Audrey Hepburn: Full Circle

Gregory Peck. Eddie Albert. William Wyler. Hubert De Givenchy. Humphrey Bogart. William Holden. Billy Wilder. Henry Fonda. Mel Ferrer. Fred Astaire. Gary Cooper. Maurice Chevalier. Tony Perkins. John Huston. Burt Lancaster. Audie Murphy. George Peppard. Mickey Rooney. Blake Edwards. James Garner. Shirley Maclaine. Stanley Donen. Cary Grant. Walter Mathau. Noel Coward. Rex Harrisson. Wilfrid Hyde-White. Jeremy Brett. Peter O'Toole. Albert Finney. Alan Arkin. Richard Crenna. Sean Connery. Richard Harris. Ben Gazarra. James Mason. Peter Bogdonavich. Robert Wagner. Richard Dreyfuss.

What do these great actors, directors, and artists have in common, aside from accomplished careers? Answer: they shared the screen, and in some cases much more, with one of Hollywood's most luminous stars; Audrey Hepburn.

I. The Early Years.

Audrey was born in Belgium in 1929, with the name Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston. Her mother, the Baroness van Heemstra, already had two boys from a previous marriage. Audrey's father, Mr. Hepburn-Ruston, abandoned the family a few years after his daughter's birth; he was a great fan of Hitler, as were many Europeans (and Americans) at the time. He went on to become an Axis spy in England and was eventually jailed for it. Meanwhile, Audrey's mother moved her family throughout Europe looking for a safe place to live, eventually settling in Holland while the Second World War was getting underway.

Despite her title, the Baroness was not possessed of great wealth but did manage to secure a decent living for her children. Audrey was particularly keen on dance training, taking ballet lessons partially for that reason and partially to concentrate on something other than war. Her brothers were eventually called into military service and one of them was a prisoner of war for a time. When the Germans rolled into Holland and occupied Audrey's village, she and other children helped the underground circulate messages by hiding them in their shoes. Once, she hid from the Nazis in an abandoned building without food for several days, nearly starving in the process.

Audrey's village was the site of a major offensive versus the Nazis at the end of the war. The populace survived a desperate winter by living on boiled grass and vegetable roots. When the war was over, the UN immediately brought food supplies and other relief. It was a new organization in those days; it later came to be called UNICEF, and would play a major role in Audrey's life again.

With the war over, Audrey's family moved to England and she returned to her dream of a dance career; but malnutrition had affected her growth and she was considered too old to train as a prima ballerina. She became a working dancer in nightclubs, and was spotted by a talent agent who cast her for bit and supporting parts in English films of the late '40s and early '50s. Admired for her natural charm, large emotive eyes, attractive features, and unusual accent, her on-screen work increased quickly. It drew the notice of the French writer Colette, who was casting the lead for a production of her play GIGI: the character was a type which Audrey would later play often, mixing youth and naivete with sophistication and an underlying sexuality.

The play was a hit. Audrey was still largely unknown, but her turn in GIGI led to an audition for the great director William Wyler, whose work to that point included DEAD END, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and DETECTIVE STORY. Her English contract was loaned to Paramount Pictures for her first starring film role: ROMAN HOLIDAY.

II. Love Stories.

ROMAN HOLIDAY is an unusual film in many respects. Rather than shoot the film on a studio backlot, Wyler was permitted to move the production to Italy. The story, of a princess who plays hooky from her diplomatic duties and is led about town by a reporter (played by Gregory Peck) hoping to secretly scoop the press corps, has an unusual ending- which I won't spoil for you here. Suffice it to say that Audrey was required to play a broad emotional range, and for someone with no formal training, she performed brilliantly. After seeing her audition film, Gregory Peck called his agent to make sure that her name would receive equal billing with his: a gesture which his agent questioned, and which Audrey credits as a jump start for her career. Peck recalls it as a pragmatic one, predicting correctly that she would cause a sensation, and it would only look foolish to have her name below his.

While HOLIDAY was in post production, Audrey met a friend of Peck's named Mel Ferrer. She was offered and accepted a role in a Broadway production of a fantasy called ONDINE, in which she played water sprite to Ferrer's knight. Their chemistry carried over into real life, but they did not get engaged. While playing in ONDINE, Audrey received her first nomination for an Academy Award, and won the Best Actress statue. Not long afterward, she won the Tony award as well. ROMAN HOLIDAY was a huge success, achieving the sort of chemistry in a type of love story that was becoming increasingly rare in the postwar film industry- a story ghostwritten, incidentally, by a blacklisted Hollywood writer. It was remade for TV in 1987, with Catherine Oxenburg in Audrey's role and Tom Conti in Peck's. The less said the better.

In preparation for her next film, Audrey was sent to Italy to meet with an up and coming young designer who would be her clothier. When Hubert de Givenchy was told that "Miss Hepburn" would be coming to visit, ROMAN HOLIDAY had not yet been released and he naturally was excited at the prospect of meeting Katherine Hepburn. When Audrey arrived, he was startled, but immediately fell in love with her look; he took her measurements and discovered that they were identical to the mannequins he used for designing. Their partnership, apprently predestined, lasted the rest of her life. As beloved as Audrey was for her acting, her features, short hairstyle, and the life she brought to Givenchy's designs were very influential, and remain listed in industry circles as one of the greatest "looks" in the history of fashion.

There was no sophomore jinx at play in her second starring role. Based on a popular play and directed by Billy Wilder, SABRINA could hardly miss. It starred Audrey as a chauffer's daughter in a love triangle with the two brothers for whom her family has worked. The brothers were played by William Holden, a veteran of some of Wilder's other great films (most notably SUNSET BOULEVARD and STALAG 17), and Humphrey Bogart. Critics found Bogart somewhat miscast as a straight-laced businessman who falls for Hepburn, and their on-screen chemistry could have been better (Bogart was reportedly mean to Audrey on the set, while Holden was quite the opposite- they had a short-lived love affair): but SABRINA works very well as a romantic comedy. Audrey received a second straight Academy Award nomination for her work. A recent remake, starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond, and Greg Kinnear, is not as memorable but well worth watching.

Audrey's biographer, Alexander Walker, claims that she and William Holden would have married were it not for the fact that he could no longer have children. It was one of Audrey's most fervent wishes, more important to her than a screen career. She and Mel Ferrer were cast together in a decent adaptation of WAR AND PEACE, a more serious role; again they dated and, a few years later, were married in a private ceremony in Europe. They built a home there and began to work together as much as possible.

In 1957, Audrey starred in what has been referred to as the last great old-fashioned Hollywood musical. It was called FUNNY FACE, starring Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer who persuades a bookish Audrey to model in France. There are some inspired dance numbers, including a chance for Audrey to show her training, and some classic Gershwin songs are put to fine use. Her next project, LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON, was another May-December romance between Audrey and a very wrinkly Gary Cooper; it was not one of Billy Wilder's best films but it is by no means a bad one.

While her star continued to rise, Audrey endured some personal disappointments, particularly a miscarriage which caused her to stop working for almost a couple of years. Hoping that work would bring her good spirits back a little, Mel Ferrer produced and directed an adaptation of the fantasy-romance GREEN MANSIONS with Audrey in the lead role and Anthony Perkins as her co-star. It was not well-received, considered Audrey's first flop: but the work had indeed helped, and she continued to work with a project that really excited her and met her desire to stretch out of the typecasting that had begun to dog her.

The film was called THE NUN'S STORY, based on a popular book by Kathryn Hulme: it is the story of Sister Luke, a young nun who wants to serve God but finds herself in a crisis of faith when she experiences life in a convent. She performs missionary work in the Congo, helps the underground during the Second World War, and ultimately leaves her order. It is a long and serious film, and quite a good one; Audrey earned her second Academy Award for her perfomance.

Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived: she suffered another miscarriage while filming THE UNFORGIVEN (no relation to the Eastwood film) for the demanding director John Huston. The 1960's had begun, and the innocent, virginal roles generally forwarded to Audrey were less and less appealing. As a multiple Academy Award winner, she could be more selective. In THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, she played a teacher who is falsely accused of having a lesbian relationship with her roommate, another teacher played by Shirley Maclaine. It was another film, released the same year, which would mark a more permanent turn in her career.

III. Family Time.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing: that song has got to go." - a movie studio executive's remark after a preview screening of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. (Audrey's icy reply: "Over my dead body.")

The sensational novella by Truman Capote was hardly the sort of story that suggested Audrey Hepburn: a New York call girl with emotional problems and a secret past befriends a gay writer in her apartment building. And indeed, the filmed version played out differently: the writer became a straight "kept man" played by George Peppard, and Audrey has been referred to as the only virgin call girl in New York. It is, to be honest, not one of my favourite films starring Audrey; not even close. I tend to think of it as the PRETTY WOMAN of its time, complete with the test-screened and preposterous happy ending. I think it suffers from its time of origin: a few years earlier it would have been more sanitized, or a few years later it would have stuck closer to Capote's story. In any case, I find it dated.

Having said that, I still recommend the film. It does have solid performances considering the concessions made in the script, and the scene of Audrey singing the very popular "Moon River" is one of her most beloved moments. The song was written especially for Audrey by Henry Mancini, taking into account her very narrow vocal range- an Achilles heel that would later cause her some trouble.

With BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, Audrey was once again in the forefront of style thanks to her own talents and those of her friend Givenchy. She was nominated once again for an Academy Award, but didn't win; and she didn't mind, because she also learned that she was pregnant again after believing that it would not be possible. She confined herself to bed and delivered a healthy baby boy, Sean Ferrer. It was the beginning of a very happy time for her.

She next appeared on screen in 1963, opposite Cary Grant and a scene-stealing Walter Mathau in CHARADE. No longer cast as a young ingenue, Audrey played a more seasoned woman who bantered with Grant through a somewhat fluffy mystery story. It was the first of several caper pictures which she would make in the '60s.

Audrey wanted to spend as much time as she could at home with her new child, working also on her marriage to Mel, whose career had not risen with hers. But it was soon after CHARADE that the role of a lifetime presented itself: that of Eliza Doolittle in the film of the smash hit musical MY FAIR LADY. Audrey worked very hard on her accents and singing voice, determined to match performances with costar Rex Harrison. It was the first time that she actively lobbied, via her agents, for a film role: and the studio was happy to oblige, as her name on the marquee would certainly attract more business than that of the relatively unknown actress playing the part on Broadway- Julie Andrews.

This did not sit well with many of Audrey's fellow actors, who felt that Andrews should have played Eliza in the film. The studio executives, nervous about the buzz around the film, had Audrey's songs replaced with the voice of a professional singer- without informing Audrey. Negative buzz or no, the film was a huge hit and is probably the one for which Audrey is most recognized. It won a whopping eight Academy Awards- but she did not get one of them. Ironically, that year's Best Actress Oscar went to Julie Andrews, who had quickly risen to fame in a little film called THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Also released that year was an interesting and somewhat overlooked film called PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES, in which Audrey plays stenographer to an aging, jaded screenwriter played by William Holden. As he dictates the plot of his script, it also becomes the plot of the film, doubling back on itself as he changes his mind. It is an interesting structure, not as funny as the filmmakers might have intended, but well worth seeing.

I don't know if Audrey and William Holden may have rekindled their old flame during the shoot. It is entirely possible, given the increasing distance between her and Mel Ferrer as the 60's progressed. After another year off, Audrey starred with Peter O'Toole in a charming caper picture called HOW TO STEAL A MILLION. Audrey's ingenue image by this time was firmly replaced with a cool, mod style that prevailed in England. Her smile, as broad and sweet as ever, was a knowing one rather than innocent.

Audrey was one of those actors whose films often reflect their real lives, and this was probably never more true than in 1967. She starred with Albert Finney in TWO FOR THE ROAD, the story of a couple whose marriage is in decline; it flashes back from their unhappy present to their earlier, happier years. By all accounts, she and Finney had an affair on the set.

Audrey's last hurrah with Mel was a film called WAIT UNTIL DARK, also released in 1967: it was one of her more challenging roles, that of a blind woman who is terrorized by criminals in her apartment building during one long evening. The same gossipers who put Audrey down for "stealing" Julie Andrews' role now sympathized with her, worried that Mel was taking revenge on her vicariously; but however difficult the shoot might have been, the film was a huge hit and Audrey found herself nominated again. Not long afterward, she and Mel separated, with her keeping custody of their son and a secluded home in Holland.

Much to her friends' surprise, Audrey remarried very soon afterward to an Italian psychologist named Andrea Dotti. Thanks to him, she soon had a second son named Luca; and a few years later, a second separation when it became clear that he was not a one-woman man. She did not appear on screen for nearly ten years after WAIT UNTIL DARK, choosing instead to focus on raising her sons, spending time with a few friends, and tending her gardens at home. She allowed herself to age a little; after all, she had little choice in the matter.

Audrey appeared in just five more films in the 70s and 80s; the first, and certainly best, was ROBIN AND MARIAN, released in 1976. It was the story of an aged Robin Hood (Sean Connery) returning from exile to find his old gang disbanded and Maid Marian (Audrey) living in a convent, about to be arrested by the Sherriff of Nottingham. Robin saves her and they hide back in Sherwood Forest for a while, recalling glory days while the Sherriff closes in. It is a melancholy film with a downbeat ending, and a fine vehicle for Audrey's return to work.

IV. Full Circle.

"If people are still interested in me, if my name makes them listen to what I want to say, then that is wonderful… I am not interested in promoting Audrey Hepburn these days. I am interested in telling the world about how they can help."

Audrey flew solo for several years after her separation from Dr. Dotti, spending time with a few close friends and her sons; their divorce was not finalized until 1980. She played elegant matriarchs in films like SIDNEY SHELDON'S BLOODLINE ('79), THEY ALL LAUGHED ('81), and LOVE AMONG THIEVES ('87). She met a man named Robert Wolders, a Dutch actor with whom she found a lot in common. They never married, but became close companions for the remainder of her life.

In 1986, when the world was becoming aware of starvation in Africa (among other places), Audrey offered to help by lending her fame to fundraising efforts. She began to make visits to villages which were receiving aid from UNICEF; she was very moved by the experience, the bond which she instantly had with the children and mothers she met. Even though many of the visits were dangerous, she continued to make them and became so synonymous with UNICEF that she was named their Special Ambassador in 1989.

In the late '80s, Steven Spielberg was casting a remake of the 1943 Spencer Tracy film A GUY NAMED JOE, about a pilot who, after dying in a crash while saving his friend, returns as an angel to help those he left behind. The pilot would be played by Spielberg regular Richard Dreyfuss; but who could play the angel who explains his new lease on life? Well, you know who by now. ALWAYS, released in 1989, was Audrey's last film, and a very fitting end to her screen career. Dressed in a simple white sweater and pants with her hair swept back, she is as elegant and angelic as she ever was in a Givenchy design. She used the publicity tour for the film to promote UNICEF.

Audrey's last piece of acting work was a documentary series for PBS about the great gardens of the world; it aired in 1992. Later that year, she traveled to Somalia, but had to cut her trip short due to illness. She was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and told that she would not live more than six months. She spent that time in the home she loved, with her sons and Robert; and on January 20, 1993, she died at the age of 63. Later that year, she received a special Academy Award for humanitarian work.

That legacy lives on in the Audrey Hepburn Hollywood for Children Foundation, which was established to continue using her name for famine relief fundraising. Donations may be sent to Hollywood for Children, 4 East 12th Street, New York, NY, 10003. An official website devoted to Audrey has also recently been established at the address www.audreyhepburn.com; it features photos from her acting and humanitarian careers, childhood drawings, and a glimpse of a museum recently established near her home in Holland.

I'd like to conclude this tribute to Audrey with a poem which I found at that website; she read it to her sons during their last Christmas together. I think it captures the grace and good humour which she epitomized. Unlike silver screen icons like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, Audrey did not live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse; her legacy is one more beautiful, more genuine, and more substantial. It is a legacy of love.

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone ...
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed...
Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others."

-Sam Levenson