Audrey Hepburn - Early Life

Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4^th 1929 in Belgium. Her given name was Audrey Kathleen Ruston. The last name was changed to Hepburn later, a name that came from a member of Audrey’s father’s family.

Early on, Audrey had her fair share of hardships. Only a few weeks after birth, Audrey suffered an almost fatal case of whooping cough. A few years later, she was devastated when her father left the family. Having been away in England for school, Audrey returned to the Netherlands to be with her mother and two step-brothers due to the acceleration of World War II. Unfortunately, she would still be a first hand witness to WWII, as Holland went under German occupation on May 1940. Her experiences with the war would leave a lasting impression on her, and influenced her later humanitarian work.

Before the war, she developed a love for ballet. She cultivated this interest for a time, during the war. This love of ballet would remain after the war, but Audrey would again be disappointed when she was told her opportunities to become a prima ballerina had passed. Audrey would continue performing though, working as a chorus girl and a small-time actress. Eventually, she was discovered by Collette, the author of the book Gigi which was just being developed into a stage show. Audrey would play the lead character of Gigi on Broadway and gain recognition for her successful performance. Soon after, she was cast in her first lead film role as Princess Anne in the movie “Roman Holiday”, starring opposite noted actor Gregory Peck.

Here is Audrey's screen test for that role: