Born in Brussels, on May 4, 1929, to Baroness Ella van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, Audrey Kathleen van Heemstra Ruston encountered her first trial of life only twenty-one days after her birth (Paris 6). After contracting whooping cough the disease became so serious that Audrey stopped breathing. If it had not have been for the quick thinking of her mother and a slight spanking to start her breathin

Having avoided mishaps with the Germans since the war began, Audrey's luck soon ran out. While running an errand for her mother she was ordered by a Nazi soldier to join a group of girls her age to be sent out for menial labor. Audrey, refusing to be a slave, waited until the captor was smoking a cigarette and then ran away and hid in the cellar of a bombed-out building (Harris 44-45). In the process of hiding out Audrey lost track of time and several days passed. She finally returned home, only to find an ecstatic, but very relieved, Ella who had thought Audrey dead or sent off to a work camp (Harris 45).

At a performance of Sauce Tartare, casting director Robert Lennard noticed Audrey in the chorus and recommended her to director Mario Zampi for a role in the upcoming movie, Laughter in Paradise. Hesitating until the last moment the only role Audrey could get was that of a cigarette girl (Harris 67).

As she grew older Audrey traveled constantly between London and Brussels, and Arnhem and The Hague (Paris 7). Her brothers, Alexander and Ian, lived mainly with Ella's parents. Audrey's family finally settled when she was two; Ella had grown tired of the situation and moved the entire family from Brussels to Castel Sainte-Cecile, a small estate near Linkebeek (Paris 7).

Schindehette, Susan. "Our Fair Lady." People Weekly v.39.4 1Feb 1993: C4. PerABs.

wned Allied aircraft, and escapees from POW camps in Germany) (Harris 37-38).

Paris, Barry. Audrey Hepburn. New York: G.P. Putman's Sons, 1996.

C2. PerABs. First Search. Moline High School Lib., Moline, IL. 29 March

On December 18, 1948 Audrey and her mother departed for England, where Audrey had been accepted to study under Marie Rambert (Harris 57). Marie later said about Audrey, "[She] had lovely long limbs and beautiful eyes, but her tragedy was being too tall. I tried to do whatever I could for her. She was a good worker, a wonderful learner. I always knew she would amount to something, but there was no future for her in my company of dancers" (Harris 59). Audrey worked hard, but shortly before she turned twenty she realized that her dream of becoming a solo ballerina was next to impossible. Even to be able to dance in the chorus would have meant five more years of training. Preparing for the inevitable future, Audrey began going to auditions and casting calls for various plays and musicals (Harris 60).

Audrey suffered a mild case of culture shock due to the quick move from England to Holland. She had been speaking English for the better part of her life and the move to Holland meant learning the Dutch language at record speed. "That first morning in school I sat at my little bench, completely baffled. For several days I went home weeping. But I knew I couldn't just give up. I was forced to learn the language quickly. And I did", said Audrey on the experience (Harris 25).

Food became scarcer as the German's grip on Arnhem tightened. Audrey's fifteenth birthday celebration consisted of leaves of endive for an appetizer, watered-down vegetable soup, and a quarter-loaf of bread made from dried pea flour. Her mother, u

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