The life of Audrey Hepburn Learn English through story level 3
chapter one
music is for dancing
one day
in a big house in brussels belgium
a man took his daughter in his arms
little audrey hepburn looked up
and saw some beautiful lights above her
they were as white as snow
she remembered those lights all her life
she always loved the color white
she saw white
and remembered her father
then she felt safe and warm
audrey kathleen van hemstra hepburn
ruston
was born in brussels
on may 4th
her mother baroness ella van gemstra
was dutch
her father
joseph
was half english
half irish
he worked for many companies and made a
lot of money
young audrey enjoyed reading
and loved animals and birds
but her greatest love
was music
what’s music
audrey asked her mother one day
it’s for dancing
her mother answered
audrey wanted to be a dancer
but she was unhappy
i’m too fat
she thought
dancers are thin
and pretty
but my face is too round
and my legs are too
big her parents were unhappy too
they often fought
one night her mother and father had a
big fight
when audrey woke up the next morning her
father was not there
audrey cried for days
her mother took her to england
at school
audrey was different from the other
girls
the other girls were funny and noisy
they enjoyed sports and talked about
their fathers
audrey was quiet
and sad
her english was not good
and she hated sports
she did not talk to anybody about her
father
but slowly
audrey began to make some friends
then suddenly in 1939
her mother took her away from england
she could not say goodbye to her school
friends
there was no time
why are we leaving
audrey asked
there’s going to be a war
her mother told her we’re going to
holland
you’ll be safe there
audrey lived with her mother and two
half brothers
in the dutch town of arnhem
she became more and more interested in
dancing
at the age of 10
she wanted to be a world famous ballet
dancer
but one morning
audrey’s mother came into her bedroom
wake up
she told her daughter
it’s war
in the early days of the war
audrey did not leave school or stop
dancing
then
one day
the germans sent everybody out of the
town
outside in the country
there was very little food
audrey and her family had to dig
vegetables in the winter from the hard
ground
when the war finished
audrey was very thin
and weak
people from the united nations came to
arnhem and gave the children milk
sugar
and chocolate
audrey never forgot them
chapter 2
a little sun in her eyes
audrey and her mother moved to amsterdam
after the war
her mother became a cook
she was not rich
but she paid for audrey’s dancing
lessons
audrey had the best dancing teacher in
holland
then when she was 17
she had a small part in a travel movie
the director loved her happy face
he said
a little sun is shining in her eyes
in 1948
audrey and her mother moved to london
her mother worked in a flower store
friends gave them some money and audrey
went to the ballet rhomber
this was the most important ballet
school in london
audrey worked hard at her dancing
she had no time for boyfriends
but one day the ballet school told her
i’m sorry
but you’ll never be a famous dancer
you’re too tall
audrey was sad
but then something happened
it changed her life
somebody remembered her from the ballet
school and gave her a small part in a
big london musical
three thousand girls tried to get the
part
but the producers wanted audrey
she quickly found jobs in other musicals
everybody liked this thin girl with a
pretty face and wide smile
i was not a great dancer
audrey remembered later
i threw up my arms and smiled that’s all
when audrey was 20
her photo was in many magazines
she had small parts in three cheap
movies
and she was a cigarette girl in the
famous movie
the lavender hill mob
1951
one evening she went to a party
and met a rich englishman
james hansen fell in love with audrey
he wanted to marry her and take her to
his home in the north of england
audrey loved him too
he was strong
and rich
and she felt safe with him
but there was one big problem
she wanted to be in movies and the
theater too
i don’t want to get married now
she told him
let’s wait
in 1951
audrey had a small part in the movie
monte carlo baby
so she went to the south of france
the famous french writer colette
was in the south of france too
she wanted to find a girl for the
broadway musical of her book
jiji
when she saw audrey with her thin arms
and legs
long dark hair
and big pretty eyes
she said
she is gigi
half woman half boy
wonderful
audrey was excited
but nervous
i can’t do that
she told the great writer
i’m a dancer not an actor
but collette did not listen
she called new york and said
stop looking for gigi
she is here
chapter 3
roman holiday
audrey was wonderful in gigi
but she did not get too excited
after gigi i’m going to marry james
hansen she told the newspapers
but then something happened
and james had to wait again
a hollywood movie producer remembered
audrey from one of her early english
movies
he wanted her to be a princess in a big
new movie
roman holiday
audrey could not say no
after she finished gigi she flew to rome
the most important actor in the movie
was gregory peck
and audrey was nervous this was her
first big movie
and gregory peck was world famous
maybe he won’t like me
she thought
but she was wrong
he was nice to her and helped her
it was the hottest summer in rome for
years
and the work was not easy
but audrey was happy and friendly with
the other actors everybody liked her
roman holiday opened in london on august
20th 1953
in the movie
audrey is a princess
but she does not wear expensive clothes
or eat in expensive restaurants
she wants to see rome and eat ice cream
in the street
she wants to be the same as the other
young girls in rome
the movie made audrey world famous
young girls everywhere wanted to dress
in the same way as her
now she wanted to be in movies all the
time
she was not ready to be james hansen’s
wife
james was sad
but he understood
they stayed friends
chapter 4
the right man
audrey’s next movie was sabrina uber de
jevon she of paris made her clothes
a woman does not wear a dress
he told her
she lives in it
he became her friend for life
there were two very famous actors in
sabrina
william holden
and humphrey bogart
holden liked audrey very much
bogart did not like holden
so he was unfriendly to audrey too
don’t be sad
nobody likes bogart
holden told her
he’s unfriendly to everybody
holden fell in love with audrey
he wanted to leave his wife and marry
her
she was the love of my life he said
later
audrey liked holden too
but he was not the right man for her
he drank too much
and he had a wife and three children
she did not want to hurt his family
but there was something more important
than this
he could not have more children
and children were very important to
audrey
when she married
she wanted to be a mother too
later in the same year
audrey went to a party in london and met
the right man
he was 11 years older than her
but to her he was wonderful
he was an actor writer producer and
director
he knew everybody in hollywood
he was a good friend of gregory peck
he was intelligent
and he could speak many languages
he had a warm and friendly face
his name
was mel ferrer
chapter five
at the top
in september 1953
there was a photo of audrey on the front
of time magazine
she shines with fire in her beautiful
eyes
the magazine wrote
the world was in love with audrey
hepburn
but audrey was only in love with one man
she wanted to be with mel ferrer all the
time
he produced a play for her on broadway
on dean
and she acted in it with him for six
months
people liked on dean and audrey acted
beautifully
she won an oscar for best actress in
roman holiday
three days later she won a tony for best
actress in on dean
these were exciting times for audrey
but she was very tired
she had to have a vacation
so she flew to switzerland
she loved switzerland
she felt safe there
away from the people and noise of the
big cities
she could see white mountains from her
windows
maybe she remembered more than 20 years
before
a little girl in her father’s arms with
lights as white as snow above her head
chapter 6
a good wife
on september 25th 1954
she married mel ferreira in switzerland
she became pregnant
and stopped making movies
sadly she lost the baby
she was very unhappy
but mel was strong
he loved her
and was very nice to her
after that she wanted to be in movies
with her husband
she acted with him in war and peace
then she made funny face 1956
with the famous dancer fred astaire
mel was not in this movie
but he was near her
in paris
audrey enjoyed dancing with fred astaire
it was a happy musical with beautiful
clothes by givenchy
in 1956
audrey made another movie in paris
love in the afternoon
with gary cooper
this time mel could not be near her
he was in the united states
so he sent her a new friend
a little dog
audrey loved the dog
she took him everywhere
and gave him the name
mr
famous the next year 1957
audrey did not make any movies
mel worked in spain and mexico
and audrey went with him
she cooked for him
and helped him with his work
a lot of people in hollywood were angry
with mel
and did not like him
to them he was her boss
more than her husband
they wanted more movies with audrey in
them
but audrey was happy
it was maybe
the happiest time of her married life
she had no telephone
she was away from everybody
and near mel
this was important to her
because next year
she thought
i’m going to work in africa
without him
chapter 7
i won’t be stupid again
audrey went to africa in january 1958
with her dog
and began work on the nuns story
it was very different from her other
movies
there was no love story
no music
there were no funny conversations
and no javascript clothes
in the movie audrey was a nun
sister luke
and she had to wear nuns clothes
the camera could only see her mouth and
eyes
but she was more than a pretty face
she was a great actress too
and people loved her
but great actresses sometimes make
mistakes
when audrey came back to the united
states
she was a bird girl in green mansions
it was her worst movie
people laughed at it
and this made audrey sad
she was sad because she made the movie
for love
mel
was the director
and he never directed a hollywood movie
again
this was a bad time for audrey
after green mansions she became pregnant
again
mel wanted her to stay at home
but she went to mexico
in the middle of the movie
the unforgiven
she had an accident
she fell off a horse
and lost her baby for the second time
mel was nice to her
and audrey felt very bad
i’m sorry
she said to him
i won’t be stupid again
sometime later
alfred hitchcock the famous director
wanted audrey to be in his next movie
a big expensive hollywood movie
he sent her the story and she read it
what do you think
hitchcock asked
will you do it
i’m sorry audrey told him
i don’t like the story
it’s not for me
hitchcock was very angry with her
he made a different cheap black and
white movie with no world famous actors
this will be a bad movie
he thought angrily
it will lose money and i’ll never speak
to audrey hepburn again
he was wrong about his new movie
its name
was psycho
but he was right about the second thing
he never spoke to audrey again
audrey did not think about hitchcock
very much
she was happy
because she was pregnant again
i won’t be stupid this time
she thought
hollywood wanted her to be in a new
musical
west side story
but she stayed quietly in switzerland
she did not want to lose a third baby
in january 1960
audrey had a baby boy
sean
after sean was born audrey stayed at
home with him
she was happy in switzerland
with her baby son and her little dog
in the day she went for long walks in
the snow
in the evening she sat by the fire and
read
then one evening
she read a story by truman capote
its name was breakfast at tiffany’s
chapter 8
breakfast at tiffany’s
audrey wanted to do the movie
but she was nervous about the story
she usually played nice girls
princesses dancers nuns
but the girl in breakfast at tiffany’s
is not nice
she leaves her husband and goes to new
york
she is friendly with bad people
audrey was also nervous because truman
capote did not really want her in the
movie
he wanted marilyn monroe
maybe the part isn’t right for me
she thought
the director blake edwards
visited audrey in switzerland
it is the right part for you
he told her
you’re one of the five biggest actresses
in the world
you can do anything it’s time to do
something different and dangerous
yes holly’s a bad girl
but behind her expensive clothes and
dark glasses
she’s only a child
audrey made breakfast at tiffany’s in
new york
and it came to the movie theaters in
she’s a european princess
she can’t act the part of a poor
american horse doctor’s wife
some people said
but most people liked the movie very
much
in her dark glasses and javancy clothes
audrey was beautiful
crazy
and funny
and they loved her when she sadly sang
moon river at her bedroom window
chapter 9
sad times
audrey began to have problems after
breakfast at tiffany’s
mel was not happy
audrey’s becoming more and more famous
he thought
maybe she doesn’t love me
audrey had other problems too
she was a school teacher in the loudest
whisper with shirley maclaine
but the movie was not successful
it was boring people thought
one day her dog mr famous
ran into the road
a car hit him and he died
then
in 1962
she made a very bad movie paris when it
sizzles
william holden was also in the movie
he fell in love with audrey and sabrina
and he was in love with her ten years
later
he could not forget her
and he drank
in the evenings
audrey often went to dinner with her old
friend javanshi
she told him about mr famous
and her problems with william holden
but
there’s something worse than that
she said sadly
things are not good with mel and me
after
paris when it sizzles
audrey became happier
she made charade
with cary grant
and this was a better movie
it was beautiful and intelligent
funny and exciting
maybe
she thought
the bad times are at an end
one day
in the winter of 1962
audrey was at home in switzerland with
her two-year-old son
suddenly she heard the telephone
audrey answered it
are you sitting down
somebody said from hollywood
you are going to be eliza doolittle
in my fair lady
chapter 10
my fair lady
my fair lady opened on broadway in 1956
rex harrison was higgins
and julie andrews was eliza doolittle
it became the most successful theater
musical of all time
everybody wanted to see the same actors
in the movie
but jack warner the producer
had other ideas
he was happy with rex harrison
but he wanted a more famous actress
for eliza
he wanted audrey hepburn
in the beginning
rex harrison was very unfriendly to
audrey
because julie andrews was not in the
movie
he was also unhappy about money
why are you paying audrey one million
dollars
he asked the producers angrily
my part is more important
but you’re only paying me
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
audrey found an answer to this problem
she bought rex a red bike
and they became good friends
but she could not buy red bikes for
everybody
the newspapers also wanted to see julie
andrews in the movie
audrey felt sorry for julie
but what can i do
she thought
the producers want me
and i really want to be eliza i can’t
say no
work began
in august 1963
and it was not an easy time for audrey
she had to have singing lessons
because she could not sing as well as
julie andrews
one day the director said
i’m sorry audrey
we’ll have to use a different singer
after this
she was difficult with everybody
she shouted it mel when he visited her
everybody on the movie heard their
fights
sometimes
in front of the cameras
she started to cry
my fair lady came to the movie theaters
in october 1964.
the newspapers did not like audrey’s
acting in the first half of the movie
but they liked her more in the second
half
she was beautiful
in her white hats and dresses
and when professor higgins hurt her
she acted wonderfully
you could really feel it when she was
angry
my fair lady won eight oscars
but audrey did not win one
hollywood felt sorry for julie andrews
and gave her the oscar
for her part in the disney musical
mary poppins
chapter 11
a family home
audrey left hollywood as quickly as
possible
she wanted to be near mel
so she moved to spain with him for eight
months
she wanted to be happy again
and to stop fighting
she remembered when she was a child
her father left her
when she was six years old
now her son
sean
was the same age
and she did not want him to lose his
father
she then bought a house in a small town
in the french part of switzerland
she had white english flowers in the
yard
and shawn played with the other children
for a short time
in 1965
audrey and mel were happy again
audrey made a successful movie with
peter o’toole
how to steal a million
after that movie
young women everywhere wore the same big
white sunglasses and short white skirts
in
1966 she made
two for the road
this was a movie about the problems of
married life
audrey was very good in this movie
but it was more successful in europe
than in the united states
the most important actor in the movie
was albert finney
he was younger than audrey
and she liked him very much
she went drinking and dancing with him
in the evening
and had a wonderful time
in 1967
things started to go wrong again
she made wait until dark
and people liked it
but audrey was not happy
she was away from her son
and mel was friendly with other women
she became pregnant again
but lost the child
this was the end for her and mel
i was very sad when mel left
she said later i was more famous than
him
and he felt bad
but i really tried to be a good wife
my family was always more important to
me than my movies
chapter 12
married again
in 1969
audrey married an italian doctor
andrea dottie
he was 10 years younger than her
and he knew her movies
audrey lived a quiet life in switzerland
and rome
she had a baby boy luca
in 1970
and became interested in her husband’s
work
she was most interested in children with
problems
i don’t want to make more movies
she told newspapers
i’m happy as a good wife and mother
she only made one movie in 11 years
robin and marion
1975
with sean connery
she made it quickly in spain
when her children were on summer
vacation
it was good
but not very successful
younger people were not interested in a
love story between two older people
then audrey heard about her husband’s
girlfriends
and she was very angry
other women said
it’s not a problem
he loves you
all husbands have girlfriends
but audrey did not listen to them
when you love somebody
you have to love them all your life
she said to friends
she left daughty
in 1979
chapter 13
a beautiful new angel
audrey only made two or three more
movies
and they were not very good
she made them for the money
when she became older
she wanted to do something more
important with her life
she remembered her early years
at the end of the war
when she was poor and hungry
now she wanted to help poor and hungry
children too
she started to work for the united
nations
with her new friend
robert walters
she visited the poorest and most
dangerous countries in the world
the world famous actress in givenchy
clothes
now worked with hungry children
in africa
she stayed in small towns with no water
and visited sick children in dirty old
hospitals
when she was at home
she talked on television about her work
she had a small part in one more movie
she was an angel
in steven spielberg’s
always
audrey’s last words in the movie are
do things for others
in
1992 she traveled to africa for the last
time
when she came back
she was very sick
she got better for a short time and her
old friends elizabeth taylor
and gregory peck visited her
but then she became very sick again
and the doctors could not help her
she left hospital
and went back to her house in
switzerland
she wanted to see the snow on the
mountains again
before she died
there were white flowers everywhere
inside the house
her friend javon givenchy sent them from
paris
audrey had one last quiet christmas
with her family
before they carried her upstairs to bed
she looked at everybody
this was the best christmas of my life
she said
on january 20th 1993
audrey hepburn died
she was 64.
mel ferrer and andrea dottie came to the
church near her house
and said goodbye
elizabeth taylor said
god has a beautiful new angel now
the ground outside the church was white
with snow
and flowers
you