THE ENDURANCE OF
AUDREY HEPBURN

Audrey Hepburn was one of the most beloved movie stars of the 20th century, thanks to memorable performances in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, My Fair Lady, and many others. Sofia Loren once described her as “meek, gentle, and ethereal, understated both in her life and in her work.” Another adjective to describe Hepburn: strong.

THE WINTER OF 1944 When Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Ruston in 1929) was a teenager, World War II broke out. Fearing a Nazi invasion, her British mother moved them from their home in Belgium to the Netherlands, hoping the Nazis wouldn’t invade. But the Nazis did invade, and they occupied the Netherlands for five years, cutting off all food supplies in the fifth year. By that point it was just Audrey and her mother; her father had long since abandoned the family to become active in the British Fascist movement.

The mother and daughter nearly starved to death during the long winter of 1944. At one point their only sustenance was boiled grass and tulip bulbs. The frail teenager lost so much weight that she developed acute anemia, edema, and respiratory problems. Even so, Audrey was a gifted ballerina. Dancing under the stage name Edda van Heemstra (her mother’s maiden name, which she used so she wouldn’t sound too English), she took part in “silent performances” in which the audience would hold its applause, so that they wouldn’t alert the Nazis patrolling outside. The proceeds from these performances went to the Dutch resistance effort.

Hepburn never fully recovered from that lean winter. At 5′7″ and only 88 pounds, she tried to return to ballet dancing after the war, but the effects of malnourishment had dashed her dream of ever becoming a prima ballerina. So she got work as a dental assistant and took up modeling and acting.

A STAR IS BORN Everything changed when Hepburn landed a part in a movie being shot in Monte Carlo. The French novelist Colette happened to be vacationing there. She took one look at the bright-eyed young actress and offered her the lead role in the Broadway play Gigi. Hepburn had never acted on stage before, but after surviving starvation and the Nazis, she was up for anything. Gigi ran for 219 performances on Broadway, launching a legendary career that saw Hepburn become one of only 15 entertainers to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (the coveted EGOT).

Audrey Hepburn retired from acting in 1967 and, through her work as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, she dedicated the rest of her life to feeding starving children. She died in 1993 at the age of 63.

Uncle John’s favorite word for “drunk”: crapulent.