Audrey Hepburn - biography, personal life: the story of an angel. Other people's husbands, paranoia about weight and bad habits
Audrey Hepburn was not only a unique actress, whose work went beyond specific roles and remained in the classics of cinema. But in life too, she was ahead of her time. She had an innate tendency towards well-being, that is, towards healthy, the right image life. Moreover, she was not a fan of fitness or diets; for her, the formula “in healthy body - healthy mind" had practical significance. Her wellness philosophy was first discussed by her son Luca Dotti when he presented his book Audrey at Home (2015) at Yahoo Health.
Natural balance
According to Luke, Audrey drank a lot of water and preferred vegetables and fruits. They made up 80% of it daily diet. Her nutrition system seems to be copied from the recommendations of modern nutritionists. And she even tried to buy seasonal vegetables - at farmers' markets. Culinary brands did not matter to her; she even avoided “branded” products. How I tried to avoid meat. Although she was not what you would call a vegetarian, she had a flexible approach to her food choices.
Luka claims that although my mother ate meat, it was in tiny doses. “One day I decided to raise chickens and rabbits on our farm. Mom didn’t object, but asked who would slaughter them. And we started planting potatoes.” It was potatoes that were her main product (Dutch roots on her mother, Irish on her father).
Her favorite dish was pasta with tomato sauce. She could add carrots or the same potatoes to the sauce. And each sauce was different from the previous one - she loved to experiment, relying on her natural flair. Once a month, Audrey had a fasting day: she ate only fruits, vegetables, yogurt and drank water. The detox especially helped restore biorhythms after long flights (for example, when she returned from Africa). And over the years, she completely got rid of dishes with complex recipes.
Her years are wealth
Audrey wasn't afraid of getting old. Of course, she was sorry that wrinkles appeared and her hair turned gray, but she enjoyed maturity. “She often said that in her youth, for example, she tied her hair at the back of her head, because she thought that was appropriate for her age,” shares Luka. “But she told me that she liked her hair down.” Over the years, Audrey felt more free.
She was alien to star fever" Luca said: “When my mother moved to live in Switzerland, we had to live in a small village house. For the villagers it was an Event. They expected her to arrive in some kind of Rolls-Royce or Mercedes. But she arrived in a van with things, and sat next to the driver... My mother lived for the sake of life, and not for the sake of history, although the public expected “historical” gestures and actions from her.”
Soul of a child
She was the source of what the French call joie de vivre, “joy of life.” Even when going to the market for groceries, she loved to try new things and create new recipes. The feeling of satiety was alien to her. Audrey enjoyed every new day like a little girl.
Her own ailments or illnesses did not frighten her. She was much more concerned about the health of her loved ones.
Over the years, her sense of childish naivety, the ability to be surprised, and the thirst for discovery did not dry up. Even while dying, she made plans: “I will get up and we will go to Australia. It’s wonderful there.”
No matter where she was, Audrey was always just Audrey. Children, family, friends, caring for people, her work at UNICEF - all this was more important to her than fame. When Luca told Hubert Givenchy (he was her close friend and she had been dressing for his special occasions for many years), Givenchy asked Luca to include recipes in the book. After all, meals with her were a true pleasure, as Hubert admitted.
The person who gives
By nature, Audrey was a “giving” person. “Mom didn’t consider herself special or noble,” says Luka. “She thought like this: “I can do it, so I have to do it.” She realized how famous she was and believed that it could be used for good. And she always said that, like everyone else, she likes to be lazy sometimes. Because we are all, first of all, living people. But if you set yourself important task, then that changes everything.”
Like a messenger good will UNICEF, she's in last years traveled a lot around the world. And this mission was not easy for her. “Every time she returned from a trip,” says Luka, “she jumped for joy, like a girl, from the joy of new discoveries, but these trips also affected her health. It is unlikely that she would have been able to work for UNICEF if not for her great sense of empathy and compassion. But she lived life to the fullest, and I never saw regret in her eyes."
Touches to the portrait of Audrey Hepburn
* Audrey Hepburn's parents: father is an Anglo-Austrian aristocrat, mother is a Dutch baroness.
* During World War II, Audrey had to endure hunger, she developed anemia, edema and other diseases. Growing fruits and vegetables gave her, according to Luke, a sense of security after the hungry war years.
* After the war, she studied ballet in London and trained to become a professional ballerina. But her teacher, although she recognized the student as very talented, believed that due to her health being undermined during the war, Audrey would never be a prima singer (stress!). And Audrey left ballet for the acting profession.
* On July 17, 1960, Audrey gave birth to a son, Sean, with her adoring husband, Mel Ferer. Their marriage lasted from 1954–1968, but ended difficult divorce because of Mel's infidelities.
* Audrey considered her role in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) one of the most difficult: she, an introvert, had to play an extrovert.
* For her role as Anna in Roman Holiday, 1953, Hepburn received an Oscar.
* The subtitle of Audrey at Home is “Memories of My Mother's Kitchen.” The book includes 50 of her favorites culinary recipes, letters, 250 previously unpublished family photos, her drawings, diary notes. And some recipes are written by her hand.
* After two broken marriages, Audrey did not marry, but from 1980 until the end of her days she dated actor Robert Walders and was completely happy with him.
Audrey was married three times. The first husband is Robert Walders, the second is Mel Ferrer (with whom Audrey has a son, Sean), and the third is Andrea Dotti (son Luca). His main love she thought Mel...
It all started in the summer of 1953. Audrey and Mel first met in London at a party. He was 12 years older than her. This is what Audrey said:
“It has no warmth, it has nothing to give to the viewer. Smart - yes, kind - not at all.”
Audrey and Mel Ferrer on set « War and Peace » (Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky), 1955
But soon Audrey felt Ferrer’s reliable shoulder. He became a support for her, surrounded her with care, which she lacked all her life. Their romance was the most beautiful in the history of Hollywood. They started taking pictures only together and only together give interviews. Audrey and Mel tied the knot on September 24, 1954.
"Some day, - Audrey said in an interview in 1953,– I’ll just fall in love and get married. And it will have nothing to do with my career."
Audrey gave birth to Mela son and he was named Sean, which means "God's gift":
« I remember I heard the sound of applause. Then they told me that a thunderstorm started during the birth, but I was sure that the whole world would applaud me! I thought it was better and more significant than any role I had ever played. » .
“I am sure that in order to become a truly good actress, you need to go through the experience of giving birth to a child.”.
They began acting in the same films so as not to be far from each other. But later their marriage began to crumble, and tied their only son. They separated for a while, Mel devoted all his energy to his career, but Audrey was worried, which is why she lost a lot of weight and was sick:
“I believed that marriage was between two kind, loving friend each other by people must exist until one of them dies. I understood how hard it is to be the husband of a world celebrity, to always be second on screen and in life. How Mel suffered... But, believe me, for me, my career always came in second place.”
Fragile and mysterious, Audrey Hepburn starred in 31 films, and all her roles were memorable. But few people know that the Hollywood star smoked three packs of cigarettes a day and until her death she kept her promise to herself never to weigh more than 47 kg. A happy love great actress I met her when I was just past my sixth decade.
Mother Audrey Hepburn Ella was from the Dutch aristocratic family of Van Heemstra and inherited the title of Baroness. Father Joseph Victor Anthony Hepburn-Ruston was honorary consul at Sumarang. The couple got married
September 7, 1926, but family idyll it didn't work out. The husband loved to go to the left, the wife could not stand it. The last straw was when Ella found her husband in bed with the nanny, who was supposed to look after the children.
After the scandal, Hepburn-Ruston left his wife after 9 years of an unsuccessful marriage. Ella had to raise three children herself - Alexander and Jan van Ufford from her first marriage and Audrey Kathleen Ruston, who was barely 7 years old.
My father's departure became great artist the most painful moment in life. Then Audrey lived with her mother in the Netherlands and attended private schools. And when did the second one begin? World War and the country was overrun by German occupiers, Audrey corrected her mother’s documents and changed her name, becoming Ella van Heemstra. Because English name Audrey was dangerous at that time. Her uncle and cousin mothers were shot for participating in the Resistance movement. Audrey lay hungry in a cold bed for hours and read, to be carried away into a happy fantasy world. But the young body could not be deceived; the girl developed anemia, a disease respiratory system and swelling.
To get a profession, it was necessary to study, and Hepburn became seriously interested in dancing, she took lessons first at the Arnhem Conservatory, and then at ballet school in London. And the young ballerina donated the money earned from her performances to participants in the underground Resistance movement, which her mother, who had previously been an active supporter of the British Union of Fascists, also joined. Then she became interested and acting profession. She began acting in films while studying in Felix Aylmer's workshop.
Audrey brought fame the main role in the film "Roman Holiday". The actress met her first love on the film set - William Holden. Handsome, successful, with a pleasant voice and manners, he impressed her indelible impression. Audrey fell in love.
William was married to actress Brenda Marshall, but in this family both husband and wife led a very free life, which the whole country gossiped about. They even brought their lovers for dinner at home “in the family circle.”
To prevent random children from being born from casual relationships, William, who has two sons, had a vasectomy. But even the experienced womanizer could not resist the charms of the beautiful Audrey. The actors got stuck whirlwind romance. The girl was already dreaming about a wedding and a bunch of kids. But when she learned that her beloved could no longer have children, she left him. No amount of persuasion could restore the beauty’s former disposition. Audrey was done with William once and for all.
The girl's broken heart began to beat when she met the director and actor Mel Ferrer. 25-year-old Audrey was not embarrassed by the stormy personal life of her new chosen one. He had already been married three times and was the father of five children. They got married in the same 1954, and soon the newlyweds had long-awaited son Sean. But after 14 years, the marriage broke up; the actors did not talk about the reasons for the divorce. Three years later, Ferrer married for the fifth time; he lived with his new wife for the rest of his life and died in 2008 from heart failure.
Audrey Hepburn was not left alone for long. Her husband Andrea Dotti was not from an artistic background, he was not like the spoiled and selfish actors. The Italian psychiatrist was younger than his wife for ten years. The lovers got married. The wedding took place in Switzerland. The bride was dressed in a white short fitted dress with a stand-up collar, and instead of a veil, her head was adorned with a headscarf that was fashionable at that time. This simple and elegant wedding dress was later copied by many brides. After all famous actress was considered a style icon imitated by women all over the world.
After the wedding, the couple settled in Rome. A few years later, their son Luke was born. But the happy time of mutual understanding and love disappeared over the years, and the popular psychoanalyst increasingly began to cheat on his wife. Audrey, who dreamed of saving her family, did not notice the constant betrayals of her voluptuous husband, even when all the newspapers trumpeted about them, but her angelic patience was enough for eleven years.
In 1980, the actress filed for divorce. And in the same year she started dating a Dutchman Robert Walders who was recently widowed, his deceased wife was 25 years older, and after her death she left him a luxurious villa and two million dollars. But even the inheritance he received did not please the inconsolable widower. They met at a friendly dinner and immediately liked each other, laughing, chatting in Dutch and reminiscing about their childhood in the Netherlands. Then they met in New York and spent the whole day together. Audrey was sad, her divorce was dragging on. Robert reassured his friend.
Their strong friendship grew into love. But they were in no hurry to get married. “There are no reasons that interfere with our marriage,” explained the legendary actress, “but we are very happy without him.” Audrey was already over fifty and her health was deteriorating. But despite the abdominal pain, she went to Kenya; African doctors could not make a diagnosis. After returning, Robert took Audrey to Los Angeles. Doctors found a tumor in his colon.
On November 1, 1992, the tumor was removed. But tumor cells invaded the colon and neighboring tissues. The actress had only a few months to live. According to her, 63-year-old Audrey spent her last and happiest Christmas with her children and Walders.
The actress met a man who loved her selflessly and devotedly when she was in her sixth decade, and her first great love Mel Ferrer was Audrey Hepburn's first husband. The actress met him on stage - together they were involved in the play “Ondine”. Later, at the direction of doctors, due to worsening asthma, Audrey went to Switzerland, where she heard a marriage proposal from Mel, and in this beautiful country, far from the hustle and bustle of America, they got married. Ferrer was twelve years older than Hepburn, and had already been married three times before her and had five children from previous marriages, but this did not bother Audrey. The actress was then twenty-five years old, and she really wanted children, but her first pregnancy turned out to be tragic - the child was stillborn. Hepburn was very worried that her first attempt to become a mother was unsuccessful for her.
Audrey Hepburn's husband was much less upset by this sad event - he was more worried at that time actor career. Endlessly loving wife I tried my best to help him with his work. At that time, she was already a sought-after actress and often agreed to act only in those films where there could be a role for her husband. Sometimes she sacrificed for this good films for the sake of second-rate ones, if only Mel could realize himself as an actor. He understood that his wife was far ahead of him in terms of talent, and this hit his pride. The next pregnancy was unsuccessful again - during the filming of the film “Unforgiven,” the actress fell from a horse and lost her child. And only the third time she managed to become a mother - in 1960, Audrey Hepburn gave birth to her son Sean.
Relations in the actress's family left much to be desired - her husband could not calmly relate to the fact that his wife had become a real star, who was put on a par with such famous actresses as Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley MacLaine. Audrey did everything to save the family, and she succeeded in this for fourteen years. Ferrer and Hepburn did not reveal the secret of their divorce, and after the separation they created new families.
In the photo - the actress with her second husband
Audrey Hepburn's second husband was a man far from the world of show business. Andrea Dorotti, a psychiatrist, an aristocrat with a great sense of humor, was ten years younger than his wife, with whom he fell in love after seeing her in the film “Roman Holiday.” Hepburn married thirty-year-old Dorotty when she was thirty-nine years old, and her husband created all the conditions for Audrey to feel happy. Soon the actress gave birth to a second son, but her second marriage also began to burst at the seams. About her novels young husband newspapers wrote, confirming the infidelities of the flighty spouse with exhaustive photographs. However, Hepburn found the strength to tolerate Dorotty’s behavior and divorced him only after eleven years of marriage.
In the photo - Audrey Hepburn with her son and Robert Walder
Soon after the divorce, she began dating Robert Walder - the recently widowed Dutchman inherited deceased wife, which was twenty-five years older than him, two million dollars and a luxurious villa. Walderer is a compatriot of the actress, and therefore, having met at one of the parties, they immediately found a common language and many topics to discuss. At first, the relationship between Hepburn and Walderor was only friendly, but gradually it grew into true love. Unfortunately, the health of the actress, who by that time had already crossed the fifty-year mark, had deteriorated - doctors discovered that she had cancer. The operation did not produce positive results, and her condition worsened. Last husband Audrey Hepburn did everything to get her last days were filled with happiness and was with her until the end.
Audrey Hepburn became a true symbol of her time and continues to delight both men and women after her death. It is unlikely that there will be people indifferent to her charming smile in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or “Roman Holiday”. But few people know what lies behind talent and beautiful face costs a strong character and a big heart.
Her popularity grew at an incredible speed, and yet Hepburn managed to remain in the hearts of millions for a long time and avoid becoming a “star for a day.” In 1967, after fifteen extremely successful films, Audrey appeared less and less often. After divorcing her first husband Mel Ferrer, Hepburn married Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, with whom she gave birth to her second son. This pregnancy was especially difficult for the actress; she was prescribed long-term bed rest. After breaking up with Dottie, Audrey made several attempts to return to the screen, but the films did not have any success. great success. Her last role was her appearance as an angel in Steven Spielberg's film Always.
Shortly after filming her last film, Audrey Hepburn was appointed special ambassador for Children's Fund UN (UNICEF). As a child, Audrey was a victim of the Nazi occupation, so she gladly accepted the offer to help the poorest peoples of the world and devoted the rest of her life to this.
Audrey with her first husband Mel Ferrer
In 1983, Hepburn went to Tokyo to celebrate Givenshy's birthday. Having visited Japan for the first time in her life, she meets there great amount your fans.
In 1985, Hepburn's eldest son from her first marriage, Sean Ferrer, got married. On wedding ceremony Audrey went with Robert Walders, with whom she began a relationship immediately after her breakup with Andrea Dotti. Mayor Ferrer was at the wedding with his wife, to whom he had been married for 14 years. As parents of the groom, Audrey and Mel danced with each other, their first dance in 17 years.
Audrey with her second husband Andrea Dotti
Since 1988, Alone has spent a lot of time traveling to meet the needs of UNICEF. Many of these campaigns require enormous efforts from women, because they have to work in difficult conditions in third world countries. My first trip as a UNICEF Ambassador was to Ethiopia, which was suffering from famine at the time. The actress then visited Bangladesh, supporting projects to purify water, improve sanitation and spread education. Hepburn then visits Vietnam, Pakistan, Somalia and Kenya, supporting those suffering from famine and war everywhere.
“I have been given the opportunity to speak for children who cannot speak for themselves, and my task is very simple, because these children have no political enemies. Saving a child is a blessing, saving millions of children is a gift from above.”
In 1988, Audrey received the Danny Kaya Award for her work with children under UNICEF programs. The actress poses for Revlon's "World's Most Unforgettable Women" campaign in a stunning black satin coat. Two years later, Audrey was honored for her work as a UNICEF Ambassador with the Cecile DeMille Golden Globe and named one of the 50 most beautiful people peace.
In 1992, while returning from Somalia, Audrey Hepburn felt a sharp pain in her stomach. At first the actress was silent so as not to attract undue attention, but when bad feeling Audrey's pain became obvious, the doctors decided that it was appendicitis or an intestinal infection. Returning from a trip, Hepburn undergoes examination at medical center. On November 2, she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
During her illness, Audrey's sons were always with her. Last months She spent her illness in a place called La Paisible in Ovronne, sometimes finding the strength to walk through her beloved garden.
Before leaving Los Angeles, Audrey receives news from the Screen Actors Guild that she has been awarded an award that she will later receive on her behalf. Julia Roberts. Upon returning to Switzerland, Hepburn received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with UNICEF.
In 1993, the actress also received an award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The award ceremony took place in April, and her son Sean Ferrer accepted the award on behalf of Hepburn.
On January 20, four months before her 64th birthday, Audrey Hepburn died in her sleep at home. She was buried in the Tolochenas-sur-Morges cemetery on January 24, 1993. At the funeral, in addition to her two sons and her last man Robert Walbers was attended by her brother, Andrea Dotti, Hubert de Givenchy, UNICEF representatives, fellow actors Alain Delon and Roger Moore, and Mel Ferrer. The pastor at the funeral was Maurice Eindiger, who thirty-nine years earlier had married Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer.