting, appearing as Maid Marion in Robin and Marion alongside Sean Connery.
06:18I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat.
06:28I love you more than sunlight.
06:31From then on, she only appeared in a handful of movies, with her final film role being that
06:35of an angel in Steven Spielberg's 1989 film, Always.
06:39When you get the hang of it, they hear you inside their own minds, as if it were their thoughts.
06:44Clever.
06:46A true humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn used her platform and voice to help bring attention to
06:51human rights issues across the world.
06:53That's also why I'm so concerned with children today, not just that they're starving and so forth,
06:57but children that are surrounded by violence and horror, what this is going to do to them.
07:01In 1989, UNICEF named her as a Goodwill Ambassador.
07:05Growing up under the German occupation during World War II, Hepburn's empathy took her on
07:10missions to countries such as Ethiopia, Vietnam and Somalia.
07:13I was so eager to go.
07:16I was, I've been, you know, so privileged to be given this opportunity to do something for children.
07:23She helped with efforts to combat famine and improve water conditions.
07:27Spectators noted her tenderness towards children, with many often gravitating towards her.
07:32Even months before her death, Hepburn was still traveling and working as an ambassador.
07:37The good thing is that this year has brought us the Convention on the Rights of the Child
07:42and the Declaration of the Summit for the World's Children.
07:45Love Life.
07:46In 1954, Audrey Hepburn tied the knot with fellow actor Mel Ferrer.
07:51Not only were the two husband and wife, they also worked together on the film War and Peace
07:56and the play Ondine.
07:57I hope you tell Mama and Papa that I intend to come and visit often. Very often, if they'll permit me.
08:02I certainly shall tell them.
08:04Years later, they welcomed a son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. However, after 14 years together, the two divorced.
08:11In 1968, Hepburn would meet her next husband, Andrea Dotti, a psychiatrist from Italy.
08:17Married in 1969, she gave birth to their son, Luca Andrea Dotti, in 1970.
08:23She told me that many, many times she would wake up at night just dreaming of the sound of the tanks.
08:30Unfortunately, things didn't work out between them, with infidelity playing a major part on both sides.
08:36Although they never married, Hepburn's final romance was a 13-year-long relationship with actor
08:41Robert Walders, lasting until her death in 1993.
08:45It's curious, we found each other, both with our Dutch heritage, but it's given something very special to our relationship.
08:53Death.
08:54It's something very deep, and it's totally unbearable to see them suffer. Unacceptable and unbearable.
09:01After a goodwill trip to Somalia, Audrey Hepburn experienced abdominal discomfort,
09:05which was shortly thereafter discovered to be a symptom of cancer.
09:08Hepburn underwent treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy, before returning to her home in Switzerland.
09:14At the age of 63, she passed away peacefully in her sleep on the night of January 20, 1993.
09:20She was very peaceful, and usually you are afraid, but she wasn't.
09:27Days later, her funeral took place in Toloshna, Vaux.
09:30Attendees included her former spouses, Mel Ferrer and Andrea Dotti, and actor Roger Moore.
09:36Her friend and co-star Gregory Peck read Rabindranath Tagore's poem,
09:40unending love to memorialize her.
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10:06Legacy, the definition of class, poise and heart, Audrey Hepburn shared not only her talents,
10:12but her compassion with the world.
10:14We're still in Lebanon, we've always been in Vietnam, we're all over Africa, Asia and so forth,
10:21and South America.
10:22She has been ranked among the top movie stars by American Film Institute and publications like Time Magazine.
10:28In 2020, her son Sean and granddaughter Emma Ferrer produced a documentary, entitled Audrey.
10:34These were the people on the other side that were going to take her from here.
10:39She said you cannot see them, but they're sitting right there and they're waiting for me.
10:42A fashion icon, her signature style has been emulated on red carpets and catwalks.
10:47Her image has been immortalized on the big screen, and her stage performances linger in the memories of
10:53those lucky enough to have seen her perform live. Most importantly, her legacy thrives in
10:58her humanitarian efforts, proving that using your voice for good is always in style.
11:03Let me give you what I had, but I also sent you back to settle with the one you love.
11:11I sent you back to say goodbye.
11:13Which Audrey Hepburn film is your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
11:23licenses are incredibly important, hopes.
11:25And that you know the gift is our trust and paddle after you.
11:28That you send a guide to come and expand.
11:30That's the way we don't go into this SĂndrome Positively.
11:31And that you show us how it is but still the truth is that the family is going to have
11:32come through.
11:32To be continued.
11:33It is not fair.
11:34Break theésus's talking in the comments.
11:35What's going on?
11:35Is that true to the men?
11:38Go to the laver.
11:39Let's go, let's go, let's go.
11:40Let us know.
11:42If we don't think of God and tomorrow or anything, well.
11:43Go ahead.
11:44It is something we're going.
11:45Go ahead.
11:48I think you're not going to happen.
11:50Good Lord and me out.
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