The star’s life behind the scenes was far richer than what anyone saw on screen, though it came after a childhood full of heartbreak
Credit: Photofest; Hulton Archive/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Audrey Hepburn persevered through a complicated childhood to build a life she always dreamed of
- While many believe that fame was the star’s dream coming true, it was the quiet family life that fame afforded her that was her actual dream, her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer tells PEOPLE
- Ferrer details the quiet moments displayed in several rarely seen personal photos shared with PEOPLE
Audrey Hepburn led an amazing, complex life.
The late actress became a movie star in a generation full of unforgettable names, but she stands singular in her ability to influence across film, fashion, culture and charity. Hepburn’s icon status is well-earned and evident in the continued reverence, not only for her work as an actress, but for the way she touched lives across all those spheres.
Yet, behind the scenes, Hepburn reveled in a quiet private life, whether it was during her marriages or later in life, as she traveled with UNICEF after her sons were grown. She didn’t take fame too seriously and had an appreciation for the simple things, according to her eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, select images from Intimate Audrey offer a closer look at the star’s life outside the spotlight, from her childhood to tender moments with her own family after achieving superstardom.
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Audrey Hepburn at 3 months old
Credit: Audrey Hepburn Estate Collection
Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born on May 3, 1929. Her mother was a Dutch noblewoman, Baroness Ella van Heemstra. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, changed the family name to Hepburn-Ruston before marrying van Heemstra in Batavia in 1926.
Just weeks after the little girl’s birth, her life nearly ended, Ferrer tells PEOPLE.
“My first book began with the following paragraph, which said, ‘I was born May 4th, 1929, and I died six weeks later.’ She had whooping cough and she stopped breathing, turned blue. And her mother, who was a Christian scientist and didn’t believe, at the time, in going to the doctor, ultimately spanked her back to life,” he shared, adding, “She let out a cry and started breathing again. But she perceived her entire existence as a second chance.”
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A rare glimpse at Audrey and her father
Credit: © Sean Ferrer & Luca Dotti
Hepburn-Ruston left his family in 1935. In Intimate Audrey, Ferrer shares that Hepburn-Ruston tried to write letters to his daughter to keep communication in their relationship, but van Heemstra kept them from the little girl, who was just 6 when he left.
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Audrey dreamed of the perfect family
Credit: Mel Ferrer
The star always knew she wanted to be a mother, but getting there was more complicated than she’d imagined. After several miscarriages, she was elated to welcome Ferrer in 1960. Weeks later, she would head out to begin filming Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
“I always equate the fact that she looked so wonderful to the fact that my mother just had a baby. A woman, at that time in her life, is like the flower at the maximum of its maturity. So I take credit for being born at the right time,” Ferrer jokes.
The Roman Holiday star welcomed her second child, Luca Dotti, in 1970.
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Audrey was always a devoted mom
Credit: Mel Ferrer
Many were amazed that Hepburn stepped back from the spotlight to focus on motherhood, and stayed committed to it despite having her sons 10 years apart.
Ferrer shares, “I was insulated away from the whole Hollywood thing. That’s actually one of the greatest gifts that she gave us. The first one was to grow up in a home which was devoid of any kind of ideology, and the second one really is that she stopped her career at the top of her game to become a full-time mom and be there and pick me up at school and get up in the morning, make breakfast. She wanted kids and she said, ‘I’m going to be a mom.’ ”
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Audrey was “magic” in her motherhood
Credit: Mel Ferrer
With Hepburn’s full focus on family, it left room for her and Ferrer to make countless memories together. Asked about some of his fondest moments, he shares, “Her coming to get me at school and going into the center and buying socks and books, but also preparing for the school play and her giving me advice.”
“And then, weekends and sleepovers when I was a little boy, sitting in the dark and chatting about this and that. There were times when she felt more like a mother and times when she felt more like an older sister, in a way. She wasn’t a controlling parent,” he continues.
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Audrey was never was far from her sons
Credit: Andrew Wald/Hepburn Family Archive
At age 14, Ferrer would start going to boarding school. Though they no longer spent every day together, they maintained a close relationship that continued throughout Hepburn’s life.
“She taught by example and belief, and always gave us the opportunity to ultimately make the decision and suffer the consequences. She didn’t come and pick you up once you fell over,” he says.
“She’d say, ‘You have to live with it.’ That’s how you learn, basically. So it’s that combination of things, the magic of having a parent who’s also a best friend.”
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