LIFE - Audrey Hepburn at Her Most Stunning

Audrey Hepburn in Lights

Thu, 08 Mar 1956 03:00:00 EST

Actress Audrey Hepburn is backlit by pattern of klieg lights in 1956. "I'm not beautiful. My mother once called me an ugly duckling. But, listed separately, I have a few good features," she said.

Audrey Hepburn Rides

Thu, 01 Jan 1959 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn rides a horse in 1959. Hepburn was extremely fond of animals, and kept several pets.

Pretty Under a Parasol

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn wears a sundress and holds a colorful umbrella in 1955. "People associate me with a time when movies were pleasant, when women wore pretty dresses in films, and you heard beautiful music," she once said.

Foggy, Funny Face

Sun, 01 Jan 1956 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn emerges through the smoke of a locomotive in a scene from the film "Funny Face" in 1956.

Graceful Dancer

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn practices in a dance studio, circa 1955. She was a trained ballerina, and as a teen had performed at events raising money for the Dutch Resistance.

The Cameras Love Her

Mon, 14 Sep 1953 03:00:00 EDT

Hepburn attends a benefit premiere of "Roman Holiday," the movie that made her a superstar, in 1953.

The Winning Smile of an Oscar Owner

Fri, 01 Jan 1954 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn is surrounded by reporters as she holds the Best Actress Oscar she won for 1953's "Roman Holiday."

Audrey Hepburn and the Little Black Dress

Tue, 01 Jan 1952 03:00:00 EST

Actress Audrey Hepburn poses in 1952. "I was born with something that appealed to an audience at that particular time," she said. "I acted instinctively. I've had one of the greatest schools of all -- a whole row of great, great directors."

Animal Lover

Thu, 01 Jan 1959 03:00:00 EST

Audrey smiles in 1959, with her pet Yorkshire Terrier, named Mr. Famous, at her feet.

Audrey Goes Boating

Sun, 01 Jan 1950 03:00:00 EST

Wearing a peculiar hat that looks like a "Bugle" corn chip, Hepburn enjoys a motorboat ride on a lake in Switzerland in the early 1950s.

Al Fresco Audrey

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn composes a letter in a palm grove, circa 1955. Hepburn loved nature, and preferred gardening and the quiet life to the glamourous parties of Hollywood.

Flowers for Audrey

Fri, 20 Oct 1961 04:00:00 EDT

The actress holds a bouquet in 1961, the year of "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Hepburn's Hat

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Circa 1955, the actress wears a mesh hat with rhinestones. Around this time she began a lifelong friendship with fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, who used Hepburn as his muse.

She's Got Legs

Fri, 01 Jan 1954 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn adjusts her makeup on the set of "Sabrina," 1954.

Sabrina Shoots a Naughty Look

Thu, 01 Oct 1953 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn leans out of a car window on the set of "Sabrina" in 1953 New York City. Co-star Humphrey Bogart was dismissive of her, but William Holden and she got along famously -- very famously.

Breakfast With Holly Golightly

Sun, 01 Jan 1961 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn assumes the role of perhaps her most famous character, Holly Golightly, in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in 1961. "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did," she said of the movie.

Hepburn Holds Onto Her Hat

Mon, 01 May 1950 03:00:00 EDT

Audrey Hepburn searches for signs of spring in 1950. Hepburn turned to acting in 1948 to help pay the bills -- her mother, an aristocrat, was already doing menial work, and Hepburn, though trained in dance, was too tall to be a prima ballerina.

Over-the-Shoulder Audrey

Sun, 01 Jan 1950 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn looks back in the early 1950s.

Audrey Handles Herself With Kid Gloves

Sun, 01 Jan 1950 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn strikes a pose with white kid-gloved hands in the early 1950s. "All I want for Christmas is another picture with Audrey Hepburn," Cary Grant once said. They only did one movie together, however.

Audrey Hepburn Is Floored

Sun, 01 Jan 1956 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn poses for "Sabrina" in the mid 1950s. When Hubert de Givenchy was told he'd be providing the wardrobe for Hepburn for the movie, he thought they meant the other one -- Katharine Hepburn. He'd never heard of Audrey Hepburn before.

Audrey as a Mother

Wed, 20 Jul 1960 03:00:00 EDT

Hepburn and her then-husband, actor Mel Ferrer, pose with their 3-day-old son Sean in Lucerne, Switzerland, July 1960.

Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly Backstage

Wed, 21 Mar 1956 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly chat backstage at the Academy Awards in 1956, where both appeared as presenters.

Staring at the Sun

Sat, 13 May 1950 03:00:00 EDT

Hepburn relaxes in a London park in 1950."She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent. She also was very funny. She was absolutely enchanting, and we said, 'That's the girl!'" director William Wyler said of casting her for "Roman Holiday." (See more stunning photos like this one in LIFE Books' "Remembering Audrey.")

Princess Audrey

Thu, 01 Jan 1953 03:00:00 EST

Hepburn acts regally in "Roman Holiday" in 1953. "You have to be a little bit in love with your leading man and vice versa," she once said. "If you're going to portray love, you have to feel it. You can't do it any other way. But you don't carry it beyond the set."

A Moment of Contemplation

Sat, 07 Jul 1956 03:00:00 EDT

Hepburn looks over Paris while filming "Funny Face" in 1956.

Audrey Hepburn Wears White

Sun, 01 Oct 1961 04:00:00 EDT

Hepburns wears an evening gown in 1961. That year, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was released, a movie she called "the jazziest of my career."

No Stony Glance from Hepburn

Sun, 01 Jan 1950 03:00:00 EST

Audrey Hepburn poses by a stone wall in the early 1950s. "I'm not a born actress, as such; I care about expressing feelings," she said.

Audrey Hepburn Attends the Oscars

Tue, 08 Apr 1975 03:00:00 EDT

Hepburn attends the Academy Awards ceremony in 1975. She was nominated for Best Actress five times throughout her career, but won it just the once, for "Roman Holiday."