A lady who gave life to the words "elegant" and "class."
Audrey Hepburn
When I was a teenager I fell in love with every leading lady I ever saw on the Big Screen. My secret affair with one lasted only until the next movie and the next leading lady came along. It was probably a hormone thing. But Audrey Hepburn sure slowed me down. I carried a torch for her until the end. She was that older lady in my reverie, born in 1929, the same year that gave us Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy. What a trio!
Let’s focus on Audrey. Just look at that face. So full of mischief. So full of life. So full of innocence. And those eyes. They seemed to be saying “I haven’t got a clue about why I am looking at you, but since I am, I might just as well melt your heart down to manageable size, wrap you around my little finger, and own you for the next 10 or 20 years.” It worked on me, and for a lot longer than 20 years.
Audrey was a full blue-blooded Brit who seemed to always shun the trappings of wealth—my kind of lady. She retained just enough of her British background and speech to add mystery and charm to an already sparkling personality. She was typically quite a bit younger than her leading men, but they always played a supporting role to her. It was that intangible thing called “stage presence.” She had it in spades. Even the biggest names in show biz could not overpower the screen when she was present. Bogart, Holden, Peck, Grant, Harrison, and Connery all had their egos and their tail feathers clipped when Audrey batted those big eyes and pouted. Nobody, but nobody, could steal the scene like she could. Who am I kidding?—she stole the entire movie. Her list of awards runs the gamut. I wasn’t surprised to learn that she was the biggest female star in Japan during most of her career. My respect for the Japanese male went up quite a few pegs when I learned of their highly sophisticated level of appreciation for the indomitable Audrey.
This lady personified the word class. But she did not rest on her laurels nor in the lap of luxury when she retired from films. UNICEF recognized her special connection to the world when they appointed her as a special ambassador. She traveled the world over lending her good name and influence in efforts to save the lives of children. A special fund with her name still exists for that cause.
Alas, like Grace and Jackie, Audrey also left us when she was in the full bloom of life. She was like a perfect flower that was just beyond our reach--gone too soon.
I'm with you on Audrey. She remains an iconic superstar of the 20th century, yet retained that elegant and understated presence throughout her life, doing good works after she stopped gracing the silver screen.
Audrey Hepburn
