Born in Brussels in 1929, Audrey Hepburn was the daughter of a British father and a Dutch Baroness. But when she was five, her father deserted the family. With the outbreak of war in 1939, her mother thought they would be safer in Holland than Holland Park, but although they survived the German Occupation, the experience left its physical and emotional scars.
Back in England again, Audrey studied ballet with Marie Rambert. After a few West End musicals and minor film parts, she was spotted by the author, Colette, to star in a stage version of her novel, Gigi. And then Audrey''s career took off. Her debut screen role was the Princess in the enchanting Roman Holiday. It won her an Oscar.
She went on to bring her unique grace and high spirits to a number of highly acclaimed films - from Funny Face and The Nun''s Story to My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany''s and Robin and Marian.
For a while it looked as though her p
