Audrey+Kathleen+Ruston+(Audrey+Hepburn)

"I just decided to do as much as possible in the time that I'm still up" - Audrey Hepburn (James). Audrey Hepburn was surprisingly an ambitious woman, even though she was criticized by her skinny figure (Billson). Although she nearly starved in the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War II, she still tried to continue her life in London (Corliss). In London, however, she was denied as a prima ballerina, but still looked forward (Cooper). Hepburn has endured many adversities throughout her lifetime. She grew up without a father because he had Nazi leanings and took off when she was born (Marine). The reason why she was denied as a prima ballerina was "due to lack of proper training while growing up during World War II" (Cooper). Through nasty comments such as, "What bothered me a little bit about her was how thin she was... You could see her veins," she still felt comfortable with herself, no matter how many times people tried to put her own or discourage her. Hepburn was an irresistible woman (Marine). Yet at the same time, she was also an irreplaceable type of woman (Corliss).
 * Introduction **

Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 to a charming lady named Ella (Corliss). Ella was not only charming, but she was also a penniless Dutch baroness (Billson). Hepburn's father, a British wastrel, left her when she was born due to his connections (Riding). He was a selfish man who had not cared for anyone but himself, and when he had Nazi leanings, he took off (Marine). On that day, Hepburn was the seed plante d in Brussels, Belgium (Riding). One day, she will bloom for everyone to see.
 * Personal Background **

Hepburn's childhood and education were well spent in London, England (James). Unfortunately, her life had yet again changed for the worse. Had her family known that the Nazis were invading, they would not have went on a vacation to Holland during World War II (James). Hepburn suffered many losses during this tragic event in her life. As bad as her life was during the occupation, one of her brothers was taken to a labor camp. She did not only lose one of her brothers, but she also lost her uncle and cousin (James). Du ring this brutal moment in history, the Nazis took her loving uncle and cousin, and they were executed. Hepburn nearly starved in the Netherlands (Corliss). Her family had no food and were reduced to only consuming the non-delicious tulip bulbs (James). Although her life was tough, she wanted to make much use of it. She became the heroine of the Resistance when "she delivered a message to a British parachutist under the cover of picking wildflowers" (Billson).

Hepburn was a survivor of occupied Arnhem and the aftermath of the storm in her life turned into a rainbow (Billson). She went back to London after the war and tried to pursue her career as a dancer (Marine). The beginning of her glamorous life was when she became a graceful ballet student, a model, and a chorus girl (Billson). Hepburn was later denied as a prima ballerina (Cooper). However, in 1951, her beauty caught the attention of Colette and she was chosen to play Gigi in Broadway (Riding). That was the beginning of her life as a Hollywood star.

At the age of 38, Hepburn retired from movies so that she could give her affection to her two sons (Corliss). Hepburn's first son was named Sean (James). Her second son was named Luca (Riding). Also, her companion since 1980 was Robert Wolders (James). After retiring, she began "her career as an ambassador and consciousness-raiser for UNICEF." Due to her conditions and lifestyle during World War II, people understood why she wanted to start her career as an ambassador "and why the starving children of Africa and Asia were kin to her" (Corliss). Sadly, at the age of 63, Hepburn was hit with colon cancer and had undergone surgery (James). She later died at the same age on January 20, 1992 (Corliss).

Hepburn was gentle, but she was also stronger than the average woman (Marine). She was still sane after all the things s he saw during World War II (Cooper). Her relentless generosity of spirit kept her alive and burnished her glow (Corliss). Hepburn was a cute and playful girl whose love for music was evident (Marine). The reason she wanted to become a prima ballerina and started dancing was because she loved music (Riding).
 * Personality Traits **

After she was spotted by Colette, her life started to change (James). Hepburn was beginning to become famous, and people immediately fell in love with her outgoing personality (Billson). She was known for her natural glamour because her personality was the same as the way she came off screen (Cooper). Hepburn was the type of girl that people would ignore at first sight because she was mysterious, but when she spoke, she would instantly become a human magnet (Marine). She was like a beautiful rose with hurtful thorns. Soft and delicate, yet at the same time, daring and courageous (Marine).

Hepburn's body was not a bombshell, so she was often criticized by her skinny figure (Marine). Instead of letting these comments consume her, she took them and used them to make herself stronger. People thought that she, like most people, would typically become sad and hurt. However, she actually became more ambitious (Billson). Hepburn had a combination of grace, elegance, and high spirits (James). That earned her respect from her colleagues and showed people how much of a unique person she really was.

Audrey Hepburn's life was very unique. Like Cinderella, she started off as a girl living her life poorly in rags. Growing up during World War II, Hepburn was a fatherless daughter of a woman named Ella. Her family was caught vacationing in Holland, but little did they know that the Nazis were invading. After enduring much hardships, her life was not ready to take the glamorous turn (James).
 * Obstacles **

Hepburn decided to become a prima ballerina, but still, she was denied (Cooper). When she was scouted by Colette, it was as though Colette was her fairy Godmother. Slowly, she climbed her way to the top and became famous. However, even though she was famous, she was still attacked with comments like "[her] chest [was] as flat as her ballet slippers" (Marine). Since she suffered from malnutrition during Wold War II, her skinny figure is stuck with her. There is nothing Hepburn can do about how skinny she was because she could never seem to get fat despite her large appetite (Marine).

As successful as she was, "her mom rarely showed any pleasure in her... success" (Corliss). Her mother, Ella, wanted everything that Hepburn was more than anything else: English, slim, and an actress. Similar to Hepburn's critics, her mother also criticized her actions. People believed that her mother was jealous because she was always miffed and did not feel happy or congratulate Hepburn on her accomplishments. It was clear to everyone that Hepburn was talented, but even so, her mother had the guts to come backstage after Hepburn's Broadway triumph and say, "You've done very well, my dear, considering that you have no talent" (Corliss).

Audrey Hepburn was not only widely known for her acting, her position for UNICEF, and her modeling. Hepburn's legacy had started way back when she was suffering during World War II. Although she was afraid, alone, and in much misery, Hepburn still made the effort to send the messages to a British parachutist while she was under cover picking wildflowers. Through her actions, she was known as the heroine of the Resistance (Billson). After the war, Hepburn became a more praiseworthy woman.
 * Historical Significance **

Hard work and commitment can outshine talent, and Hepburn proved that. After the war, Hepburn wanted to pursue her career as a dancer in London (Marine). Although she was behind because of the war, at the age of 16, Hepburn won a scholarship at the Rambert Ballet School in London. Hepburn stated, "... I never thought I'd make it. I was too... far behind because of the war" (Riding). She knew that she was behind, and yet she still pushed herself to try. A few episodes later in her life, Hepburn became an actress (Cooper). Hepburn was not an ordinary actress, she was an outstanding one. Her first major film was "Roman Holiday" in 1953 and she won an academy award for best actress. She did not stop there; she continued to receive awards. People often thought that she had natural talent because of her eternal, effortless chic in movies (Corliss). The reality was that Audrey probably worked so hard that it looked as though she was not trying at all. Wards that she received were: a Tony for her performance in the play "Ondine," an Oscar nomination for a title of a role in "A Nun's story" in 1959, and a nomination for "Sabrina" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (James). Not only were her skills excellent, Hepburn was also very charming. Hepburn was known for her boyishness look, and, she made it look good (Marine). Through her years of acting, Hepburn was voted for the "most beautiful woman of all time" (Corliss).

Audrey Hepburn decided to retire and later became the ambassador for UNICEF (Cooper). Hepburn most likely decided to do this, because she knows how it feels to suffer form the lack of food at a young age. For this reason, she "crusaded on the behalf of impoverished children" (Marine). It was evident that Hepburn was very serious with her work. UNICEF took up most of her energy, because she "visited destitute children in the third world and raised funds in the developed world to help them." The places that she traveled to and helped were Ethiopia, the Sudán, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Vietnam (Riding).

Billson, Anne, Telegraph, London Daily. "An Angel with a backbone of steel; Audrey Hepburn was called 'un-Marilyn-Monroeish' but the actress was far from naive." //Vancouver Sun//. 30 Aug. 2013:D6. //eLibrary//. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. **SE#2**
 * References **

Cooper, Ilene. "Forever Hepburn." //The Booklist // 99.22 (2003): 1923. //ProQuest. //Web. 26 Sep. 2014. **SE#1**

Corliss, Richard. "Audrey Hepburn: Still the Fairest Lady." //Time.// Time Inc., 20 Jan. 2007. //Time//. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. **SE#4**

James, Caryn. "Audrey Hepburn, Actress, Is Dead at 63." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 20 Jan. 1993. //The New York Times.// Web. 20 Nov. 2014. **SE#5**

Marine, Rick. "Ever A Goddess, Ever a Dream." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 24 Apr. 1999. //The New York Times.// Web. 12 Dec. 2014. **SE#6**

Riding, Alan. "Audrey Hepburn's name still evokes magic." //Telegram & Gazette-Worcester//. 28 Apr. 1991:4. //eLibrary//. Web. 15 October. 2014. **SE#3**