AUDREY HEPBURN How Roman Holiday CHANGED HER FOREVER

THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME SET THE BELOVED ACTRESS ON A COURSE TOWARD HOLLYWOOD FAME AND FORTUNE

- Louise A. Barile

In 1953, Roman Holiday introduced a 24-year-old Belgian-born former dancer named Audrey Hepburn to the world. The romantic comedy co-starring Gregory Peck would become a big hit, earn Audrey an Academy Award for Best Actress, and change the direction of her life.

All of it came as a surprise to the beloved actress. “I did bits in movies, but that was to earn an extra buck. That wasn’t going to be my career,” she recalled.

A casting director had seen Audrey on Broadway in Gigi and offered her an opportunity to audition for Roman Holiday ’s Princess A nn. It was a perfect fit. “For most of her youth, Audrey grew up among the Dutch aristocracy,” says Robert Matzen, author of Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II and Warrior: Audrey Hepburn. “Her performance, delivery and bearing all were authentic.”

And like the film’s heroine, Audrey was a bit naive about the world. “I had a very European upbringing, and it may have been this aura of being rather square,” she said. “I was very young in my behavior.”