Sydney Savoie

Audrey Hepburn The Humanitarian

Audrey Hepburn was an outstanding British actress and humanitarian. She was the

definition of elegance and class, and a true fashion icon. Audrey was ranked by the American

Film Institute as the third greatest female American screen legend (American Film Institute,

2020). In 1953, she went to Rome and filmed her first major American film, “Roman Holiday”.

She won her first and only Academy Award for best actress. This film was the very first

Hollywood movie to be shot and processed entirely in Italy (American Film Institute, 2020). Her

first Broadway appearance was in 1951, she later returned in 1953. She played a leading role in

“Ondine” as a water nymph, where she won a Tony Award for her performance (Britannica,

2020). This was her last performance on Broadway however she continued to appear in films.

In 1988 she retired her acting career and devoted her time as a special goodwill ambassador for

the United Nations Children’s Fund (Britannica, 2020). She spent her time travelling to famine-

struck villages where she was involved in projects such as providing Guatemala with clean

drinking water, helping with projects for children living and working on the streets in Ecuador,

and she was involved in nutrition projects in Viet Nam (UNICEF, 2003). In 1992 she received

the United States’ highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (UNICEF, 2003).

During this time, she was diagnosed with cancer. She continued to travel around the world

helping as much as could before dying of cancer in 1993. After passing, she continued to receive

awards because of all her hard work and dedication, and she received the Jean Hersholt

Humanitarian award in 1993. She spent her life doing what she loved; acting, modeling, and

travelling around the world. After retiring she devoted her time to help others and she is a

person any individual should strive to be, she is truly outstanding.

 References

AFI Movie Club: ROMAN HOLIDAY. (2020, April 30). Retrieved October 15, 2020, from

https://www.afi.com/news/afi-movie-club-roman-holiday/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, May 04). Audrey Hepburn. Retrieved October

15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Audrey-Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn. (2003, June 19). Retrieved October 15, 2020, from

https://www.unicef.org/people/people_audrey_hepburn.html