Audrey Hepburn: Mystique and magic

Legendary actor Audrey Hepburn was renowned for her elfin-beauty and charm. Who can forget her magnetic persona in “Roman Holiday”, “Breakfast at Tiffany's” or “My Fair Lady”?
But Hepburn was also a highly sensitive and socially conscious human being. As UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador from 1988 to her death in January 1993, she travelled through much of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Soon after her appointment she went on a mission to conflict-ridden Ethiopia racked by famine. Later, she visited Turkey, Venuzuala, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador on UNICEF field trips.
She came and conquered hearts in Bangladesh as well. Cole Dodge, then UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, recalled how she joined UNICEF representatives in a field trip to a village. Walking through a village, she smiled as a group of children came forward to stroke her arm and hold her hands. At a path ahead, she noticed a small girl by herself. Audrey questioned why the little girl hadn't joined the others. “Walking over, Audrey knelt down and spoke with her. Then picking her up, she hugged her close. The child's legs, crippled by polio, dangled uselessly. Carrying the little one, Audrey walked towards us, her eyes filled with tears. None of us had taken notice of the child,” said Dodge, quoted on the UNICEF website.
Another anecdote related by John Isaac, UNICEF photographer shows up her popularity as an actor as well. Isaac said that Audrey travelled to every little corner of Bangladesh. In one town Isaac heard one man point out to another and say that he thought that the lady was Miss Hepburn. “When I told her that, she turned around and asked, 'Do you know me?' The guy said, 'I have seen Roman Holiday ten times! Right here in Bangladesh!”
“Roman Holiday” (1953) was the Belgian-born actor's first film in America where she headed from London, after playing small parts in films. “Roman Holiday” was the defining moment in her film career. She won immense popularity—and an Oscar as Best Actress—for her role as a bored princess who falls in love with a newsman( Gregory Peck).
More great roles came her way: “Sabrina” (1954), for which she received another Oscar nomination. “Funny Face” (1957), “Love in the Afternoon (1957) and “Gigi” too got rave reviews. In 1959 she was nominated for her role in “The Nun's Story”. Her tour de force was of course “Breakfast at Tiffany's” (1961), where she played the capricious and endearing Holly Golightly. Audrey's role as Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” (1964) was another great performance. Her co-star in “My Fair Lady”, Rex Harrison later described Audrey as his favourite leading lady.
Among Audrey's last films was Oscar winning “Wait Until Dark (1967). By the end of the '60s while still at her peak she decided to opt out of filmdom. She did the occasional appearance: “Robin and Marian” (1976) opposite Sean Connery and her last film “Always” (1989). Audrey died on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland from appendicular cancer.
She reigns in film history as one of the greatest movie stars of all times.