52 Women I Admire
Week 1 — Audrey Hepburn
As part of a new series, I am going to publish one article a week that will feature the story of a woman who has impacted our world in a meaningful way. Stories help us understand ourselves and the world. The women may be alive or deceased. They may be part of our current experience or they may be historical figures. They all matter in some way.
We all matter in some way.
Grace. Courage. Love.
I will begin this series with a look at Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993). Audrey was a Belgian-born Hollywood actress and UNICEF ambassador who continues to inspire us to be real, push through adversity, and love fully.
Audrey wasn’t perfect, but who among us is? Audrey reportedly had affairs, while she was married, with several of her leading men. She made bad movies and bad decisions. She even lost the Oscar she won for Roman Holiday before she got home on the night of the Academy Awards. (She did get it back.)
Audrey Hepburn is inspiring because of her imperfections.
She suffered.
She succeeded.
She soared.
Lesson #1 — GRACE
“You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.”-a.h.
Audrey Hepburn was beautiful because she was real. Producers and directors, photographers and magazine editors — they all saw the slim, prim, elegant Audrey as the woman of the moment. She rocked the LBD (little black dress) whether she was wearing flats or princess heels, Tiffany jewelry or a no jewelry at all. To many people in the 1950s, Audrey was the anti-Marilyn — the exact opposite of the voluptuous and ditzy Marilyn Monroe.
But Audrey’s beauty was more than skin deep.
Growing up in England and The Netherlands during World War II, Audrey understood suffering, survival, and service at a young age.
Empathy for the world around her was part of Audrey’s graceful nature.
Stardom came quickly and easily (especially after the release of Roman Holiday in 1953), but Audrey never let her ego get in the way of who she was. She never felt privileged. She was always grateful. This inner gratitude added to Audrey’s outward grace and elegance.
Lesson #2 — COURAGE
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible.’”-a.h.
Despite difficulties throughout her life, Audrey achieved great success through hard, honest work.
During the years of Nazi occupation in The Netherlands, Audrey watched people die of starvation. She, in fact, nearly perished. This experience taught Audrey about courage for herself, for her family and friends, and for the world at large.
After the war, Audrey earned enough money through her acting to be comfortable and to set up “home” wherever she traveled. But she worked hard to balance stardom with the domestic life she always dreamed of.
Having children was difficult. Audrey suffered multiple miscarriages throughout her life (approximately five in all). Eventually, she did give birth to two healthy sons, Sean (in 1960 with first husband Mel Ferrer), and Luca (in 1970 with second husband Andrea Dotti).
By the time of her death at the age of 63, Audrey had created a beautiful home for her children and for her final partner, Robert Wolders. But getting to this point wasn’t easy.
It took time, patience, and a lot of courage for Audrey to create the life she wanted.
Lesson #3 — LOVE
“For me the only things of interest are those linked to the heart.”-a.h.
Despite hardship and heartache, Audrey never stopped loving life and the people around her. Love helped Audrey get through World War II. Love helped her keep trying to have babies after the miscarriages. And love gave her the power to create a stable home and family life for her children.
Audrey had enough love not just for her family and friends, but for children all over the world. She personified this love when she traveled the globe as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in the late 1980s and early 1990s. UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), was originally called the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. This was the organization that helped to pull the children of The Netherlands (including Audrey) out of poverty and starvation following World War II.
Audrey’s influence with UNICEF and children all over the world lives on today through the nonprofit work of her children and grandchildren and through the many celebrity UNICEF ambassadors who have followed in Audrey’s footsteps. Audrey didn’t just talk about the needs of children around the world, she traveled to the places in need where she held babies and young children and saw the suffering for herself.
Audrey’s work with UNICEF brought her life full circle. She passed away on January 20, 1993, at her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, after a battle with colon cancer. She left this world with the same grace, courage, and love she brought to it.
Learn More
There are numerous articles and books that recount Audrey’s life. You can also learn a lot about her beauty, grace, and style by watching her movies and listening to her interviews. YouTube and Google provide a wealth of information. I found two podcasts especially helpful as I wrote this blog:
- The History Chicks, episodes on February 24 and March 9 (2019) — “Audrey Hepburn” (Parts 1 and 2)
- Once Upon a Lifetime, episodes on June 7, June 11, and June 13 (2019) — “Audrey Hepburn Biography” (Episodes 1–5)
Here’s one last bit of advice from Audrey:
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”-a.h.
