Audrey Hepburn – Incomparable and Unique

Audrey Hepburn was a British and American actress, model and the brightest star of cinema of the twentieth century.
She was not only a beautiful woman and a great actress, but also the humanitarian activist. Audrey received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award. Fragile and mysterious Audrey starred in 31 films and all her roles were memorable.
Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels. Six years later, her parents, Joseph and Ella, divorced.
Audrey was a veteran of World War II. As a teenager, the girl survived the occupation of the city of Arnhem, where they lived. The girl dreamed of becoming a ballerina and entered the conservatory. She and the other children gave private concerts and secretly collected money and information for the resistance groups.

After the war, in 1948, Audrey continued her education in London. Her teacher was Marie Rambert. She told Audrey that she couldn’t become a prima ballerina because she was very tall and too slim. So, Hepburn decided to become an actress.

Her first big role was in Sensitive People (1951) where she played a ballerina. The girl became famous after her role in Roman Holiday, where she co-starred Gregory Peck. The talented actress was awarded Oscar.
Audrey was the true face of Hollywood. Her partners were Fred Astaire (Funny Face), Maurice Chevalier and Gary Cooper (Love in the Afternoon), Cary Grant (Charade), Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady), Peter O’Toole (How Steal a Million), Sean Connery (Robin and Marian). Many of them later became her friends.
In 1961, Hepburn shined even brighter. The role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s became a cult, an indispensable symbol of the 1960s. This role gave her a strong friendship with Hubert de Givenchy, Jacqueline Kennedy’s designer. It is worth adding that the jewelry company Tiffany & Co became famous thanks to Hepburn.
On the set of the film Sabrina the actress met her first love – William Holden. He was married to actress Brenda Marshall, but their relationships were very free. They even invited their lovers for dinner at home. William fell in love with Audrey too, and a very passionate affair began. The actress dreamed of a wedding and kids. But when she learned that her lover wasn’t able to have children (he made a vasectomy), Audrey left him.
In 1954 the actress married actor Mel Ferrer and soon gave birth to their long-awaited son, Sean. But 14 years later their marriage ended in divorce.

Her next husband Andrea Dotti was an Italian psychiatrist and was ten years younger than his wife. The wedding took place in Switzerland. The couple settled in Rome, where a few years later their son Luke was born. Her husband had many women and Audrey’s angelic patience was enough for eleven years. The actress divorced Andrea in 1980.

In the same year she began dating Robert Wolders.
Audrey Hepburn left this world on January 20, 1993. When great Elizabeth Taylor heard about her death she could not hold back tears. She said: “The Lord God has another beautiful angel.”

Dress for Cinderella
In 1952, Audrey was planning her wedding to a London playboy called James Hanson… While filming in Rome the actress ordered her wedding dress in a famous Fontana fashion house. The dress was practically ready… but two weeks before the wedding Audrey called it off.
She called Fontana and said; “I want my dress to be worn by the girl who couldn’t ever afford a dress like mine, the most beautiful poor Italian girl you can find.”
Fontana sisters began looking for poor, beautiful, young girl. They thought of a poor new town of Latina. The mayor of the town gave them the name of Amabile Altobello who got the dress. The town gave the girl kitchen furniture and organized a honeymoon in Paris. Her dream came true.

Soon the story was forgotten. But 50 years later, in 2002, the Fontana fashion house was planning an exhibition of dresses made for film stars and other celebrities. It was interesting to find out what had happened to Hepburn’s dress and the girl who had got it. Amabile lived in the same town of Latina. She had three children and five grandchildren. She and her husband weren’t rich, but their marriage was happy. Amabile said that the dress brought her luck and she kept it very carefully.
Audrey Hepburn was married twice — in 1954 and in 1969, but neither of her wedding dresses can be compared to the one she gave to an unknown girl.

Audrey Hepburn – Incomparable and Unique