4MAY1929

For the girl with the dancing eyes.

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to 4May1929, a website dedicated to the award-winning actress and humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn. Founded in 2023, the site curates’ original content from articles, books, and audio to inspire and build engaging conversation with fans all around the world.

THE WHY

There were many thriving web-hosted Audrey Hepburn fan sites in the 2000s, but they rapidly declined as other platforms offered more community engagement and unlimited media sharing. I missed the traditional format, and I want to dedicate it to my favorite actress.

THE FAVORITE

My Fair Lady is the first Audrey Hepburn film I had ever seen and remained a childhood favorite. Over the years, my favorite has changed depending on the season, the mood, and the stages of my life. If you asked my teenage self, it would be Sabrina; the graduate looking for a job, it was How to Steal a Million. Now, I would say Two for the Road resonates lovingly.

THE HEADER

The top header is from an Italian poster version of The Nun’s Story. Illustrated by Ercole Brini.

THE CONCLUSION

Audrey Hepburn, our huckleberry friend, has been an inspiration and constant influence on a global scale. I hope this tribute will be one of the many testimonies to her enduring legacy.

Yours truly,
Cece, admin of 4May1929

AUDREY

Unearthing archives that would surely make Audrey Hepburn blush, as she was a deeply private person despite being in an industry that challenges her Victorian upbringing as she was taught never to make a spectacle of oneself; decades later, she said with a knowing smile, “I then went on to… make a nice living doing just that.”

ESSENTIALS

VITAL STATISTICS BY AUDREY HEPBURN
Audrey was interviewed in a survey style by Cheryl Lavin for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. 106, on November 8th, 1989.

THE PEOPLE
A list of who's who in her life, such as her family, friends, mentors, collaborators, and more.

THE FAVORITE LIST
A record of simple pleasures she loved, such as her childhood books, musical artists that range from jazz to contemporary, fashion houses, and more.

ONCE UPON A POINTE SHOE
Stories and photos of her lifelong passion for dancing, a physical expression that she loved since she was a little girl.

TEATIME AND THE MENU
This time, it is Breakfast at Audrey's—a detailed log of what she served to her guest, what she prepared for herself at home, and her dining selections.

WITS AND GIN
On the surface, she was elegant and a professional, but those close to her share memories of Audrey's comical side.

LA PAISIBLE
Purchased in the early 1960s, the Switzerland-based home has become her lifelong sanctuary and her livelihood.

LAST CHRISTMAS
As cancer slowly and painfully consumed her, she spent her final holiday with her loved ones.

VOGUE

Vogue means “one that is in fashion at a particular time," though the very definition contradicts the essence of Audrey since she dresses to her taste, yet her philosophy in fashion has remained timeless, against the grain of fleeting trends. Yet, like the pages of the iconic publication, through the years, Audrey’s style and preference evolve over time.

FASHION PHOTOSHOOT

VOGUE
_{Editorial details and credits from November 1951 to January 1972.}

HARPER'S BAZAAR
_{Editorial details and credits from December 1951 to September 1981.}

EDITS

FILM COSTUMES
_Draft.

PERSONAL STYLE
_Draft.

PREMIERES AND GALAS
_Draft.

HER CLOSET

FALL/WINTER
_Draft.

SPRING/SUMMER
_Draft.

SHOES
_{Salvatore Ferragamo, René Mancini}

PURSES
_{Cartier, Hermes, Louis Vuitton. IN THE BAG}

ACCESSORIES
_Draft.

AUDREY'S ESSENTIALS
_{Ballet slippers, Necklaces she usually wore in Rome, Pearl Earrings, La Paisible Stationary, Chocolate, Scarfs, Flowers from the garden, Kitten Heels, Trench Coat, Sunglasses, Floral Prints, BASKETS}

BEAUTY

SKINCARE
_Draft.

MAKE-UP
_Draft.

HAIR
_{Products, Alberto and Grazia de Rossi, Alexandre de Paris, Rome Hairstylist}

VITAL STATISTICS
BY AUDREY HEPBURN

St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri, Pg. 106
November 8th, 1989

Occupation: UNICEF goodwill ambassador.Birthday: May 4, 1929.Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium.Real name: Edda Kathleen Hepburn van Heemstra.Current home: Lake Geneva, Switzerland.Marital status: Divorced twice.Children: Sean Ferrer, who works in film production, and Luca Dotti, who is just finishing his schooling in London.Working on: As UNICEF's goodwill ambassador, I'm an advocate for children. I raise funds, and because I travel constantly, I've learned to sleep anywhere.Favorite pigout food: I've learned to eat whatever there is.Favorite performers: I have so many: Spencer Tracy; Phillipe Noiret, a wonderful French actor; Michael Douglas; Michael Caine; Jeremy Irons; Meryl Streep, a phenomenon; and Cher.Favorite childhood memory: The togetherness of my family during the war. It takes a lot to get a child down.Prized possession: My dogs. I'm potty about them. I've got three Jack Russells and one mutt.Personal heroes: I think of my aunt who was blind and spent her life as a social worker in the slums of Amsterdam. After the war, we learned she had kept alive a Jewish family hidden in an attic by bringing them food every day. She'd climb the stairs with her white stick. In spite of her handicap, she led an extraordinary life.I'd give anything to meet: Mstislav Rostropovich. He's a great, great musician, and he has a marvelous sense of humor.I tried to teach my children: Very little because children have the best instincts. But I did want them to be tolerant and kind and have a sense of humor.A really great evening to me is: An early dinner, a walk with my dogs through my garden, some television and then to bed early. My home is very cozy, and I love it.Three words that best describe me: Tall, thin and happy.Nobody knows I'm: A Michael Jackson fan.© St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Cheryl Lavin.

• Back

THE FAVORITE LIST

"I'm afraid I'm pretty dull. I like walking; music, from Bach to Duke Ellington; and reading. Kipling is one of my favorite writers."
- Audrey Hepburn, 1957

ACTORS – Spencer Tracy, Phillipe Noiret, Michael Douglas, Michael Caine, Jeremy Irons

ACTRESSES – Meryl Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher, Julia Roberts, Raffaella Carrà

“Michelle Pfeiffer, I think she's gorgeous.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{The Phil Donahue Show, January 26, 1990.}

“Cher has an enormous scale of emotions and total lack of inhibition, which I haven't.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Larry King Show, October 18, 1991.}

"We talked about movies. She told me that Julia Roberts was one of her favorite young actresses."
- Jeffrey Banks, designer and friend

_{A Tribute to Audrey Hepburn, Winter 1993, People Extra.}

“She was for instance a great fan of Raffaella Carrà, an Italian entertainer who, according to Mum, would have become a big star in America.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

"She even survived most recent stars like Julia Roberts or Michelle Pfeiffer, who were her favorite actresses at the time."
- Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her son

_{Sean Hepburn Ferrer talks about Audrey Hepburn: The actress, the mother, the style icon and the humanitarian, December 8, 2016, Film Talk.}

"My mother loved Meryl Streep. She loved Michelle Pfeiffer. She looked at these actresses because she felt that they, they all had something special, something unique."
- Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her son

_{Paul Jon Caña, Audrey Hepburn's Son Says These Hollywood Actresses Remind Him of His Mother, August 7, 2023, Esquire Mag Ph.}

FILMS – Cyrano de Bergerac, Prizzi's Honor, The Mission, Witness, E.T., Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Princess Bride, Les Enfants du Paradis, Lili
_{In 1964, she told a journalist that her favorites were Waterloo Bridge, Camille (both versions), Sundays and Cybele.}

“Lavender Hill Mob, Les Enfants du Paradis —and Lili.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{AH press release, The Playwrights Company, Fall 1953: William Fields, Press Representative, New York.}

“She also said she’d seen me three times in the movie Lili.”
- Mel Ferrer, her first husband

_{Ian Woodward, 1984, Audrey Hepburn, St Martins Press.}

“My mother starts jiggling, crying, laughing, loving, killing my hand. At movie’s end [E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial] I have remembered this all my life—she said, ‘This man is not just a director. He’s the best storyteller I have ever experienced!’”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Robert Matzen, September 28, 2021, Warrior: Audrey Hepburn, GoodKnight Books.}

TELEVISION – Hart to Hart, L.A. Law, Dynasty (1981 – 1989)

“I had seen nearly every episode of Hart to Hart in French, Italian and Spanish. I loved the show, and maybe that’s one reason why I wanted to do this film [Love Among Thieves] with RJ [Robert Wagner].”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Ivor Davis, Wagner Lures Audrey Hepburn Back to Work, February 10th, 1987, pg 53, Star.}

FILM ROLE – The Nun’s Story

PERSONAL FILM – Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady

"It's like asking if I like chocolate cake more than spaghetti. Perhaps it was My Fair Lady because I loved working with music. The reason I wanted to dance was because I loved music. Music is the greatest helper in the world in all situations."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Source: Alan Riding, 25 Years Later, Honor for Audrey Hepburn, April 22, 1991, New York Times.}

DIRECTOR – William "Willie" Wyler

“Yes. I really adored so many of them. I don't want to be unfair to anyone, but I think Willy's entitled to that title in my heart. Of all the directors, also, he became so much of a friend.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Stephanie Mansfield, Audrey Hepburn, 11th August 1985, Th Washington Post.}

MUSIC – Johann Sebastian Bach, Duke Ellington, Mstislav Rostropovichz, George Shearing, Noël Coward, Julio Iglesias

"… a large collection of long-playing records—from classics, Broadway musicals, to hot jazz.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{AH press release, The Playwrights Company, Fall 1953: William Fields, Press Representative, New York.}

"I'm afraid I'm pretty dull. I like walking; music, from Bach to Duke Ellington; and reading."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Hal Boyle, February 16th, 1957, Audrey Hepburn's Charm Makes All Men Fall in Love with Her, The Courier News.}

“Audrey liked well-ordered music. She liked Bach very much, but found it difficult to have music on unless she could sit and listen to it. She loved jazz and George Shearing’s music.”
- Robert Wolders, her partner

_{Pamela Keogh, January 1st, 2008, What Would Audrey Do?, Aurum Press.}

PERFORMER – Michael Jackson

“Nobody knows I'm a Michael Jackson fan.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Cheryl Lavin, Vital Statistics by Audrey Hepburn, November 8th, 1989, pg 106, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.}

“It's not like I’m Michael Jackson and have to perform a great dance.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Pat O’Haire & Larry Sutton, Sharing a cup with Hepburn, 2nd Oct 1990, pg 307, Daily News.}

SONG – Audrey by Dave Brubeck

"I am thrilled to have the Brubeck C.D. with ‘My Song,’ the ultimate compliment."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Doug Ramsey, June 24th, 2013. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, Parkside Publications, Inc.}

“My wife listened to that song every night before she went to bed.”
- Andrea Dotti, her second husband

_{Doug Ramsey, June 24th, 2013. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, Parkside Publications, Inc.}

AUTHORS – Rudyard Kipling, Jeffrey Archer, Ken Follett, Graham Greene, Tom Wolfe, Willa Cather, Lawrence Sanders

"... Kipling is one of my favorite writers."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Hal Boyle, February 16th, 1957, Audrey Hepburn's Charm Makes All Men Fall in Love with Her, The Courier News.}

“Alexander’s [her brother] the original bookworm, and when we were children, he was devoted to Kipling, and I read all Kipling’s books because I wanted to be like him. I followed everything else he read, too. Before I was thirteen, I had read nearly every book by Edgar Wallace and Edward Phillips Oppenheim, who wrote a long series of romantic mysteries about secret international documents, shifty diplomats, and seductive adventuresses… To me as a girl, they had far more appeal than books like Topsy Goes to School.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Ian Woodward, 1984, Audrey Hepburn, St Martins Press.}

CHILDHOOD BOOKS – The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Heidi by Joanna Spyri

"She spoke of The Secret Garden as one of her favorite books..."
- Robert Wolders, her partner

_{Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, September 1st, 2001, Penguin Publishing Group.}

"At the age of nine, her mother gave her a copy of Heidi just before they embarked on a train trip from Holland to Italy. She started it instantly and, by the time she finished, they were in Italy without her having a glimpse of Switzerland."
- Robert Wolders, her partner

_{Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, September 1st, 2001, Penguin Publishing Group.}

"... We actually have quite a few good drawings that my mother made during the war. She told us many times that in order to forget hunger, she would stay in bed and read and dream and draw."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Wesley Yiin, Luca Dotti: Food comes in seasons, not cans and boxes, June 29th, 2015, Salon.com.}

POETS – Rabindranath Tagore, John Keats

ARTISTS – El Greco, Mary Cassatt, Bob Paul Kane

BALLERINAS – Margot Fonteyn, Anna Pavlova

“I had decided to become a dancer and I was very serious about it, and I wanted to dance solo roles. Pavlova was my ideal.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Ian Woodward, 1984, Audrey Hepburn, St Martins Press.}

“I was studying and dreaming of Pavlova and Diaghilev.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Ian Woodward, 1984, Audrey Hepburn, St Martins Press.}

“I wanted very much to become a choreographer and Rambert was known for developing young choreographers. So I wanted to be Margot Fonteyn and a choreographer as well.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Wogan (BBC Show), June 10th, 1988.}

FRENCH COUTURE – Hubert de Givenchy

ITALIAN COUTURE – Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani

READY-TO-WEAR – Ralph Lauren

COSTUME JEWELER – Kenneth Jay Lane

Audrey and Elizabeth Taylor warmly embraced at one of the Academy Award parties. She pointed at one of Elizabeth's largest jewels, "Kenny Lane?"
...
"No, Richard Burton," replied Taylor, and both screamed with laughter.

_{Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, September 1st, 2001, Penguin Publishing Group.}

SHOES – Salvador Ferragamo, René Mancini

SUNGLASSES – Oliver Goldsmith (60s, 70s), Christian Dior (80s, 90s)

BALLET FLATS – Capezio, Repetto, Delman in black

“Bundles of these shoes [Capezio] arriving, folded flat, fastened by a rubber band.”
- Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her son

_{Two Pairs of Leather Ballet Pumps, May 9th, 2018, Christie's.}

JEWELRY – Pearls

“Her serious jewelry was pearls, either pearl earrings or the pearl necklace Ferrer had given her, because pearls are warm.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Laura Jacobs, May 2013, Audrey’s Dolce Vita, Vanity Fair.}

“She hated the idea of spending a fortune on diamonds and gold... What she really loved were pearls because of their purity, the fact that they were made by nature.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{A Pair of Cultured Pearl Earrings, May 9th, 2018, Christie's.}

PASTA – Spaghetti al Pomodoro

“Her favorite meal was pasta with tomato sauce. This was always everywhere, when she was coming home from a trip. Pasta with tomato sauce may sound easy, but to make it well is difficult, and no two results are always the same. Tomato sauce is not only tomatoes. Maybe with a little bit of potato, or carrot.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Molly Shea, Potatoes, Passion, and ‘Detox’ Days: Audrey Hepburn's Secrets To A Healthy Life, June 16th, 2015, Yahoo Beauty.}

VEGETABLE – Potatoes

“I burn up lots of fat in nervous energy, I eat potatoes, pasta and brown bread. That's the only diet I've ever needed.”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1979

_{Rebecca Norehouse, Millions of Guys Are Still In Love With Her, Women's Weekly November 26, 1979.}

“Even if we were to lose everything, we have a garden, we can grow potatoes and eat them."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

“Sometimes we tend to forget, she was Dutch, so potatoes were a big, big part of her diet. … [And] her father was Irish. Potatoes for her, they were a sustainable thing.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Molly Shea, Potatoes, Passion, and ‘Detox’ Days: Audrey Hepburn's Secrets To A Healthy Life, June 16th, 2015, Yahoo Beauty.}

“... We did have a yearly feast of caviar in a baked potato.”
- Mel Ferrer, her first husband

_{Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, September 1st, 2001, Penguin Publishing Group.}

JAM – Cherry

“If she was alone, she had breakfast in bed. I prepared a tray with coffee, milk, toast (sometimes five-grain), her favorite jam-cherry-curls of butter, and I always included a small rose from our garden.”
- Rochita Orunesu, part of the La Paisible family

_{Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

“For making jam, there were plums, prunes, blackberries, mulberries, quinces, and cherries, both black and red-Mum preferred red cherry jam for breakfast.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

DESSERT – Vanilla Ice Cream with Fudge Sauce

“... Audrey would come to my house and we’d have pasta and vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. That was our great treat.”
- Doris Brynner, her close friend

_{Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, September 1st, 2001, Penguin Publishing Group.}

“… She had an excessive passion for ice cream, which she ate with a greediness worthy of a mischievous little scamp. Her very favorite flavor was vanilla…”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

DUTCH DESSERT – Gort met Pruimen

“It’s a wonderful porridge of groats with stewed prunes on it. Maybe you have to grow up with a dessert like that to appreciate it.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Dutch Treats a la Audrey Hepburn, May 20th, 1958, Binghamton Press.}

CHOCOLATE – Swiss, Scharffen Berger, Mint

DRINK – J&B Scotch (2 glasses) after 6pm, Chivas Regal Black Label

TEA – Mint

“Pouring herself a cup of mint tea.”
- Michiko Kakutani, author and journalist

_{Michiko Kakutani, Audrey Hepburn credits directors with her acting success, Sunday, June 15th, 1980, Austin American-Statesman.}

FLOWERS – White Tulips, Lily of the Valley

"... We talked about gardening. Her favorite flower was lily of the valley."
- Jeffrey Banks, designer and friend

_{A Tribute to Audrey Hepburn, Winter 1993, People Extra.}

"Her favorite flower the white tulip."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Laura Jacobs, May 2013, Audrey’s Dolce Vita, Vanity Fair.}

SEASON – Winter, Spring

“Winter was always to be Audrey's preferred season.”
- Alexander Walker, biographer

_{Alexander Walker, Audrey: Her Real Story, December 15, 1997, St. Martin's Griffin.}

“... Every spring, especially here in Rome, you have this smell of orange blossom in the air. Spring is coming and it was her favorite season. It makes me think of her.”
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Laura Jacobs, May 2013, Audrey’s Dolce Vita, Vanity Fair.}

COLOR – White, Cyan

“She also takes many objects in her favorite color of white."
- Eleanor Harris, journalist

_{Eleanor Harris, Audrey Hepburn, Good Housekeeping August 1959.}

"Her favorite color was cyan—a light blue."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Laura Jacobs, May 2013, Audrey’s Dolce Vita, Vanity Fair.}

CIGARETTE– Wills’ Gold Flake Cigarettes in the 50s, Kent in her later years, Parliament

“In a pastel-colored suite at The Savoy, Audrey Hepburn is relaxing on a large sofa with the help of a generous Scotch and water and a pack of Kent cigarettes.”
- Marilyn Murray Willison, Journalist

_{Marilyn Murray Willison, Audrey Hepburn – THE DEVINE MISS HEPBURN, Marie Claire.}

LINEN – Swiss

CHINA – Limoges

GLASSWARE – Murano

“My linen is Swiss; my china is French, all Limoges, of purest white, because we love white best. Our glassware is mostly Italian, from Murano; dark green heavy glass, and we love them because they fit into our rural home.”
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Audrey Hepburn, The Secret of My Happiness, Photoplay December 1961.}

DECADE – 1980s

LUCKY NUMBER – 55

PUBLIC FIGURES – Gandhi, Dalai Lama

"Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'Wars cannot be won by bullets, but only with bleeding hearts.' And surely caring is better than killing. We care for our own children when they go through a crisis—when they have an accident or are stricken by disease."
- Audrey Hepburn

_{Robert Matzen, Warrior: Audrey Hepburn, September 28, 2021, GoodKnight Books.}

PAST TIMES – Reading, Gardening, Watching movies on television, Listening to music, Walking with her dogs, Shopping at the local supermarket and shopping malls

"Audrey loved supermarkets and shopping malls, because when we were little... we had nothing. Walking into big supermarkets was a treat."
- Robert Wolders, her partner

_{Lisa Gutierrez, After Audrey, 29th October 1994, pg 25, Democrat and Chronicle.}

"That is an important thing because she always said she had a very close relationship with soil. In certain ways, you could say that my mother was a peasant at heart. She loved the garden to see her flowers - but also food - grow."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Wesley Yiin, Luca Dotti: Food comes in seasons, not cans and boxes, June 29th, 2015, Salon.com.}

Sources
Jane Wilkie, The Most Exciting New Star of 1953 – Audrey Hepburn, November 1953, Modern Screen Magazine.
Hal Boyle, February 16th, 1957, Audrey Hepburn's Charm Makes All Men Fall in Love with Her, The Courier News.
The Associated Press, December 21st, 1987. Audrey, 58, likes gardening, music, The Clarion-Ledger.

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DUTCH TREATS A LA AUDREY HEPBURN

ROME – Audrey Hepburn has learned to cook in five languages, but her favorite recipes are still those from her native Holland. “The Dutch treat that is a real treat to me is a bowl of good, filling Dutch soup with sausages swimming in it,” she said, closing her eyes like a child recalling remembered goodies.Audrey, who recently has been filming “The Nun’s Story” in Rome, explained that to her and her countrymen the expression “Dutch treat” has nothing to do with who pays the bill. To really “go Dutch” is to do something some very substantial eating.THE PRINCIPAL meal is at night and may start with oysters, mussels, herring or a thick soup. The Dutch pride themselves on heavy meat and chicken dishes, and have a deserved reputation for the best gravies in the world.The cheese course is a ritual with Edam, Leiden, Gouda and Alkmaar among the favorites. Then comes a pudding dessert, fruit and tea or coffee.Audrey is disappointed that her American husband, Mel Ferer, does not share her enthusiasm for the Dutch dessert called Gort met Preinen.When Audrey cooks Dutch style, these are some of her favorite recipes.

GORT MET PRUIMEN

Audrey: “It’s a wonderful porridge of groats with stewed prunes on it. Maybe you have to grow up with a dessert like that to appreciate it.”

ERWTENSOEP (DUTCH PEA SOUP)

Ingredients:
1 pound dried green peats
2 pig’s feet
½ pound beef sausages
4 leeks
1 stalk of celery
Salt

Instructions: Soak the peas in cold water for 12 hours. Drain and bring to a boil in 3 ½ quarts of water, adding salt. Turn the flame low and add the pig’s feet, chopped leeks, and chopped celery.Allow it to simmer for three to five hours, or until the pig’s feet are tender and the meat becomes detached from the bone. Add the sausages 30 minutes before serving.Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped raw leek and serve with toast strips.

HARINGSLA (HERRING SALAD)

Ingredients:
2 large uncooked salted herrings
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 large cooked beet
8 cooked potatoes
1 head lettuce, or 2 endives
2 sour apples
Picked onions
Gherkins
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons vinegar

Instructions: Skin and bone the fish and cut it into small pieces. Chop the cooked potatoes, the beet, the apple, and half of the lettuce or endive. Place in a large salad.Garnish with lettuce or endive leaves, onions, and gherkins. Dress with oil and vinegar, and finish with a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper.

FLAMERI

Ingredients:
¼ pound semolina
½ pound sugar
1 pint milk
3 tablespoons gelatin
3 eggs

Instructions: Cook the semolina in the milk. When it is well cooked, add the sugar.Remove from the fire and pour in the gelatin, which has been dissolved in a little warm water. Add the egg whites, stiffly beaten, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a pudding mold that you have passed under cold water. Cool in the refrigerator for one to two hours.“Serve this dessert swimming in strawberry sauce and good thick heavy cream,” advised Miss Hepburn, “and you will discover one reason why Dutch families are generally happy, peaceful, and contented.”

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TEATIME AND THE MENU

"She was always taking care of people."
- Leendert de Jong

BREAKFAST AND TEATIME

Bill Tusher met Audrey in dressing room 121 on the Paramount lot; her hair was unkempt, and she wore black ballet togs. Her red-headed secretary, Helen Goodman, ordered food from the commissary as Audrey slipped through a curtained French door. She reappeared in a few minutes with her hair styled—bangs neatly combed over her forehead—and dressed in a white blouse with red candy-striped matching sleeves and toreador pants.Audrey relaxed on a couch and picked up an English Gold Flake cigarettes that Director Billy Wilder gave her. While she smoked it in a cigarette holder, she proceeded to open up: “I have my faults like everyone else. Chocolate is one of my vices. Clothes are positively a passion with me. I love them to the point where it is practically a vice. I think I like them as much as I do chocolate. I love to shop for them, design them, wear them, look at them. I get excited about them. I sleep on them.”From the studio commissary, a white-coated waiter came in with a trayful of food and coffee. Audrey delightfully ate two boiled eggs and a red apple. During teatime, she had coffee with a generous amount of cold milk.

_{“Candy Pants Princess”
By Bill Tusher for Motion Picture February 1954}

SAVOUR EVERY BITE

Taking a small break from her Sabrina schedule, Audrey shares a pot of tea with a columnist in her small Paramount dressing room. The postman delivers a stack of fan mail: “Why, Miss Hepburn, didn’t know you were back. We missed you.” Remembering the boy’s name, she welcomingly replies, “It’s wonderful to be back, Billy.” He whistled off.The waiter, Herman, delivers rolling trays from a little restaurant across the street. He blushes and almost spills the tea when he asks for an autograph.“Tea, Herman,” Audrey offers. “How fine. Now we will be warm and friendly.”Though the tea was lukewarm, the tray’s main star were the Dutch cookies “from home,” Audrey says, enjoying the bites slowly and eating six. “I’m glad I like sweet things; I expect I’d be tubercular if I didn’t. But if I ate all I wanted, I’d break out. It just wouldn’t do. But I’m getting better. Now if I get a box of good chocolates, it will last awhile, maybe for two hours. I used to eat them without stopping until every last one was gone.”

_{"Knee-Deep In Stardust"
Photoplay Magazine April 1954}

CRÊPES SUZETTE

In 1955, Audrey and her husband Mel went to Paris for Paramount obligations to promote Sabrina. The couple ducked the paparazzi - much to their disappointment. Columnist Colette Maurie reported that the Ferrers craved the French dessert crêpes suzette and ordered them twice in different restaurants.On a Monday afternoon, Audrey and Mel met with New York Herald-Tribune columnist Art Buchwald at the La Crémaillère restaurant for dinner. Mel had a dozen oysters, half a chicken, and a platter of crêpes suzette, while Audrey had a bowl of consommé, salmon, and ice cream. The next day, they met with Monte Carlo Baby producer Ray Ventura at Berkeley’s. Audrey asked the chef to make crêpes suzettes and turned down Ventura’s proposal to star in Bonjour Tristesse since the lead was not sympathetic enough.

_{"Audrey Hepburn On The Run."
By Colette Maurier for Modern Screen Magazine June 1955}

A QUICK LUNCH

When Audrey was in her dressing room for the filming of Funny Face, she wore slacks and ate a fruit salad and sliced cold meat.

_{"Audrey's Harvest Of The Heart"
Photoplay Magazine September 1956}

LUNCHTIME WITH SOPHIA LOREN

In December of 1957, actress Sophia Loren and her husband Carlo Ponti visited their home in Bürgenstock, Switzerland. Their notable neighbors were their friends, the Ferrers. While Mel was away filming, Audrey invited Sophia for lunch. The chalet sits on a hill overlooking a lake, and the inside was decorated in all white with a few flowers arranged on the table with candles. “It was the height of elegance,” Sophia thought to herself. As well as Audrey, who dressed in all white and gave a tour of the house. The lunch was served on two plates: one with a leaf of lettuce and fresh cheese topped with raspberry compote, and the other with a bite-sized crisp roll. The help took away the plates. Audrey got up from the table and said, “I ate too much!” Sophia diplomatically agreed but made herself a sandwich as soon as she got home.

_{"Cary's Roses" Chapter 6, "Life Goes On" Passage
By Sophia Loren from Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life}

DUTCH TREATS

In 1958, Audrey was in Rome filming her role as Sister Luke in The Nun’s Story. She met with a reporter and reminisced about her favorite childhood meals in Holland: “The Dutch treat that is a real treat to me is a bowl of good, filling Dutch soup with sausages swimming in it.” She elaborated that to mean “Go Dutch” has nothing to do with paying the bill, but the expression relates to eating substantially.Here she shared her favorite Dutch recipes.

_{"Dutch Treats a la Audrey Hepburn"
Binghamton Press May 20th, 1958}

CAFFÈ GRECO

Audrey and Mel went on a little holiday in Rome, Italy, in 1958. They stroll through the parks and dine in the landmark Caffè Greco on the Via Condotti; it opened in 1760 with hundreds of notable customers: Charles Dickens, John Keats, Hans Christian Anderson, Mark Twain, and Casanova. The Ferrers order espresso served with sweet, wafer-thin pastry.

_{"Roamin' through Rome" Clippings, 1958}

ROUTINE OF AUGUST 1959

For Breakfast: Audrey would have two boiled eggs, one piece of seven-grain whole-wheat toast from a health-food store, and three or four cups of coffee laced with hot milk.For Lunch: Cottage cheese and fruit salad or yoghurt with raw vegetables.For Dinner: Meat and several cooked vegetables.As a Host: Audrey would personally prepare dinner either boiled beef and sauerkraut, or an appetizer of jellied fish, or an apple souffle for dessert. She would arrange the table flowers and usually chooses the records to play throughout the meal.

_{"Audrey Hepburn"
By Eleanor Harris for Good Housekeeping August 1959}

HOMEMADE BUTTER

A publicist for the film epic War and Peace recalled meeting Audrey for the first time: “I’ll never forget the shock of first meeting Audrey. I was helping, in 1956, to publicize the movie War and Peace, which was being shot in Rome with Audrey and Mel Ferrer as co-stars. I’d never met Miss Hepburn, but I had a strong preconception of what she would be like. Haughty. Aristocratic. Remote. I was very apprehensive about meeting her.”He and his wife were driving in Rome to the house the Ferrers had rented. The path they were on turned off on a dirt road through the orchards and pastures overlooking Anzio Beach and stopped in front of a small farmhouse. Two people came out of the house; it was the Ferrers. Audrey was jumping with excitement, dressed in a black sweater, black slacks, and tennis shoes. “I’m so happy to meet you,” she said. “Welcome to our home!”“Inside, she made drinks for us. She never stopped chirping and bubbling.” When it was time for dinner, the appetizers were brought on a breadboard with a knife and a loaf of brown bread. Audrey sliced each piece of bread with home-churned butter for her guest.“It was much more than a ceremony. It was a warm, personal gesture of hospitality. I learned then, and later, that Audrey is the most un-actressy actress I’ve ever known,” the publicist reminisced.

_{"The Delightful Riddle of Audrey Hepburn"
By Rowland Barber for Good Housekeeping August 1962}

NEW YEAR'S EVE

The Ferrers held a dinner party at their rented chateau in France on New Year’s Eve in 1963. There were a pair of eight couples:Mel Ferrer and Audrey Hepburn
Director Stanley Donen and his wife, Adelle O'Connor Beatty
Screenwriter Peter Stone and his wife, Mary Hanley Stone
Actor Cary Grant and his girlfriend, Dyan CannonIt was a glamorous evening, but it was quite tense since every couple was “arguing a bit” and “nobody was in great humor.” Servants wore white gloves and served large baked potatoes and separate bowls for the sour cream and Russian caviar from a five-pound tin provided by Grant.

_{"Chapter 5: Huckleberry Friend (1958 - 1962)"
Barry Paris Biography}

MY FAIR LADY MEETING

Audrey arrived from Switzerland to meet costume designer Cecil Beaton, film director George Cukor, and screenwriter Alan Jay Lerner to discuss how to proceed with My Fair Lady, especially Audrey's vocal capabilities. On a Saturday, May 18th, 1963, they visited Audrey’s rented house, which was described as large, white, and cool. Audrey’s son, Sean, then two years old, was present at teatime, as were his Italian nanny Gina, and ‘two smiling girls’ who served tea and homemade apricot-jam rolls.

_{"My Fair Lady"
By Cecil Beaton for Ladies Home Journal February 1964}

DIVERSION HIGH TEA

In 1967, Audrey felt uneasy about the gossip of an affair between her and co-star Albert Finney in Two for the Road, so she invited the press to her home for an English-style “high tea.” Served on silverware were crescent-shaped cucumber sandwiches and pink and white petit fours. The only beverage in the teacups was tea; there was no alcohol in sight. Audrey dressed in orange wool with only her wedding ring as jewelry. She charmed the room and expressed how her great husband, Mel Ferrer, would be producing her next film, Wait Until Dark.

_{"The New Audrey"
By D. Audrey Judge for the Ladies' Home Journal January 1976}

FRENCH BY CENTRAL PARK

Early June of 1980, Audrey traveled to New York to film They All Laughed. Reporter Michiko Kakutani met with Audrey and her press agent at Café Pierrer to talk about the picture, which eventually led to discussions of acting instincts versus technique, key notes when preparing for a role, as well as her wartime experience. The cafe's ambience was elegant; the walls were dusky pink that reflected the glow of candles, and live musicians played a sarabande. Audrey had ordered mint chocolates, macarons, and a tea set that was filled with mint tea, one of her favorites.

_{"Audrey Hepburn credits directors with her acting success"
By Michiko Kakutani for the Austin American-Statesman, Sunday, 15 June 1980}

DEPARTING LA PAISIBLE

Leendert de Jong of The Hague's Filmhouse and his friend were guest of La Paisible, Audrey Hepburn's beloved home and santuary. They had to leave on a Sunday.Audrey: “I’ll make you lunch so you can eat it on your way.”They declined her offer, hoping not to trouble her. However, Audrey persisted.Audrey: “No, no—what do you like on your bread?”Leendert de Jong requested cheese and butter while his friend asked for no butter. She handed them two Chanel bags, they thanked her and kissed goodbye. Curiously, halfway to Venice, they took a quick stop and opened the bags. Inside were real glasses and two pieces of paper, one with Leendert de Jong's name and the other was his friend's: with and without butter.

_{"Chapter 9: Dutch Treat (1980 - 1989)"
Barry Paris Biography}

MOTHER AND SON

“During the last years of her life, this morning interlude was also a time for confidences. If Sean and I were at La Paisible, breakfast would be in the kitchen's office. She would come downstairs in her robe, and while having a madeleine and a cup of caffe latte, almost unconsciously, small talk would turn into a confession. One day she uneasily told me about the painful circumstances of her separation from my father. I learned to know her better at the breakfast table."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{By Luca Dotti
Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, June 16th, 2015, Harper.}

• Back

GLOSSARY

An alphabetical list of interesting facts about Audrey sourced from interviews, articles, and books.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

A - F

A

AFTER AUDREY

Her first husband, Mel Ferrer.
He was married to Elizabeth Soukhotine from 1971 until his death in 2008. Mel ventured to the farm business and looked after his avocado ranch and lemon trees in Santa Barbara, California. He was a guest editorial writer for the Architectural Digest March 2006 issue and wrote about his time with Audrey in the late 50s. Esteemed director, Fred Zinnemann, recognized his presence as an actor, “Mel had this ability to hold a scene without saying a word. He could make the camera fall in love with him, and that’s not something many actors can do.” Leslie Caron, his co-star from Lili, thought of him fondly: “He was understated in everything he did. Mel didn’t need to shout or demand attention; he simply drew you in with his presence. We made magic on set, and I’ll always treasure that.”Columnist of Variety, Army Archerd, who knew Mel since the 1950s, reached out to him in April of 2008. His son, Mark Ferrer, informed him, "Mel would have loved to see you again. He was so happy to talk to you on the phone—but he suddenly failed on Sunday.” Two months later, Mel passed away, and his old friend, Archerd, would pass on a year later in September of 2009.His granddaughter, Emma Ferrer, remembers him with endearment: “He was really a kind and caring person, and he loved her [Audrey] deeply." At the Intimate Audrey exhibition curated by their son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, there was a video showing Mel speaking lovingly of her, "My father cries in the video. To me it has a special meaning."Her second husband, Andrea Dotti.
After Audrey's passing, he made a personal request that the UN Headquarters' tribute to Audrey play her favorite song. Andrea never remarried and only has one child, which was with Audrey. He continued to teach as a professor at the Sapienza University of Rome, or "La Sapienza," and treat his patients. People who knew Andrea commend him for "his kindness and understanding of human weakness" and for being an avid art collector. He passed away from pancreatitis in 2007.Her partner, Robert Wolders.
From 1994 to 1995, he dated actress Leslie Caron, a dear friend of Audrey's. Afterward, he begun a relationship with Shirlee Fonda, widow of actor Henry Fonda."After I lost Audrey I came back here [USA] because I had so many friends from the early years, from the ‘60s, when I first came here. Unfortunately many of them have died, but because of Merle and Audrey, I met so many people. And then, several years after I lost Audrey, one of my great friends had been Hank Fonda and his wife, who I met when I first came here. And Shirley, his widow, and I started living together fourteen years ago. And the odd thing is that Shirley was a great friend of Audrey, and a great friend of Merle. In the same circle. Maybe it sounds odd. They were friends, each one, and I knew that Merle would have approved of me being with Audrey certainly, instead of becoming the extra man. And Audrey would have approved of Shirley. So now I’m the step-father to Jane and Peter. (laughs) I’m kidding, I’m kidding, because Shirley and I are not married. But in a sense; Jane’s son calls me grandpa."Robert passed away in 2018.

_{Source: CNN Larry King Live, December 24, 2003; Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper; Henry C. Parke, LAREDO’S ROBERT WOLDERS REMEMBERS, February 26, 2012, Henry's Western Round-up; Paul John Caña, Audrey Hepburn's Son Says These Hollywood Actresses Remind Him of His Mother, August 7, 2023, Esquire Magazine Ph; Andrea Dotti, October 6, 2007, The Times; Helena Coan, 2020, Audrey: More Than An Icon, Salon Pictures, XYZ Films.}

ANDY WARHOL

In 1973, artist Andy Warhol took these polaroids of Audrey in her home.

ASTROLOGY

In 1976 with McCall Magazine that includes a dialogue exchange between Audrey and her second husband, Dr. Andrea Dotti.Andrea: "She's a perfectionist, with a strong need for security. She must have matters under control and she's afraid of surprises. For example, if she has to go to Geneva next month, she buys the ticket now. I do it the day before, and maybe then I'll change my mind and go to Sardinia..."Audrey: "No, love, you wouldn't fly off anywhere, because for Sardinia there's always a waiting list."Andrea: "We're good for each other. We compensate. I'm a curious Pisces and she's Taurus with both feet on the ground. That's very good for a marriage..." (Pauses with twinkle in his light-gray eyes) "But for a love affair Cancer is best."Audrey: (Coolly) "How exciting. Do tell us more."Andrea: (Still amused) "Something else. She's composed of categories, like boxes. It's either good or bad. It can be done or it can't. In between, we don't discuss. That's good, too, since it makes for great mental economy."Audrey: (laughing) "Of course!"

AUTOGRAPH

"Julia Roberts was dating Daniel Day-Lewis at the time, and we asked Julia to receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award [1993] for my mother, who was already sick. She did and sent it and asked if she could have an autographed picture. So I got it from my mother, put it in the FedEx, and sent it to Julia. But they broke up a few weeks later, and then we got letters from both of them, ‘We never received that photograph from Miss Hepburn.’ And I got a copy of the FedEx invoice; the photograph was delivered, and then she passed away. Both of them were so crazy about my mother that one of them took the photograph and didn’t tell the other one, and they both acted like, ‘I didn’t do it!’ Pretty cute…"
- Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her son_{Note: Julia Roberts and Daniel Day-Lewis are massive fans of Audrey's. Read more about it on the Legacy section.}

_{Source: Sean Hepburn Ferrer talks about Audrey Hepburn: The actress, the mother, the style icon and the humanitarian, December 8, 2016, Film Talk.}

B

BALLET

Audrey fell in love with ballet after seeing a performance from the prestigious Sadler’s Wells; that very night, she was determined to be a ballerina. The next day, the Nazis invaded.

BELIEFS

Audrey’s mother was a Christian Scientist; therefore, she was raised as one as well. In later years, Audrey's faith has changed: “I am no longer a Christian Scientist, but I believe in something in the strength, maybe, of the human spirit.”Not long before her passing, Audrey told Robert, "My only religion is a belief in nature."

BLEPHAROPLASTY

The transcript:At 60, she is the definition of the classic woman of a certain age: dark hair pulled back against a pale, translucent face that has defied its years by virtue of high, delicate cheekbones. Age signs with a few gray strands and gentle wrinkles.There has been no face lift, although she says she had bags removed from beneath her eyes while in her 30s.“Maybe it’s time,” she says, framing her angular jaw with long, bony fingers on hands that move just jerkily enough to suggest the teen-ager long gone. The walk, too, is coltish. Hepburn seems timeless – almost ethereal – save for the worrisome thinness.

_{Source: Jane Woolridge, Audrey Hepburn, January 7, 1990, The Sunday Times.}

BREAKFAST IN BED

Luca Dotti, her youngest son, recalled that his mother would reward herself with breakfast in bed after a trip or a Sunday. The tray would have homemade madeleines, quince jelly, or cherry jam, toast, coffee, milk, butter, a small rose from the garden in a tiny vase, and the International Herald Tribune newspaper.

_{Source: Luca Dotti, June 16th, 2015, Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen, Harper.}

C

CHILDHOOD BOOKS

The Intimate Audrey Exhibit Manila had some of her personal library on display, including her childhood books: Fairy Tales Of The Allied Nations (1916) by Edmund Dulac, Rip Van Winkle by Arthur Rackham, and The Story Without an End by Sarah Austin.

CHOCOLATE

Audrey loves chocolate so much that it has been a lifelong obsession. “If I see a box of chocolates, and I’m afraid I’d gain five pounds. I fight it. If I tear down the string on that box of candy, I’ll eat it. So, I don’t open it, and fight my emotions. I guess it’s a basic form of insecurity."

CRAZY HORSE

In 1959, Audrey and her husband, Mel Ferrer, travelled to Paris for a Harper's BAZAAR photoshoot where art director Henry Wolf was responsible for the backstage images and Richard Avedon for the main photoshoot. Upon Audrey's request, Wolf reserved a table at Crazy Horse—one of the most famous burlesque shows in all the world. When one of the dancers recognized Audrey, she nearly dropped her fans.

_{Source: Pamela Keogh, What Would Audrey Do?: Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style, April 7, 2009, Avery.}

CREATURE OF INSTINCT

“Pick the day. Enjoy it – to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come. The war may have had something to do with my enjoyment of the moment. The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present – and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future.”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1963

CROOKED TEETH

“Two of them in the front were very crooked, and one cast a terrible shadow on the next, so when I was making a film they slipped a little cap on it, but we were always losing the cap, and everyone would be looking for it for an hour and holding up the movie. So, finally, I did the Hollywood thing and had my teeth properly capped.”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1991

_{Source: James Brady, In Step With: Audrey Hepburn, March 3, 1991, Parade Magazine.}

D

DINTY MOORE'S

During the duration of her Broadway roles in Gigi and Ondine, Audrey had her go-to restaurant, which happened to be Dinty Moore’s. In 1951, she dined with reporter Marion Kelley at Dinty Moore's and ordered orange juice, a sirloin steak ground and topped with a poached egg, green vegetables, coffee, rolls, and coffee ice cream. The reporter Earl Wilson visited Audrey’s dressing room for the scoop on Ondine and asked her preference for restaurants. She beamed, “I eat a great deal at Dinty Moore’s, always the red meat department!” For the closing night of Ondine, Audrey and Mel Ferrer arranged a party for the cast and crew at Dinty Moore’s. They told the management to close the bar and announce curfew by 12:30, so the show could end ten minutes later than usual. The party lasted for an hour.

DIVINE

Audrey often use the word "divine" to describe an outcome she's happy with.

DRAWING THE LINE

Here are instances where it shows Audrey would make it known if the inquirer took it too far.Audrey always made a rule not to discuss salary.
Journalist Wanda Hale had brought up the fact that a columnist reported that she received a million-dollar salary for My Fair Lady. Audrey snapped, “I don’t know where that woman gets her information.” Wanda noticed the tone and didn’t press further, but finds it agreeable that if she was asked about her how much she was paid to write, she wouldn’t answer it either.
_{Wanda Hale, How Awful About Audrey!, Motion Picture May 1964.}Responding to Invasive Questions.
A columnist started to get sharper with her questions and asked, “If Mel wished it, would you forsake your career?” Audrey paused and then answered, "If you'll forgive me, it's not a fair question." But she answered to the best of her ability.Anything Regarding Her Sons was Endgame.
The boarding school principal angrily reported to Audrey that her son Luca kissed a girl. Audrey asked about his studies. “Oh yes, his grades are excellent.” Then Audrey replied, “OK, Madame, please understand this. You are to take care of Luca’s scholastic education, and I’ll take care of his life education.” She hung up the phone.
_{Robert Matzen, Warrior: Audrey Hepburn, September 28, 2021, GoodKnight Books.}

DREAM CO-STAR

“I’d have loved to have done a movie with Jimmy Stewart because we’ve known each other for so many years, and I’ve always had an enormous rapport with him, I’d have loved to have made a picture with Philippe Noiret, and I’d have liked to have done a picture with [Vittorio] de Sica... He wanted to do Camille, but I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t dare follow Garbo’s footsteps.”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1991

DUTCH PRIDE

Audrey was born in Belgium with an Irish father and a Dutch mother; through her father, she has a British passport. A few times she referred to herself as European and a "British Subject," but she mostly identified herself as Dutch and had a sense of pride and camaraderie with her fellow Dutchmen."Robbie is totally Dutch. The two of us discovered how much pride we had in our roots and the respect we had for the Dutch... They've always had an immensely practical and courageous way of dealing with things. They're not fussers, they're solid and very liberal."
- Audrey Hepburn, 1991

_{Source: Alan Riding, April 12, 1991, New York Times.}

E

EDITOR JACKIE O

After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the former first lady remarried her long-time friend Aristotle Onassis in 1968, but he, too, passed away in 1975. She found solace in working as an editor. Through The New York Times Magazine, Jackie met and collaborated with graphic designer Ruth Ansel.Through Ruth’s connections, she was able to get Audrey’s number through Richard Avedon. Ruth called Audrey on the prospect of working on a biography and conveyed that Jackie would be editing, though Audrey provided false hope by saying that she should finally be sharing stories with her grandchildren. Unknowing that Audrey detests talking about herself, Ruth excitedly relayed the conversation with Jackie; instead of getting down to business, she commented on Audrey’s love life, which appeared to be based on tabloid spectacle.Jackie did not proceed with working with Audrey and moved on to the next assignment.

_{Source: William Kuhn, Jackie Stories: Eight Friends of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, May 29, 2021, Montgomery Street Press.}

F

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

When the Dottis had a family movie night, Andrea chose to screen Love in the Afternoon, which surprised little Luca: “Suddenly, there was my mother kissing Gary Cooper. I remember perfectly because I was so embarrassed, and 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.”

_{Source: Liz McNeil, 'I Didn't Know My Mother Was Audrey Hepburn': Her Son Reveals the Star's Private Side, June 19, 2015, People.}

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

GLOSSARY

An alphabetical list of interesting facts about Audrey sourced from interviews, articles, and books.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

G - L

G

GARLIC

Audrey used garlic in some of her recipes, even though she was not the biggest fan of it. Her first husband, Mel Ferrer, and her mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, were allergic to garlic.

_{Source: Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, 1996, Penguin Publishing Group.}

GODDAUGHTERS

She has two goddaughters from her brother Ian's Yvonne and best friend Doris Brynner’s Victoria. Fun fact: Victoria’s other godparents are Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

GOOGLE

On the fourth of May 2014, Google Doodle paid tribute to Audrey Hepburn’s 85th birthday.

Artist Jennifer Hom was selected to work on this project; “Finding the right solution for someone as timeless as Audrey proved a tricky task,” Hom explains in a Google blog post. “Not only was she a classically beautiful actress, she also dedicated her life to philanthropy. I wanted to show both sides of her life’s work.”

GROWTH IN ACCEPTANCE

"I still feel I could lose everything at any moment. But the greatest victory has been to be able to live with myself, to accept my shortcomings... I'm a long way from the human being I'd like to be. But I've decided I'm not so bad after all."
- Audrey Hepburn, 1989

_{Source: Edward Klein, One Woman's Search for Love: A Profile of Audrey Hepburn, March 5, 1989, Parade.}

H

HANDYWOMAN

XXXXX

_{Source: Hello.}

HERMÈS KELLY

Glenda Bailey, former editor of Harper’s BAZAAR of 19 years, on winning Audrey’s Hermès bag:“I met Audrey twice. She had the most tremendous grace, incredible strength, courage and a real sense of daring. I was fortunate to win a chocolate-brown Hermès Kelly bag of hers at an auction for UNICEF - it’s one of my treasured possessions. I remember when I opened it up for the first time, hidden inside was a pair of her long suede gloves. It was my Cinderella moment. I wear them and love carrying the bag, too.”Glenda Bailey selected Audrey’s granddaughter, Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer, to be on the Harper’s BAZAAR prestigious September cover, 2014. Photographed by Richard Avedon's grandson, Michael Avedon.

I

INTERVIEW SET-UP

“I had a series of set-side talks with Audrey Hepburn. She leaned against a leaning board, one of those diagonal people-props, so as not to rumble a bejeweled Beaton ball gown. I sat below on a folding chair, so as to have a thigh for my notebook. Audrey asked whether it made me uncomfortable to have my subject above me. I said no, then asked whether a tape recorder would make her uncomfortable. It might inhibit her, she allowed; it was constraining enough to see everything being written down.”
- Art Seidenbaum, 1964

INNER FORTRESS

Audrey was a deeply private person; even among good friends and colleagues, she would have a protective wall and draw boundaries of what and what not to share.

The director, Stanley Donen, who worked with Audrey in Funny Face (1957), Charade (1963), and Two for the Road (1967), was drawn to her and tried to be close with her.Stanley Donen: “[Audrey] had polished her personality until it didn’t have a rough spot anywhere. But there was another, hidden part of her persona. With all of her manners, she kept me from getting totally intimate. So, I longed to get closer, to get behind whatever was the invisible but decidedly present barrier between her and the rest of us mere mortal human beings. Something, some unseen screen, was there, holding me back from getting as close as I wanted. That barrier made her all the more desirable. I don’t mean to imply that I thought she was playing a game with me. But she always kept a little part of herself in reserve, which was hers alone, and I couldn’t ever find out what it was, let alone share it with her.”

_{Source: Pamela Keogh, What Would Audrey Do?: Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style, April 7, 2009, Avery.}

At the height of her career in film, she was a client of the famous Parisian hair salon of Alexandre. He recommended his former assistant, Sergio Russo, when she moved to Rome. They spoke in Italian on various topics of remodeling of the house, gardening, and birds, but never really dove in personally about herself.Sergio Russo: “She was not chatty about her personal feelings. She was British in that way—friendly, kind, but with that reserve of ‘Don’t get too close to me.’”

_{Source: Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, 1996, Penguin Publishing Group.}

INTROVERT

"The last thing you want to be in acting is an introvert, which I am. I’ve never loved to perform. Oh, I liked it beforehand—all the preparation—and I liked it afterward, if it went well. But the thing itself is scary!”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1989

_{Source: Edward Klein, Audrey Hepburn is sophisticated, charming, feminine–and vulnerable, March 5, 1989, Parade Magazine.}

IRONDEQUOIT MALL

"It's the most beautiful one I've ever seen!" Audrey exclaimed. "Can we go?"Robert Wolder's brother-in-law, Dr. Glegg, remembered her "teenager's pleasure there—and she looked like a teenager, too, in her jeans and sweater."_{Note: The Irondequoit Mall, located in the suburb of Rochester, New York, opened on March 1, 1990, and had stores such as McCurdy's, Sibley's, J.C. Penney, and Sears. It closed on February 2, 2009, and it is in development as Skyview on the Ridget.}

_{Source: Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, 1996, Penguin Publishing Group; Wikipedia.}

J

JAPANESE WIG COMMERCIALS

_{Video courtesy by Timeless Audrey.}

Since her Hollywood debut in Roman Holiday, Audrey has been highly regarded as a national treasure in Japan. The Japanese wig company, Varie, reached out to her and agreed to pay $100,000 for two days of work shooting video campaigns in Rome. As part of the contract, Varie agreed to her condition that the commercials would never be televised outside of Japan.

JAZZ

She once boasted of having over a hundred records by Brahms and Beethoven, including those by Benny Goodman, Mel Powell, and Jerry Mulligan.“I like jazz best now. It makes me want to move. But I was stiff as a poker as a jazz dancer, always offbeat on the simplest syncopation. That was all gradually broken down. I’m so lucky to be married to Mel Ferrer, who is such a good dancer and adores jazz.”
- Audrey Hepburn, 1956

JULIE ANDREWS

Julie Andrews had no film background when Jack Warner, the president of Warner Bros. Studios, was in the process of selecting the role of Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. Though Julie originated the role on Broadway, Warner wants a leading lady with guaranteed box office numbers; his first choice was Audrey Hepburn. Though Audrey advocated for Julie at a dinner with Warner, he gave her an ultimatum: either play Eliza Doolittle or the role goes to someone else.In 1965, Julie Andrews told columnist Sidney Skolsky that, "If anybody but Audrey Hepburn had been given the Eliza Doolittle role in Fair Lady, I would have been disappointed, angry..."

On the first episode of her televised series, The Julie Andrews Hour, Julie addressed it with her Eliza Doolittle.Julie Andrews: "... I missed you!"Elizabeth Doolittle: "If you missed me so much, how come didn't you play me in the movie?"Julie Andrews: "They made a movie? Actually, I thought Audrey Hepburn did very well by you. Besides, I was busy making Mary Poppins for Walt Disney—so there!"At the Oscars, Audrey told her, "Julie, you really should have done My Fair Lady... but I didn't have the guts to turn it down." Soon after, they became good friends. Since Julie and her husband, Blake Edwards, spent a lot of time in Gstaad, Switzerland, during Christmas time, they often spent it with Audrey._{Note: It was an annual routine for Audrey to spend Christmas in Switzerland. The only time she has not was when she was living in Rome as Señora Dotti.}

_{Source: Sidney Skolsky, The Man Julie Andrews Can Never Forgive, Pageant Magazine May 1965.}

K

KENNETH JAY LANE

Audrey loved Kenneth Jay Lane’s four clover crystal earrings so much that she owned a few in different variations. At a film function, Audrey once pointed at the largest piece of jewelry on Elizabeth Taylor.Audrey: "Kenny Lane?"Elizabeth: "No, Richard Burton."And they roared with laughter.

L

LANGUAGES

The first language she learned was French.
In March 7th, 1987 there was an interview where Audrey Hepburn presented the César Award for Best Actor.
Interviewer: “Where did you learn to speak our language (French) so well?”
Audrey: “I don’t know about this. In the end, it was my first language. Because as a child, I don’t know, I directly spoke French. Moreover, I was born in Belgium and then the Dutch, the English came and so on.”Linguist.
"My mother spoke French or Italian at home and was fluent in Dutch, German and English."
- Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her sonTimeline.
1. "For eight formative years (1939 to 1947), I spoke Dutch. My mother is Dutch, my father English, but I was born in Belgium. So I had heard English and Dutch inside our house and French outside," said Audrey.2. Educated in Kent, England from 1936 to 1939, her primary language was English.3. The family moved to Holland in 1940. Baroness Ella van Heemstra wanted Audrey to brush up her Dutch quickly so the Nazis won't pick up that Audrey is an British citizen. "I didn't even speak the way other youngsters did. I was all stilted and shy." Audrey recalled fellow classmates roaring with laughter when she spoke, but reflected that the experience was a great way to learn the language.4. During Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1945, Audrey had picked up the German language from school. Her mother, Ella, was fluent in the language before pre-war days.5. Audrey learned some Italian while filming Roman Holiday. She really became familiar with the language when an Italian nanny, Gina, was hired in the Ferrers household.6. Mel Ferrer was fluent in French and Spanish, and both bought a home in Madrid, Spain. Her environment propelled her to advance in learning and speaking Spanish.In both marriages at home, Audrey mostly spoke Italian.
"His [Sean] first language is Italian, the language spoken in our home, the language of his nanny and our Italian cook. Mel and I hadn't confused him by trying to make him speak two languages while he was so young."
- Audrey Hepburn, 1963Multitasking Lingual.
A respected columnist named Art Seidenbaum followed Audrey during the filming of My Fair Lady, and he noticed how trilingual the Ferrer household was; Audrey speaks to her son Sean in Italian, her husband in English, and her Yorkie Assam in French.Runs in the Family
Her father, Joseph, spoke 13 languages.
Her first husband, Mel, spoke 5 languages.
Her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, speaks Italian, French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese.Dutch Accent.
“Her Dutch was heavenly, the most palatable I ever heard—the kind spoken prior to the war, learned from her mother and grandfather.”
- Robert Wolders

SIR LAURENCE OLIVIER

Considers Laurence Olivier one of the greatest actors and called him a "talent virtuoso."

LEFT SIDE

Audrey prefers being photographed on her left side. A columnist commented that she couldn't possibly have a bad side. "Oh, I do," she protests. "I mean, I have a better side."

LILI

Audrey loved the 1953 film Lili, so much so that she went to see it three times in theater. Unknowingly, the male lead, Mel Ferrer, would become her husband, and the leading lady would compete with her for the Best Actress category at the Oscars. Audrey would end up winning the golden statue.

LIP AUTOGRAPH

A collection of nearly a hundred ‘lipographs’ of famous actors and actresses was donated by Felicity Bosanquet to aid the Diamond Jubilee of the Save the Children Fund. Famous lips include Audrey Hepburn (pictured above), Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Mae West, Farrah Fawcett, David Bowie, Olivia Newton-John, and Christopher Reeve. The pieces were auctioned off at Sotheby’s on June 18th, 1979, and raised $15,000. The money went to healthcare for children in 50 developing countries.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

GLOSSARY

An alphabetical list of interesting facts about Audrey sourced from interviews, articles, and books.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

M - R

M

MARLON BRANDO

On the 27th of October 1955, Paramount hosted a dinner in honor of Prince Albert of Belgium, where Marlon and Audrey sat near each other; she greeted him with "Hello," but Marlon ignored her the entire time. Rumor has it that Marlon Brando turned down War and Peace because he refused to work with Audrey.Forty years later, Audrey told a mutual friend that she thought he shunned her. Marlon got wind of it and wrote her a letter explaining that he was in awe of her and that she left him speechless. He was too shy to answer her.

_{Source: Sean Hepburn Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit, 2003, Atria Books.}

MONEY CLIP GIFT TO CAST & CREW

Audrey gifted sterling silver money clips engraved “Merci De Audrey” to the production staff of How to Steal a Million. The gift was made in France with a French hallmark.

MONKEY ATTACK

During the filming of The Nun's Story in the Belgian Congo, the monkey that played Sister Luke's treehouse pet had aggressively bitten Audrey's arm.
_{Note: At the time of the filming, the Belgian Congo was a Belgian colony, and it gained independence in 1960. Now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.}

MOON RIVER

Composer Henry Mancini wrote the melody of "Moon River" within half an hour after watching her sing "How Long Has This Been Going On?" in Funny Face.Director Blake Edwards remembered that the song was almost taken out of the film, "When I saw the film for the first time with an audience, we were... went preview, and the head of the company [Paramount] then said, 'Well, I'll tell you one thing—we can get rid of that song.' Fortunately, Audrey stood and said, 'Over my dead body'."The song went on to win Best Original Song at the 34th Academy Awards and at the 1962 Grammy Awards, bringing two of the prestigious Big Four awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year.Prominent covers of the song include those by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Brightman, Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand, and Liz Calloway.

_{Source: Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic, February 7, 2006; Jane O'Brien, The history of Henry Mancini's Moon River, June 9, 2015, BBC.}

MORNING WRITER

In the early 1960s, Audrey would write letters of thank you, of news, and of necessity, even at 5:30 in the morning. She writes to her mother, who lived in San Francisco at the time; to her stepchildren from Mel's previous marriages; to friends such as the Brynners and Pecks; and to old and new friends. The habit had stayed with her for the rest of her life; her guest, Leendert de Jong, stayed in her home, La Paisible, in 1989. He noticed that she gets up early in the morning and answers letters in her white dressing gown.

MY FAIR LADY MAKE-UP

For Audrey’s role as the poor flower seller in My Fair Lady, she has Vaseline and Fuller’s earth in her hair, grease and grime on her face, and black clay under her nails.

N

NAME CHANGE? DENIED!

A Paramount executive casually asked Audrey, “By the way, you don’t mind changing your name, do you? Avoid confusion with Katharine Hepburn.”“Change my name!” exclaimed Audrey, “Of course I won’t.”

NERVES PICK-ME UPS

Television producer and director, Karen Cadle, reached out to Audrey to be interviewed for the Hour Magazine program (1980–1988). “We met at a Los Angeles hotel,” Cadle recollects. “I thought she was a remarkable woman, but I also found her shy, introverted, quiet, and a bit scared about the idea of coming on the program. Of all the stars and all the notable persons we booked over eight years, she was the most anticipated person of all.”Audrey went to the studio, and right before they started taping, she nervously went to Cadle, “I just need two things: a cup of coffee and—do you have any bourbon?”

_{Source: Donald Spoto, Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, October 9, 2007, Crown; Karen Cadle International.}

NICKNAMES

Audrey received several endearing nicknames from family and friends.In her childhood in Holland, her family affectionately referred to her as Adriaantje. As a little student in Kent, she is known as Little Audrey. Her father calls her Monkey Puzzle due to her unique and aloof personality. As an adult, when she writes to her father, sometimes she signs off as M.P., an abbreviation of his nickname for her. Sean Hepburn Ferrer, her son with Mel Ferrer, would affectionately call her My Mutti, meaning "little mother" in Swiss-German. A childhood friend who gave her very first tap-dance lesson notices her little dimple, and calls her Rimple.Her close friend Doris Brynner names her Square because that was how Audrey described the shape of her face; Connie Wald, wife of producer Jerry Wald, refers to her as Ruby.Katharine Hepburn, who bears the same surname, referred to Audrey as My Daughter. Humphrey Bogart describes her as elfin; Both Rex Harrison and Peter O’Toole calls her Aud, though Peter has an inside joke nickname for her—Duke of Buckingham, Albert Finney teased her as tawdry Audrey or Audrey Sunburn, and The Rat Pack dubbed her The Princess.

NUDE

On Larry King Live, April 1989.Larry: "Did you ever do a film where it was just..."Audrey: "Just for the money?"Larry: "Yes."Audrey: "I went to work years ago just for the money, because I had to. I had to survive. But I was one of the lucky ones. I chose a profession which I liked, and I was terribly fortunate in being discovered by William Wyler, and from then on, went into such quality movies that I was able to accept them for the joy of doing them. And I would have been crazy if I hadn't."Larry: "Would you have done a nude scene?"Audrey: "Would I have undressed in a movie? Certainly not in those days, and I never had the figure to do it. I think people think nothing of it now."Larry: "A little joshing there."Audrey: "I think my mother would have had a fit, let alone my grandfather."

O

ONDINE DIY

Audrey contributed greatly to her makeup and clothing in her role as Ondine; she designed two of her three costumes herself, especially the attention-receiving fish net outfit. She also created a “blue make-up powder” to blend with her blue costume and a “creamy make-up powder” to blend with her white outfit. To complete the elfin look, she made the two-pointed ears out of plastic, and the makeup artist Eddie Senz decorated them with gold. It was deemed vital that she be blonde for her character, so she tried on a wig that she deemed “stuffy,” “hot,” and “horrible.” Even worse, she thought “it looked dead in the back.” Audrey found a solution: she sprinkled gold powder on her hair.

ORANGE CATS

After the splendid success of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, there was a large demand for orange cats among animal rescues and pet stores everywhere.

ORGANIZER

Biographer mentions her habit.Vintage article of the hotel routine.Robert After.

P

PEARLS

Audrey did not indulge in much jewelry except for pearls:"What she really loved were pearls because of their purity, the fact that they were made by nature."
- Luca Dotti, her son

_{Source: Christie's}

PHILOSOPHY

Audrey always had the jitters on the first day of working on a film; she fears the unknown, though she gains a certain philosophy instead of confidence.Interviewer: “And what is that philosophy?”Audrey: “To accept life the way it comes, to like life even when it deals blows; the blows are a part of life. More and more, one lives by the day and doesn’t expect too much. The great essential is a sense of humor."

PIANO

Audrey Hepburn played the entire piano in the opening scene of the 1987 television film Love Among Thieves. When she was a child, her aunts encouraged her to have piano lessons, which she did.

_{Source: Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, 1996, Penguin Publishing Group.}

Q

QUAINT IMPRESSION

"At the time (mid-1960s), Kay Brown was in semiretirement, and I manned the office alone in the morning. One morning I received a call from a 'Mrs. Ferrer,' saying that Miss Brown had suggested she call so that I could arrange house seats for her to see Ingrid Bergman in More Stately Mansions on Broadway. My first thought was, 'Why is Rosemary Clooney calling about More Stately Mansions?' (She was then married to Jose Ferrer, the actor). I then realized I was speaking to Audrey Hepburn, who was Mrs. Mel Ferrer, and although I was used to celebrities and rather blasé, my heart skipped a beat. Like most of the other 20-somethings of my day, I idolized her.""When she came to our office a few days later, I was not disappointed. She arrived alone and was warm and natural and thanked me for arranging the tickets. She was in her late 30s at the time but looked about 20. She was much taller than I had realized and was dressed entirely in brown: brown dress and shearling coat, with brown suede boots and purse. She looked and seemed more Givenchy than Holly Golightly. When she left, she refused to be accompanied to her car and breezed off to the elevator by herself.""I'll never forget how impressed I was by Audrey Hepburn. She was the delightful image she presented on the screen. Being yourself, I thought, that is real style."- Susan Miller London from Metuchen, New Jersey

_{Source: Susan Miller London, Memories of Hepburn, May 16, 1999, New York Times.}

R

RAIN

She once listed as "rain" as something she likes.

RALPH LAUREN'S GIFT

Audrey Hepburn’s granddaughter, Emma Ferrer, owns a white linen teddy bear that was a gift to Audrey from Ralph Lauren. Since the 80s up until her passing, she always had this teddy bear in her dressing room. It is one of Emma’s most prized possessions, as “it’s the personal, intimate, and sometimes cute and cuddly things that can mean even more.”

_{Source: Emma Ferrer, Why I Love My Grandmother's Teddy Bear, November 2021, InStyle.}

RED

When Audrey began planting flowers in La Paisible, she got rid of the red flowers and replaced them with white. But as time goes by, perhaps her perception of red flowers begins to change, and she starts to grow a variety of flower breeds. In the 70s and 80s, you can find red flowers in her garden, vase, and at home.

Sources
Rebecca Morehouse, Millions of Guys Are Still in Love With Her, November 26th, 1979, pg. 12, Women’s Weekly.
Cheryl Levin, Vital Statistics by Audrey Hepburn, November 8th, 1989, pg. 106, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Pat O’Haire and Larry Sutton, Sharing a cup with Hepburn, October 2nd, 1990, p. 307, Daily News.
Emma Ferrer, Why I Love My Grandmother’s Teddy Bear, November 2021, InStyle Magazine.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

GLOSSARY

An alphabetical list of interesting facts about Audrey sourced from interviews, articles, and books.

• A - F
• G - L
• M - R
• S - Z

S - Z

S

SADNESS THAT LINGERS

Robert After.It was no secret that her marriage with Mel was not a happy one. It seemed to me that she loved him more than he loved her, and it was frustrating for her not to have her love returned in kind. She had confided these feelings to me.... I always saw the sadness in her eyes.... - Henry Rogers (Barry)O’Toole was a cutup but also a good observer. He found Audrey to have a fine sense of fun but also “a modesty and a sadness” about her. And he was fascinated by Charles Boyer, who played the part of a gallery owner in the film. (Barry)Movie composer Henry Mancini, stimulated by Audrey to write ‘Moon River’ and ‘Charade’ and ‘Two for the Road’, always maintained that if you listened carefully to these three songs you could almost determine who inspired them. They were all imbued, he said, with Audrey’s inimitable wistfulness – ‘a kind of slight sadness’. ‘There was a modesty and a sadness about her,’ one of her future leading men, Peter O’Toole, would affirm. Henry Rogers, her one-time American publicist, would be even more emphatic. ‘Rarely,’ he said, ‘did I ever see her happy.’ When she laughed, she laughed (Ian)

SINGING

Audrey insisted on using her own voice to sing “Yes, We Have No Bananas” and “La Vie en Rose” in Sabrina. With Billy Wilder’s approval, Audrey often spent two hours a day with her vocal coach. “I had to. I have no voice at all. It was terribly monotonous, shrill, and inflexible.”The ever-so-disciplined Audrey worked harder for My Fair Lady. She had singing coach Susan Seton travel from New York to California for vocal lessons for five weeks, eight hours a day. Director George Cukor admired her determination: “When she began, it was an agony for that girl to sing. But she is not afraid to make an ass of herself. She has the courage to do it; do it wretchedly at first, but do it.”

SPIRITUAL TWIN

"It took me a long time to find him [partner Robert Wolders], but it is better late than never. If I'd met him when I was eighteen, I wouldn't have appreciated him. I would have thought, 'That's the way everyone is.'
- Audrey Hepburn, 1989

_{Source: Edward Klein, One Woman's Search for Love: A Profile of Audrey Hepburn, March 5, 1989, Parade.}

SUN MOON RISING

The information that is required to determine her house placement is the following:Date of birth (4th May 1929)
Place of birth (Ixelles-Elsene, Belgium)
Time she was delivered (around 3 am)Sun: Taurus - 2nd House (13° 7')
Ascendant/Rising: Aquarius (28° 39')
Moon: Pisces - 1st House (6° 27')Mercury: Gemini - 3rd House (0° 20')
Venus: Aries - 1st House (22° 48')
Mars: Cancer - 6th House (25° 10')
Jupiter: Taurus - 2nd House (20° 46')
Saturn: Capricorn - 10th House (0° 3')
Uranus: Aries - 1st House (9° 21')
Neptune: Leo - 6th House (28° 36')
Pluto: Cancer - 5th House (16° 27')
1st House: Aquarius (28° 39')
2nd House: Aries (26° 10')
3rd House: Taurus (26° 42')
4th House – Imum Coeli: Gemini (16° 58')
5th House: Cancer (4° 45')
6th House: Cancer (25° 1')
7th House – Descendant: Leo (28° 39')
8th House: Libra (26° 10')
9th House: Scorpio (26° 42')
10th House – Midheaven: Sagittarius (16° 58')
11th House: Capricorn (4° 45')
12th House: Capricorn (25° 1')

SUPERSTITION

Audrey considers the number 55 to be her lucky number. She requested the number for her dressing room for Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Paris When It Sizzles.

T

TAURUS (SUN) AQUARIUS (RISING)

Leah Goldberg of AstroSofa.com refers those born under the Taurus Sun and Aquarius Rising, The Practical Genius.The Physical Aspect
“This person may be very tall, with light brown hair and blue, green, or grey eyes. They may be very eccentric in dressing, always putting the most exciting clothing items.”Audrey stood 5'7" with brown hair and grey eyes. She also loved fashion and considered Givenchy's clothes as a protective armor.Health
“As far as health is concerned, Cancer rules the 6th House, so the women with this combination must make sure to have a mammogram every year. In general, this person also needs to be aware that eating the wrong food too often can lead to indigestion, stomach pain, and weight gain. Careful attention needs to be paid to the nervous system, as this Taurus can absorb the emotions of those around them and needs to calm down and relax when feeling overwhelmed or stressed. The full moon will affect this person's health, especially their moods, and if female, may bring on their menstrual cycle.”Audrey first experienced abdominal pain and learned she had pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), a rare form of cancer.Love
“In matters of the heart, Leo rules the 7th House of relationships and may find this Taurus person interesting; however, that's a combination of 3 Fixed Modalities coming together, which can prove for a relationship of two very stubborn people. Capricorn and Virgo will be welcome, as will Pisces. Gemini and Aries will make for good friends, and Sagittarius will really "get" this Taurus' dreams of wanting to make this world a better place. Libra will find this Taurus interesting. However, Cancer may discover this Taurus a bit too distant emotionally for their liking. Scorpio is also a Fixed modality, and although there will be an attraction, this coupling may not always work out because both parties always want things their own way. Other Taureans and Aquarians will work well.”Her first husband, Mel Ferrer, is a Virgo, and her second husband, Andrea Dotti, is a Pisces—both signs are welcome. Robert Wolders is a Libra; according to the article, he will find Audrey interesting.

_{Source: Taurus Sun Aquarius Rising - The Practical Genius,}

TAURUS SUN VS GEMINI SUN

"She was a real Taurus—a rather stuffy sign. I’m a Gemini—very flighty. That’s why we went together so well. She was a very loyal, honest, serious person. If she hadn’t been a film star, she would have been a stuffy matron, very normal and ladylike.”
- Countess Lorean Franchetti Gaetani-Lovatelli, a friend

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

Audrey loved the 1987 film, The Princess Bride, so much that she also owned the soundtrack.

TRAVEL MUST-HAVES

When traveling to houses and hotels, Audrey’s trunks were packed with her own candelabra, flat silver, books, records, and pictures. She often brings objects of her favorite color, white, with her, including table and bed linen, two hand-knit blankets, sets of China, vases, Limoges ashtrays, and cigarette boxes.

U

Under construction.

V

VERY RARE STEAK

Norton Mockridge of the New York World Telegram and Sun had a lunch meeting with Audrey about her work in Gigi. The waitress came, and Audrey said, “Look, the tenderloin steak, please, but very rare. You know what I mean. Raw rare. With the blood in. Dripping. Very rare. Almost raw.” In 1956, Geoffrey Bocca of Redbook followed the Ferrers to Paris and noted that Audrey likes her meat extremely rare.Her preference of meat has changed over the years. "My mother was not a vegetarian; she ate meat, but very little, in little doses," says Luca Dotti, her youngest son.

_{Source: Molly Shea, Potatoes, Passion, and Detox Days: Audrey Hepburn's Secrets To A Healthy Life, 16th June 2015, Yahoo Beauty.}

VICES

Fashion gives her confidence; scotch and black coffee with sugar are her pick-me-ups; scarves and sunglasses shield her.

W

WHAT SHE VALUES MOST

Interviewer: “Aside from your family, what’s the one thing you value over everything else?”Audrey: “My privacy – what’s left of it!"

_{One Minute Interview, 1976}

X

Under construction.

Y

Under construction.

Z

ZODIAC

According to the Chinese calendar, on Audrey's birthday, she was born as an Earth Snake. The Lunar New Year of 1929 is from 10th February 1929 to 29th January 1930.Here are the full stats.
Animal: Snake
Element: Earth
Personality: Enigmatic, Intelligent, Wise
Lucky Numbers: 2, 8, 9
Lucky Colors: Black, Red, Yellow
Lucky Flowers: Orchid, CactusEarth Snakes are known to be practical, well-mannered, and level-headed with calmness and stability. They are widely known to be excellent decision-makers. Down-to-earth with a genuine heart, they are also very loyal and reliable to trusted friends and partners.According to astrology, Audrey, as a Taurus, is part of the Earth sign family along with Virgos and Capricorns. Those born under the earth elements are rounded, practical, and reliable.

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LEGACY

What a wonder Audrey Hepburn was—a phenomenon that has been the blue print and inspiration for film, television, animation, fashion, music, and the arts. Here is a compilation of Audrey’s cultural influences.

• Admirers
• Film
• Television
• Music
• Editorial
• Red Carpet

ADMIRERS

PRESIDENTS

JOHN F. KENNEDY

When John F. Kennedy was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 11th district, he saw Gigi on Broadway and shook hands with Audrey, congratulating her success backstage. He told reporters that Roman Holiday is his favorite film of 1953 and that Audrey Hepburn is his favorite actress.According to the logs of projectionist Paul Fischer, Kennedy watched at least 66 movies during his years in the White House; two of them happen to be Audrey’s: Roman Holiday on October 27th, 1962 (the day of The Cuban Missile Crisis), and Sabrina on October 30th, 1962.President Kennedy was not shy about his sentiments for Audrey; he personally phoned her from the White House to let her know how great her performances were and that he was her number-one fan.A year after Marilyn Monroe’s memorable Happy Birthday performance, Kennedy’s friends from the Democratic party asked Audrey to make a surprise appearance for his forty-sixth birthday party in New York City. The private event took place on May 23rd, 1963, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where Audrey stood up to sing “Happy Birthday, dear Jack” to a much delighted president.A thank-you letter from The White House was mailed to her, the address on the envelope:Miss Audrey Hepburn
100 Delfern
Beverly Hills, California

Transcript:June 18th, 1963Dear Audrey:I want you to know how much I appreciated all the efforts you made and time you spent in making my Birthday Party in New York on May 23rd such a success. It was delightful and I am very grateful to you for the part you played in making it so enjoyable.With every good wish.During the production of My Fair Lady, the film director George Cukor informed Audrey in her dressing room that President Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas. Shocked, she buried her hands in her face and then got up and said, “We must tell the crew… We must say something.” She borrowed a loudspeaker from head electrician Frank Flanagan and informed the cast and crew, “The President of the United States is dead. Shall we have two minutes of silence? To pray or do whatever you feel is appropriate?” People wept, and Audrey gave a silent prayer. After two minutes, she returned to her dressing room and cried hard."Audrey had a positive effect on people on every set I'd ever seen her on, but nowhere was it more evident than on the set of My Fair Lady. After getting the news of President Kennedy's assassination, Audrey asked the crew to stop and give a silent prayer. Coming from her, it touched everyone, and I'll wager there is not a single one of those crewmen alive today who isn't able to recall that moment vividly," wrote Bob Willoughby, the photographer on the set of My Fair Lady.On December 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson broke ground on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; a ceremony marked the official construction of the center, which was dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy. Audrey was among the attendees; seated between her were Mel Ferrer and My Fair Lady co-star Rex Harrison. Lauren Bacall as well. The Kennedy family was present, especially Robert F. Kennedy. See the clip on the timeline for 1964.According to her partner, Robert Wolders, Audrey often talked about her regret that she didn't have the chance to know John F. Kennedy better.

_{Source: Matt Novak, Every Movie President John F. Kennedy Watched While In Office, May 27th, 2023, Forbes.; Warren G. Harris, Audrey Hepburn: A Biography, August 1, 1994, Simon & Schuster; John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Liz Smith's column, July 25, 1996, New York, The Journal News; Bob Willoughby, Remembering Audrey, June 2002, InStyle.}

JIMMY CARTER

In February of 1991, Audrey and her partner Robert Wolders flew to Atlanta to attend the black-tie UNICEF benefit in Atlanta where former President Jimmy Carter presented her the 1990 Child Survival Award. Carter professed to the audience while looking at Audrey, “I have admired and loved you at a distance.”They further collaborated at the 1991 United Nations immunization drive event, where Audrey provided an oral polio vaccine to a little boy as Carter held him.

After her death, former President Jimmy Carter contributed to the Asbury Park Evening Press titled Audrey Hepburn’s greatest role.

Please read the transcript here.

_{Source: Robert Matzen, Warrior: Audrey Hepburn, pg. 217-218, September 28, 2021, GoodKnight Books.}

BILL CLINTON

Courtesy of Mobituaries with Mo Rocca. February 8th, 2019.

“She was amazing. I loved her; I love Roman Holiday; I love Funny Face; I love Breakfast at Tiffany’s... I love Sabrina. I liked the remake because I liked the first one so much.”

DIRECTORS

BILLY WILDER

Draft.

CAMERON CROWE

Courtesy of Mobituaries with Mo Rocca. February 8th, 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B2NHCcmZ8Qhttps://vintageanchorbooks.tumblr.com/post/15345271104/audrey-hepburns-breakfast-at-tiffanys-letterhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120115000657/http://blog.moviefone.com/2012/01/03/audrey-hepburn-breakfast-at-tiffanys-letter-henry-mancin/https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/82899.ConversationswithWilderhttps://x.com/CameronCrowe/status/728492942223020032Cameron Crowe is a huge Audrey Hepburn, and referenced her in his critically acclaimed film, Jerry Maquire.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Guillermo del Toro has cite Audrey Hepburn a couple times.When describing the character from one of his favorite films, 1960's Eyes Without a Face: “It’s like an undead Audrey Hepburn character [Alida Valli’s character] that inspired me a lot, by the contrast of beauty and brutality, that I favor and love." Actress Sally Hawkins was told by del Toro to study performances of Stan Laurel and Audrey Hepburn for her role in The Shape of Water.

_{Source: Wilson Chapman, Guillermo del Toro’s Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See, July 16, 2024, Indie Wire; Chris O'Falt, Guillermo del Toro Wears His Cinematic Influences On His Sleeve in ‘The Shape of Water’, February 27, 2018, Indie Wire.}

JAMES CAMERON

James Cameron’s favorite cinematic moments include Audrey Hepburn playing a blind woman in Wait Until Dark."The most visceral audience reaction moment I remember from my early film-going years is the jump-scare in Wait Until Dark. People can talk about Alien or Psycho or whatever all day long, but the scene that I vividly remember truly rocking the house was when Alan Arkin, the killer — presumed by the audience to be dead — leaps out of the dark and grabs poor blind Audrey Hepburn’s ankle. Of course, there’s a now-classic music sting — a single massive strum of piano strings that felt like an electric shock up the spine.""The entire audience lost their shit — slammed back in their seats and SCREAMED like little girls — myself included. It was physical, involuntary, universal and perfectly synchronized. And the first time I really understood the visceral power of cinema. It was at the Princess Theatre in Niagara Falls, Canada, in probably 1968 — the film was released in 1967 but Canada was always an afterthought. I was 14.""Of course, when you see it now it seems tame compared to all that’s been done in the half-century since, though still to be admired in the way the tension quietly winds tighter and tighter until the sting. Interestingly, I saw the film a year later at the drive-in, and remember clearly the muffled screams coming from all the cars."The director has used Audrey for reference when casting the role of Rose in Titanic.

_{Source: James Cameron’s Favourite Cinema Moments: Wait Until Dark, And Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, May 16th 2021, Empire}

STEVEN SPIELBERG

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6100156
He bought her a bracelet.https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/10-unmade-steven-spielberg-movies-that-would-have-been-great/ar-AA1qbuj9?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1https://www.facebook.com/TheBestMovieLines/photos/schindlers-list-1993the-shots-featuring-a-red-coat-girl-came-from-a-story-that-a/1301336696682056/https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/174694.Steven_Spielberg

WILLIAM WYLER

Draft.

ACTORS

ANNE CURTIS

Draft.

CHER

The Holly Golightly took an effect on Cher and propelled her to style her hair in pigtails, wear huge sunglasses and any outfit that resembles Golightly - she refused to take off the sunglasses that led to her suspension in school.Cher won the coveted Academy Award for Best Actress in Moonstruck, 1988. She also won something better, an encounter with Audrey Hepburn, who also attended the event.Cher recounted: “One year at the Academy Awards a bunch of us were watching the show backstage, and she walked by and everyone was aghast and agog. And she looked at me and said, “Hey, kid.” It was like the night I got the Academy Award and came offstage and walked smack into Audrey Hepburn. And she said, “I’m so glad you won.” It was like getting a second Oscar, to tell you the truth. I called them my Hepburn girls because they were my two favorites.”In 1991, Cher was supposed to be a surprise guest for a gala tribute to Audrey but became physically unwell to attend. She wrote Audrey a loving letter to explain her absence. The letter was later sold at Christie’s auction, 2017.Cher tweeted in 22 Aug 2014: "Audrey Hepburn makes me laugh & cry at same time. I met her once (night I won Oscar). She said, 'I'm so happy I wanted you to win.' We wrote letters."

CHLOË MORETZ

"I admire Audrey Hepburn. She's my hero because she helped the world. I want to be there for people, not just be a flighty actor."

_{Source: Alice Fisher, This much I know: Chloë Moretz, March 19, 2011, The Guardian.}

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS

Hailed as one of the greatest actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis is full of enthusiasm at the thought of Audrey: “I love her. I love everything about her. She was so beautiful… She’s so fresh, and her sense of humor is so bewitching. I love her voice. I love her bearing."Among his top ten all-time favorite films are Audrey's Roman Holiday and Sabrina. The list also includes Fred Zinnemann's High Noon and From Here to Eternity, who worked with Audrey in The Nun's Story.

_{Source: Calum Russell, Daniel Day-Lewis names his 10 favourite movies of all time, June 15, 2023, Far Out Magazine.}

GAL GADOT

Gal Gadot posted the photo above on Audrey’s birthday in 2018 with the caption, “Always moving me: Audrey Hepburn, who was born today 89 years ago, is the face of true beauty—from the inside and out. Her work with UNICEF, and especially with children in need, never ceases to inspire me. #WomenofWonder.”

GEMMA CHAN

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/03/gemma-chan-interview-fashion-diversityn8707390.htmlhttps://www.allure.com/story/allure-podcast-gemma-chan-interview-recording-transcript

GEORGE CLOONEY

“When I was a kid, I was in love with Audrey Hepburn. I watched Roman Holiday when I was 11, and I thought she was as elegant as anything I’d ever seen. And I fell madly in love with her.”

_{Source: Lynn Hirschberg, Catching Up With George Clooney, November 26th, 2013, W Magazine.}

JULIA ROBERTS

Julia's Letter.Julia Facebook video.https://filmtalk.org/2016/12/08/sean-hepburn-ferrer-talks-about-audrey-hepburn-the-actress-the-mother-the-style-incon-and-the-humanitarian/

MICHELLE YEOH

Courtesy of J.Crew. 2023.

When Michelle Yeoh was asked about her forever-style icon:“Oh, I think Audrey Hepburn, and my mom, of course. Definitely, my mom. I think with Audrey Hepburn, her personal style was like black turtleneck with pants. She always kept it very classical, timeless. My mother is on the other spectrum of always beautifully dressed up, always somewhere to go.”

MILLIE BOBBIE BROWN

"In becoming a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, I share the title with a hero of mine - the late, great Audrey Hepburn, who once said: 'As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping others and one for helping yourself.'"

_{Source: Katie O'Malley, Millie Bobby Brown Becomes UNICEF's Youngest Ever Goodwill Ambassador, November 21, 2018, ELLE.}

NATALIE PORTMAN

https://www.gettyimages.com/editorial-images/entertainment/event/10th-anniversary-of-the-audrey-hepburn-childrens-house/143938785https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/natalie-portman-did-far-more-than-dress-the-part-in-jackie/https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/actress-natalie-portman-attends-the-audrey-hepburn-70th-news-photo/787807https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/natalie-portman-and-sean-hepburn-ferrer-attend-the-10th-news-photo/143824978https://pagesix.com/1999/04/25/audreys-hepburns-rarefied-heir/https://nz.news.yahoo.com/natalie-portman-says-audrey-hepburn-060026864.htmlHarper's Bazaar and Kenny Lane Necklace

PENÉLOPE CRUZ

Penelope Cruz calls Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe "the creatures from beyond Earth's sphere.""Yeah, I'm an expert on Audrey," she says, laughing. "I can tell you, like, every little thing she did, what she wore in every moment of her life."Her favorite Hepburn films are Two for the Road and Love in the Afternoon.

_{Source: Steven Rea, In 2 new films, Penelope Cruz channels screen sirens, January 1, 2010, The State.}

RALPH FIENNES

Courtesy of W Magazine. January 9th, 2015.

"I do remember seeing, feeling very—I think almost aroused—by Audrey Hepburn as a young boy watching My Fair Lady for the first time. Ah, something touched me, something – and her beauty, her fragility. And I remember that that would definitely was a cinematic crush."

WINONA RYDER

Audrey was immediately taken with Winona Ryder, who invited her for an afternoon together and gifted her a couple of things, including her personal silken gloves. “She was so gracious and everything you would think that she would be,”Winona recollected.After Audrey’s passing, Ryder served on the board of directors at the Audrey Hepburn’s Children Fund for a short time.Due to their physical similarities, she was offered parts to reprise Hepburn’s original roles, such as the 1995 Sabrina remake, which she turned down. In 2013, Winona went in for an interview dressed in full black: Christian Louboutin heels and a short-sleeved, knee-length dress that was once worn by Audrey for a screen test.Years later, Winona passed down Audrey’s personal silken gloves to actress and model Tavi Gevinson.

Debbie Millman from PRINT interviewed Gevinson on how she felt about receiving Audrey's gloves, circa 2021:

Debbie Millman: "Tavi, is it true that Winona Ryder gifted you a pair of brown leather gloves that once belonged to Audrey Hepburn?"Tavi Gevinson: "That is correct."Debbie Millman: "Take us through that. How did that happen? And I do need to know, how did they smell?"Tavi Gevinson: "Like vintage, very old gloves. So Rookie published a birthday tribute to Winona Ryder, I think, the first year we were publishing, and then she emailed our editor’s inbox, said she wanted to take a bunch of us out for dinner. We went somewhere here in Brooklyn. We kept in touch over the years. When I did my first play in New York, she gave me … no, she gave them to me just before that for my 18th birthday. The nicest, wildest gift you can give a person."Debbie Millman: "How did she have them? Did Audrey Hepburn give them to her?"Tavi Gevinson: "Yes."Debbie Millman: "Wow, that’s provenance."Tavi Gevinson: "I know, I have them in a safe, literally."

_{Source: James Mottram, Fallen angel: Winona Ryder on bouncing back from her decade in the wilderness, May 27th, 2013, The Independent; Tavi Gevinson, February 23rd, 2016, The Beloved: Winona Ryder, Interview Magazine; Debbie Millman, May 24th, 2021, Design Matters: Tavi Gevinson, PRINT.}

ZOOEY DESCHANEL

Deschanel was asked if she could entertain anyone, real or fictional. Who would it be? “Audrey Hepburn,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to meet her.”

_{Source: Dawn Davis, Zooey Deschanel’s Dream Dinner Party Is a Star-Studded, Old Hollywood Banquet, September 4th, 2023, Bon Appétit.}

MUSIC ARTISTS

AMY WINEHOUSE

In the official estate sale of Amy Winehouse, the catalog included two Audrey Hepburn books. Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit by Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Audrey Style by Pamela Keogh.

ARIANA GRANDE

During the Wicked promotional tour, she cites her inspiration, "I've always loved old-Hollywood glamour — like, Marilyn [Monroe] and Audrey [Hepburn] have always been my references."Ariana Grande is a longtime admirer of Audrey and often paid homage to her professionally and personally. In 2010, she tweeted that Breakfast at Tiffany’s is her favorite movie; in 2014, she told the New York Times that the Yours Truly album concept has an “Audrey Hepburn” aesthetic; in 2021, Ariana’s wedding ensemble was styled by Mimi Cuttrell, who used Jo Stockton from Funny Face as a reference, especially the veil with the bow on top. During the Wicked movie promotional tour, Ariana’s outfits was often compared to Audrey’s, so much so that a reporter asked her if she would play her idol in a biopic.

“My goodness! Why is everyone asking me this? You’re insane! You’re insane, you’re insane, you’re insane, you’re insane. I love you.”

_{Source: Jon Caramanica, Staying Safe, Exploring Sassy: Ariana Grande Prepares ‘My Everything’, August 21, 2024, New York Times; Alexandra Macon, Inside Ariana Grande’s Intimate At-Home Wedding, May 26, 2021, Vogue; Jen Juneau, Ariana Grande Responds to Audrey Hepburn Biopic Speculation: 'You're Insane!', January 9, 2025, People.}

BEYONCÉ

Interviewer: “Who are your beauty icons?”Beyoncé: "I have many. I really appreciate Audrey Hepburn, and of course, Marilyn [Monroe]. I like risk takers like Cher and Diana Ross. I like people that find what looks really good on them. I think that's the most important tip. There are things that I love that I know won't work for me—these women found the perfect silhouette for their bodies, the perfect cut of suits and dresses, the perfect hairstyle. Their choices made them more beautiful rather than distracting from their beauty."

_{Source: Kate Sullivan, Beyoncé Talks At-Home Beauty Treatments, Makeup Tricks, and Stealing Her Mother's Perfume, March 28th 2011, Allure.}

CELINE DION

Celine Dion, Law Roach, and Zendaya played Fishing for Answers for The Hollywood Reporter, and one of the rounds was to "Pick a Hepburn: Audrey or Katharine." Law picked Katharine; Celine's choice was Audrey."I'm going to say Audrey Hepburn. The only reason why is that when—while we were traveling—my husband had the privilege of meeting her in a jewelry store with her husband. And when he entered the jewelry store, he saw, he was like, he did not buy what he wanted to buy me. He just turned around and was like, 'Oh my god, I just saw Audrey'."

Though it was not Zendaya's question to respond to, she donned a Breakfast at Tiffany's look in 2014 and dubbed herself "the half black Audrey Hepburn."

SUKI WATERHOUSE

_{Courtesy of British Vogue, 2024.}

"No, I don't think I do own anything from the 1920s. Actually, do you know what I do have, though—not from the 20s—but I do have Audrey Hepburn's jacket that I got at an auction at Christie's when I was really young. I, literally, I spent every penny I had on my account on this jacket, and… it's like hung, it's hung up, it's hung up now. I don't wear it that often, but there's that picture of where she wore it, and it's so, just like, perfect, and there's, like, a trim around it, a trim around the bottom—that's probably the oldest thing."

TAYLOR SWIFT

Taylor Swift’s Red album aesthetics were inspired by classic Hollywood actresses.In 2012, news reporter Sway asked Taylor who inspired her style.“I like a more classic look,” Taylor Swift says. “I always go back to Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Red lipstick and a winged eyeliner—I think that looks nice.” Taylor added that she was inspired by “women who look really ladylike” and mentioned Audrey Hepburn again.

_{Source: Nanci Haskin, Taylor Swift Aimed For "Quirky" In Her Latest Video, August 31st, 2012, CBS News; Josh Eels, 22 Things You Learn Hanging Out With Taylor Swift, September 10th, 2014, Rolling Stone.}

TV SHOW HOST

JOHNNY CARSON

On March 1976, Audrey appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," where Carson fumbled hard and was unusually meek in front the audience. Watch the clip here in the 1976 page.Johnny Carson, the host of the 51st Academy Awards, introduced her as a presenter: "Audrey Hepburn. All you have to do is say the name, and you'll know the rest. I think I've been in love with her for years, but so have millions of other guys. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss. Audrey Hepburn." Watch the clip here in the 1979 page.In 1987, Carson told Betty White that Audrey threw him off. “Strangely enough, the one time I got bothered on this show was One Night Audrey Hepburn was on. And I don’t know why. I became absolutely – you know, she is very – not, not aloof. Proper is maybe the word. And I just didn’t know how to, how to handle it. And I don’t know why, but she just completely unnerved me. (... Inaudible) I was babbling like this, you know, I completely fell apart.” See clip below.

SALLY JESSY RAPHAEL

Sally remembers fondly of Audrey and cites her as her favorite guest. She was nervous and nearly fumbled on her interview with Audrey in 1992, "I was so awestruck, I could hardly ask a question. Everything she did, I admired. Everything she had done in her life I found to be exemplary."

"My all-time favorite: three months before she died, Audrey Hepburn. She got me interested in UNICEF, so I worked for them in some South American countries. I spoke at her funeral. I believed in her and what she did. She was not only one of the most beautiful women in the world, she was one of the most perfect."

_{Source: Alicia Quarles and Cheyenne Roundtree, EXCLUSIVE: TV legend Sally Jessy Raphael, 84, believes her talk show was canceled after 19 years because she was secretly battling CANCER and reveals her favorite guest was Audrey Hepburn as she showcases massive collection of her iconic red glasses, September 19, 2019, DailyMail.com; Adrienne Faillace, Foundation Interviews: Sally Jessy Raphael, March 9, 2020, Television Academy.}

MODELS

KAIA GERBER

"I have always loved Audrey Hepburn—she was one of the first women who introduced me to cinema and sparked my passion for acting.”During COVID lockdown, Kaia decided to chop and bleach her hair: "I recently posted a video on Instagram of Audrey Hepburn cutting her own bangs because I got to the point in quarantine where I was like, I'm either going to cut my hair or dye it."

_{Source: Maxine Wally, Kaia Gerber’s Academy Museum Gala Dress Was a Tribute to Audrey Hepburn, December 4, 2023, W Magazine; Megan Decker, Kaia Gerber Just Spilled How She Lightened Her Hair At Home, April 17, 2020, Refinery29.}

LILY ALDRIDGE

2014 Taylor Swift posted this pic [above] and caption:
"Lily, giving me major Audrey Hepburn vibes, while schooling me at pool. @lilyaldridge"2016 with Allure:
On a very uncontroversial style icon: “Audrey Hepburn was effortless and the epitome of glamorous, elegant, and cool.”2019 with the New York Post:
“This is one of my favorite movies [Roman Holiday] of all time. Two words: Audrey Hepburn. I truly believe this was her best film — and it was her first feature role! She’s my style icon.”

MIRANDA KERR

Australian Supermodel and the founder of KORA Organics, Miranda Kerr, has always been a lifelong and dedicated fan of Audrey’s. Here is a timeline where Kerr mentions her:

2007 with Portman’s Live Chat:
“My favorite actress has always been Audrey Hepburn.”

2012 with Harper's BAZAAR:
Interviewer: “Who are your style icons, one living, one dead?”
Miranda: "I have always admired Audrey Hepburn’s style and my Nan has always been a style icon for me. Growing up I would play in her wardrobe and was very influenced by her. She taught me that you don't need to have a lot of money to have style. It’s the way you put things together and how you carry yourself."

2017 with VOGUE:
“I’ve had a lot of fun with fashion, and I used to be more wild, free, bohemian. But in this period of my life, my style is more pulled back. My greatest sources of inspiration have always been Grace, Audrey Hepburn, and my grandmother, who at 80 has an effortless chic: a nice pant, a white blouse, a scarf, a little heel.”

2017 for #InternationalWomensDay, Miranda posted a photo from META of Audrey with the caption: "...Beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.” ― Audrey Hepburn

2020 with Grazia:
Interviewer: “Who is your makeup muse?”
Miranda: “My Grandmother and Audrey Hepburn.”

2021 with The Sydney Morning Herald:
Interviewer: “What’s your favourite fashion era?”
Miranda: “The 1950s. Audrey Hepburn in dresses that cinched at the waist and flared out, or a cropped pant with a flat. Marilyn Monroe in a beautiful dress and a little kitten heel – I love that.”

2023 with SCMP.COM:
My Personal Style Icon: "Audrey Hepburn carried herself with so much grace and her beauty shone through her soul."

Miranda Kerr also befriended Audrey Hepburn's best friend Doris Brynner and hung out with her a few times. Kerr posted their get-togethers on META:

Doris Brynner passed away at 93 in 2025. 🕊️

OLIVIA PALERMO

Fashion icon and entrepreneur Olivia Palermo was often called the Modern Audrey Hepburn; she loved the 50s and 60s styles and Old Hollywood glamour and cited Audrey Hepburn as one of her style icons.

_{Source: Team Grazia, 5 Minutes with Olivia Palermo, June 3rd, 2015, Grazia.}

TAYLOR HILL

At age seventeen, model Taylor Hill went to a Ralph Lauren casting and met the legend himself. “I remember he got out of his chair, walked up to me, held my hand, and said, ‘You look so much like Audrey Hepburn.’”“Who’s that?” asked Taylor.Her response left her mother incredibly embarrassed: “I’ve failed you as a mother!” She took Taylor home and had an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon.Since then, she has loved Audrey and paid tribute to her through fashion, beauty, and hairstyling; in 2024, she had a pixie haircut inspired by Audrey's look in the early 50s. In Esquire, she mentions her style icons, such as Sarah Jessica Parker, and says, “I also love Audrey Hepburn and that era—more classic, iconic style.”

_{Source: Margaux Anbouba, Taylor Hill’s Dramatic Post-Wedding Chop Was Inspired by Audrey Hepburn, September 6th, 2023, VOGUE; Rob Haskell, Taylor Hill's Got A New Look, Winter 2023/2024, Magazine C; Christopher Fenimore, Five Fits With: Model and Pet-Care Entrepreneur Taylor Hill, June 21st, 2024, Esquire.}

LEGACY

What a wonder Audrey Hepburn was—a phenomenon that has been the blue print and inspiration for film, television, animation, fashion, music, and the arts. Here is a compilation of Audrey’s cultural influences.

• Admirers
• Film
• Television
• Music
• Editorial
• Red Carpet

FILM

ACCLAIMED PICTURES

MOONSTRUCK (1987)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IIqwvNV73A

JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)

"Wow... It's more than a dress—that's an Audrey Hepburn movie."

TITANIC (1997)

James Cameron envisioned Rose to be an Audrey Hepburn-type character. He recalled memories of the casting:“I wanted a young, dewy Audrey Hepburn-type of actress. We looked at all the young, promising actresses at the time, and Kate’s name was on that list. She already had this nickname, Corset Kate, because she’d done period pieces, but everyone kept insisting I meet her. So, she did an old-school filmed screen-test, which nobody does anymore, and she absolutely blew us away—she was fantastic. There was no question about her being our Rose.”

_{Source: The Lady}

HUGO (2011)

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

CAROL (2015)

https://frontrowfeatures.com/features-category-of-interviews-and-spotlights/film-features/exclusive-costuming-cate-cast-for-carol-14025.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/movies/two-films-one-designer-the-costumes-of-carol-and-cinderella.htmlhttps://www.syracuse.com/movies/2015/12/carolreviewcateblanchettandrooneymarafindloveintoddhaynesbest_movie.htmlhttps://www.ibtimes.co.uk/carol-review-cate-blanchett-rooney-mara-phenomenal-vulnerable-lesbian-love-story-1524193https://www.npr.org/2015/11/25/457305151/high-glamour-infuses-a-forbidden-love-affair-in-carolhttps://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/01/07/movie-review-carol-story-forbidden/23453925007/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/movies/two-films-one-designer-the-costumes-of-carol-and-cinderella.html

LA LA LAND (2016)

THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017)

https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/106290/CHILLOUT/Sally-Hawkins-Love-knows-no-boundaries“Stan Laurel had this (almost) state of grace, purity rather, not innocence, that allowed him to circulate throughout the most outlandish situations in the most graceful way and I said this is Elisa,” said del Toro. “We also talked about Audrey Hepburn. I said when she runs I said give me an Audrey Hepburn which means you throw your torso forward like a heroine in a big movie and the crane meets you… It’s a very silent film, or a very classical film gesture.”https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/shape-of-water-guillermo-del-toro-influences-filmmaker-toolkit-podcast-episode-44-1201933194/https://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/features/shape-water-genre-defying-imaginative-fiction-haunting-romance-guillermo-del-toro/

CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018)

https://x.com/gemma_chan/status/1031161644481699841https://www.instagram.com/p/BmqMHXpFcy4/

FILMS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS

THE NET (1995)

PRETTY WOMAN (1990)

VANILLA SKY (2001)

YOU, ME AND DUPREE (2006)

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007)

LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (2010)

Action star Jackie Chan's imagination sparked after he viewed Audrey Hepburn’s performance in Wait Until Dark; he noticed that no big production or theatrics were needed to make a great film, just Hepburn as a blind woman terrorized by con artists in her New York City basement apartment.Chan told QQ.com:“Audrey Hepburn in the movie [Wait Until Dark], in which she played a blind person, the play on her side of a person done. I want to make a full completion of my own movies: no photo, no light, all on my own camera, playing lights, performing all the… Really, it is a personal movie, but now the movie is a group work; a person on their own cannot be successful, so I think that if I were a soldier, I would wonder how to shoot a story like this.”With the completion of his script, Little Big Soldier, Chan thought he could write, direct, star, and edit his film. However, he realized he needs to allocate roles to others in order to realize this ambition where Ding Sheng ended up directing the film. Little Big Soldier was released on Valentine’s Day in 2010 with a positive reception and a 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

_{Source: QQ.com, SuperChan's Jackie Chan Blog}

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? (2011)

Colin Shea: You wore that pantsuit, didn't you?Ally Darling: That pantsuit is sexy. It's very Katharine Hepburn.Colin Shea: All right. Let's clear something up right now. Katharine Hepburn was not sexy. Audrey Hepburn was sexy.

Last Night in Soho (2021)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

ANIMATION

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Balto (1995)

The animator in charge of Jenna, Maximilian Graenitz, based the canine design on Audrey Hepburn. Jenna's human companion, Rosy, was also based on Audrey.

Anastasia (1997)

Paprika (2006)

Inside Out (2015)

In the Siggraph convention, Pixar's character art director, Albert Lozano, confirmed that Joy was modeled after Audrey Hepburn. In an interview with the ShortList.com, Lozano further elaborated, “From early on, we were drawing Joy with light trails behind her—that’s where things like Champagne came in. Audrey Hepburn was a reference, too—for her haircut.”

Fun Fact: Between 1998 and 1999, Pixar animator Victor Navone practiced his 3D portrait of Audrey Hepburn. He notes that "once every 6 months or so I come back to her," and he did so to "a) test my 3D skills and b) I'm a big Audrey fan."

_{Source: The ShortList}

Despicable Me Franchise (2024 - Present)

Draft.

Courtesy of.

LEGACY

What a wonder Audrey Hepburn was—a phenomenon that has been the blue print and inspiration for film, television, animation, fashion, music, and the arts. Here is a compilation of Audrey’s cultural influences.

• Admirers
• Film
• Television
• Music
• Editorial
• Red Carpet

TELEVISION

SERIES

Gossip Girl (2007 – 2012)

Glee (2009 – 2015)

Big Little Lies (2017)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)

Emily in Paris (2020 – Present)

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Bridgerton (2020 – Present)

WandaVision (2021)

https://thedirect.com/article/marvel-wandavision-spoilers-audrey-hepburnhttps://theartofcostume.com/2021/09/02/wandavision-costumes-and-first-impressions/https://www.summerannelee.com/post/wandavision-wedding-dresshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSVwYS6jS5Ahttps://variety.com/2021/tv/features/wandavision-costume-designer-scarlet-witch-comic-looks-1234953837/https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/wandavision-marvel-fashion/

Bling Dubai (2024 - season 3)

ASIAN DRAMA

It will be Breakfast at Tiffany Someday (2015)

One More Happy Ending (2016 - episode 2)

Hotel Del Luna (2019)

Oh! Master (2021)

ANIMATION

The Simpsons

Courtesy of.

Homer Badman – S6, E9
Dangerous Curves – S20, E5
Moonshine River – S24, E1

Gundam Wing Franchise

Relena Darlian - 1995, Lacus Clyne – 2002, and Audrey Burne- 2010

Sailor Moon (1995)

Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Princess Tutu (2002)

REC (2006)

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010)

Rarity’s Voice, Breakfast at Tiffany's reference.

Pokémon – (2013)

Diantha

Admin Note: As an Audrey Hepburn and Pokémon nerd, I can confidently say that she would most likely have grass type due to her immense, deep-rooted love for flowers—but I find Audrey to be very versatile with what she wants. Here is an opinionated piece on the six Pokémon I think Audrey would have.

Mr. Mime — He can cook, he can clean, and he will run errands—he would be the perfect addition to the La Paisible family.

Roselia — She won’t resist this cutie.

Florges — Just look at it. You think Audrey will say ‘no’? Have you seen Gardens of the World?!

Psyduck — Hear me out. Audrey loved her yellow canary birds (she was distraught when one got away, but luckily a good Samaritan retrieved it for her). She also enjoyed having ducks in her swimming pool and embellishing her home with a lot of duck décor. Psyduck is yellow like her beloved canaries, and he’s a duck. So, win-win.

Lillipup — Audrey was a dog person with an affinity for terriers—she had four at the same time—three Jack Russells and one mutt.

Baby Pokémon — Any baby would do: Togepi, Pichu, Cleffa, Magby, Budew, Munchlax, Riolu, Elekid, Mime Jr., Wynaut, or Smoochum—any time, any day. Whichever baby was available, she would take. Second thought, she would take more than one.

Sources
Byanca Mou, Jenna's progenitors, Animation Source.
Nate Jones, Audrey Hepburn Was the Inspiration for Inside Out’s Joy, August 12th 2015, Vulture
Holly Pyne, How Pixar creates the perfect film, July 23 2015, ShortList

ARCHIVE

The most invaluable way to discover the real Audrey Hepburn is through her letters, interviews, and articles she wrote herself, including reports from people who knew her.

ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

WRITTEN BY AUDREY HEPBURN

MY FURRED AND FEATHERED FRIENDS
A charming story where Audrey describes her experiences working with the animals from work: Felix the monkey and the exotic birds from The Nun’s Story, Ip the muntjac from Green Mansions, as well as her very own Yorkie, Famous. 1959.

AUDREY HEPBURN'S FASHION FORMULA
In Paris, Audrey wrote about her own personal journey with fashion and her guide for wearing and buying clothes. This Week Magazine, November 11th, 1961.

THE SECRET OF MY HAPPINESS
Often private, Audrey shared intimate details of her life with husband Mel Ferrer, her son Sean, her Yorkie Famous, and life in her little cottage in Bürgenstock, Switzerland. Photoplay, December 1961.

FRANKLY AND INTIMATELY
Audrey detailed when she received the call that she had won the role of Eliza Dolittle in the musical My Fair Lady. Woman’s Own, January 30th, 1965.

MY SUCCESS SECRETS
Audrey contributed a piece to the Australian magazine detailing the illustrative journey of her career. New Idea Magazine, pg. 5, July 9th, 1966.

MY FASHION TIPS
At 58 years old, Audrey dots down her golden rules of fashion, what she likes to wear at home, and her beauty secrets. New Idea Magazine, pg. 29, February 20th, 1988.

WRITTEN BY MEL FERRER

THEIR HOMES IN MALIBU AND BEVERLY HILLS
Her first husband, Mel Ferrer, reflected on his life with Audrey and spoke about their homes, the filming of The Unforgiven, and her deer companion. Architectural Digest, pg. 160, March 2006.

WRITTEN BY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES

EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO AUDREY HEPBURN
Written by Anita Loos, playwriter of Broadway's Gigi, The American Weekly, pg. 11, September 12th, 1954.

AUDREY HEPBURN'S EXQUISITE LEGACY
Written by Peter Bogdanovich, the director of They All Laughed. Premiere 1999.

AUDREY, DARLING
Written by Leslie Caron, an Actress and Friend, Vogue UK, pg. 180, April 1993.

REMEMBERING AUDREY
Written by Bob Willoughby, Photographer, InStyle, pg. 188, June 2002.

INTERVIEWED BY A JOURNALIST

LES CONFIDENCES D'UN COUPLE
An exclusive find from the 4May1929 collection. Conducted in French, the translated one-on-one interview with Audrey and her husband, Mel Ferrer, is a rare and honest insight into their troubled marriage. Lectures D’hui, October 10th, 1964.

AUDREY AT 50
Celebrating the big five-o, Audrey gave an exclusive on her personal style, beauty routine, and her role as Elizabeth Roffe in the thriller Bloodline. Woman’s Own, March 1979.

US INTERVIEW: AUDREY HEPBURN
A two-hour interview where Audrey discussed the war, her parents, her co-stars, her role in UNICEF, and her life with Robert Wolders. US Weekly, October 17th, 1988.

VIDEO CONTENT

DOCUMENTARIES & VIDEO ESSAYS
A list of biographic videos that explore the real-life events of Audrey Hepburn and recommended short videos that analyze a specific segment in her life.

TREASURES

Books and DVDs were the earliest acquisitions of my Audrey Hepburn collection; as years go by, I manage to add unique pieces from her official estate as well as her handwritten letters. I am immensely honored to be the caretaker of these items and to share them with fellow fans and collectors.

CHRISTIE'S

FROM THE OFFICIAL AUDREY HEPBURN ESTATE

LA GRIFFE AUSONI SHOES
The undimmed star of the collection that is protectively stored in my glass cabinet.

EMPORIO ARMANI VEST
A knitwear stitched with floral patterns that was worn on her friend’s birthday.

ENAMEL EARRINGS
Italian earrings with a centered paste with a beige enamel frame.

RED SILK CARNATION
Audrey’s love for flowers holds no bounds; it's one of my sacred treasures.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MILTON H. GREENE
A gelatin silver print from Look, a biweekly magazine that ran from 1937 to 1971.

LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON PHOTOGRAPHS
A series of gelatin silver prints.

LETTERS FROM AUDREY

HANDWRITTEN IN HER USUAL TURQUOISE OR BLUE INK

CONNIE WALD
A Christmas card that she drew for UNICEF addressed to one of her best friends.

LILLIAN GISH
A two-page letter written to her co-star in the western film The Unforgiven.

RENEE JOURDE
Addressed to the salon of Givenchy, the letter is entirely in French.

GARSON KAUIU
Responding to a gift she received from a New York resident.

AUTOGRAPHS

SIGNATURES ON BOOKS, POSTCARDS, AND PHOTOS

ONDINE: A RANDOM HOUSE PLAY
Signed by Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, and almost the entire cast of the Broadway show.

GARDENS OF THE WORLD: THE ART & PRACTICE OF GARDENING
Signed by Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Hobhouse.

SIGNED PUBLICITY PHOTO
Love in the Afternoon photo signed by Audrey Hepburn and co-star Maurice Chevalier.

SIGNED ARGENTINA POSTCARD
Audrey's portrait by Bud Fraker for Paramount that was signed in the early 50s.

SIGNED POSTCARD
Audrey's portrait by Bud Fraker for Paramount that was signed on Dec 9th, 1991.