Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Belgium, and died on January 20, 1993. She lived a very full life, from living through World War II to working in Africa to help starving children.
Audrey lived until the age of ten in England, alone with her mother, Ella van Heemstra. She had two half-brothers from her mother’s previous marriage; they went away to boarding school when she was 5 and her father Joseph Ruston left her family when she was 6.
Audrey moved to Holland with her mother because she felt it was unsafe after the British Royal Air Force attacked Hitler’s navy, and England was at war. It was better in Holland until May 10th when the German soldiers invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. From 1940 to 1945 Audrey’s life was very rough; she had to learn Dutch and changed her name to Edda van Heemstra because Audrey Ruston sounded to English and German soldiers could easily have arrested or deported her. Audrey almost died of starvation many times during the war.
Audrey’s career in dance began in 1945, right after the war, she took ballet lessons from Sonia Gaskell, who then recommended her to Marie Rambert for the school “Ballet Rambert”, it was then that she changed her name to Audrey Hepburn, her fathers grandmother’s maiden name. She did modeling to support her studies at Ballet Rambert.
Audrey’s first acting job was in comedy educational film Dutch in 7 Lessons, and then later was in musicals like High Buttoned Shoes and Sauce Piquante. Some films in which she had minors roles where One Wild Oat, One Wives’ Tale, Laughter in Paradise, and Monte Carlo Baby. During the filming of Monte Carlo Baby Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette a famous French writer spotted Audrey and immediately wanted to cast her as the lead in her upcoming film Gigi. From then on Audrey was a hit and starred in very many famous movies and was adored all over the world. Famous films she has starred in: The Secret People, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, War and Peace, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and My Fair Lady.
In Audrey’s later years she did very much charity work and was appointed a goodwill ambassador to UNICEF. She spent many of her last years in places such as Vietnam, Somalia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Turkey, and Ecuador. She died on January 20, 1993 of appendicle cancer in her home in Switzerland.
Audrey lived until the age of ten in England, alone with her mother, Ella van Heemstra. She had two half-brothers from her mother’s previous marriage; they went away to boarding school when she was 5 and her father Joseph Ruston left her family when she was 6.
Audrey moved to Holland with her mother because she felt it was unsafe after the British Royal Air Force attacked Hitler’s navy, and England was at war. It was better in Holland until May 10th when the German soldiers invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. From 1940 to 1945 Audrey’s life was very rough; she had to learn Dutch and changed her name to Edda van Heemstra because Audrey Ruston sounded to English and German soldiers could easily have arrested or deported her. Audrey almost died of starvation many times during the war.
Audrey’s career in dance began in 1945, right after the war, she took ballet lessons from Sonia Gaskell, who then recommended her to Marie Rambert for the school “Ballet Rambert”, it was then that she changed her name to Audrey Hepburn, her fathers grandmother’s maiden name. She did modeling to support her studies at Ballet Rambert.
Audrey’s first acting job was in comedy educational film Dutch in 7 Lessons, and then later was in musicals like High Buttoned Shoes and Sauce Piquante. Some films in which she had minors roles where One Wild Oat, One Wives’ Tale, Laughter in Paradise, and Monte Carlo Baby. During the filming of Monte Carlo Baby Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette a famous French writer spotted Audrey and immediately wanted to cast her as the lead in her upcoming film Gigi. From then on Audrey was a hit and starred in very many famous movies and was adored all over the world. Famous films she has starred in: The Secret People, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, War and Peace, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and My Fair Lady.
In Audrey’s later years she did very much charity work and was appointed a goodwill ambassador to UNICEF. She spent many of her last years in places such as Vietnam, Somalia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Turkey, and Ecuador. She died on January 20, 1993 of appendicle cancer in her home in Switzerland.
