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Audrey Hepburn
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Audrey Hepburn poses with her head resting on her hand, wearing a red coat with white buttons and a white poodle applique, against a textured gray background. Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday, wearing an off-the-shoulder gown, jeweled necklace, and tiara, standing in an elegant setting. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck hold hands while standing on outdoor stone steps in a scene from Roman Holiday, with buildings and people in the background. Kay Thompson, Fred Astaire, and Audrey Hepburn stand in a lively pose on an outdoor terrace with cafe tables in a scene from the film Funny Face. Breakfast at Tiffany's Charade Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn, and Wilfrid Hyde-White in formal attire ascend a grand staircase at a ball in a scene from the film My Fair Lady (1964). Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday
At a Glance
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Audrey Hepburn summary
Quizzes
Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Pop Culture Quiz
North by Northwest (1959) Actor Cary Grant, left, as Roger O. Thornhill and actress Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall atop Mount Rushmore during the climactic scene in the film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. movie
Cary Grant Quiz
Related Questions

Audrey Hepburn: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Jerry Vermilye, The Complete Films of Audrey Hepburn (1995, reissued 1998); Alexander Walker, Audrey: Her Real Story (1994, reissued 1998); and Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn (1996, reissued 1998).

Researcher's Note

Audrey Hepburn’s birth name

Sources disagree as to the exact name Audrey Hepburn was given at birth. The names Edda, Audrey (the English form of the Dutch name Edda), and Andrey (a feminine form of Andrew, the name likely to have been used if the baby had been born a boy) appear in different biographies. However, in Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit (2003), her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer provided a birth certificate and other documents that give her original name as Audrey Kathleen Ruston. He also stated that during World War II Hepburn’s mother, the Dutch baroness Ella Van Heemstra, temporarily changed her daughter’s name to Edda Van Heemstra in order to hide her British heritage. In addition, at some point after Hepburn’s birth, her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, adopted the surname Hepburn-Ruston, believing himself to be descended from James Hepburn, 4th earl of Bothwell. The various name changes undoubtedly contributed to the uncertainty concerning her birth name. However, based on the materials provided by her son, Britannica has given Audrey Kathleen Ruston as Hepburn’s original name.

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: The MyHero Project - Audrey Hepburn. Sep 15, 2026
Anniversary information added. Apr 30, 2026
Anniversary information added. Jan 16, 2026
Add new Web site: ABC listen - Overnights - Behind the Enduring Appeal of Audrey Hepburn. Nov 29, 2025
Add new Web site: BBC - 'She believed you have to take sides': How Audrey Hepburn became a secret spy during World War Two. Aug 02, 2025
Questions and answers added. Feb 13, 2025
Add new Web site: Academia - A New Kind of Star is Born: Audrey Hepburn and the Global Governmentalization of Female Stardom. Oct 23, 2024
Add new Web site: UNICEF - Audrey Hepburn. Jul 30, 2024
First paragraph modernization. Apr 23, 2024
Add new Web site: The MyHero Project - Audrey Hepburn. Apr 19, 2024
Add new Web site: New Netherland Institute - Audrey Hepburn. Aug 23, 2022
Added the documentary Audrey and noted that she won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Dec 29, 2020
Add new Web site: Golden Globes - Audrey Hepburn. Dec 06, 2020
Changed her original name from "Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston" to "Audrey Kathleen Ruston" and noted subsequent revisions to her name. Mar 26, 2019
Corrected display issue. Jun 20, 2018
Add new Web site: LiveAbout - Biography of Audrey Hepburn. Dec 12, 2016
Add new Web site: AllMovie - Audrey Hepburn. Dec 09, 2016
Add new Web site: The New York Times - Audrey Hepburn, Actress, Is Dead at 63. Dec 09, 2016
Add new Web site: UNICEF for every child - Audrey Hepburn. Mar 03, 2014
Add new Web site: Matinee Classics - Biography of Audrey Hepburn. Mar 03, 2014
Added photograph. Dec 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Turner Classic Movies - Audrey Hepburn. Dec 20, 2012
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Biography of Audrey Hepburn. Dec 20, 2012
Add new Web site: Iloveindia.com - Biography of Audrey Hepburn. Dec 20, 2012
Changed "The Netherlands" to "the Netherlands." Sep 15, 2010
Media added. Feb 26, 2009
Media added. Dec 21, 2006
Added new Web site: Golden Globes - Audrey Hepburn. Aug 30, 2006
New article added. Feb 16, 2001
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