Ep. 183: Audrey Hepburn – Top 6 Movies
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on one of the greatest female actresses of all time, and generally by my research, one of the most down to earth, generous and kind people that has graced the earth, Audrey Hepburn.
Born in Brussels, Belgium Hepburn spent most of her childhood in the Netherlands where she suffered many hardships under Nazi control during World War II.
She played more than her part in the resistance where she was recruited at age 14, where she would send and convey messages, bring food to American and British pilots, and raise money for the Dutch resistance by performing secret ballet performances.
Initially trained as a ballet dancer she transitioned into acting with her debut as a flight stewardess in the Dutch film “Dutch in Seven Lessons.” This was followed by several musicals on the British stage before making her Broadway debut as the title character in the play Gigi in 1951. Less than two years later she starred alongside Gregory Peck in “Roman Holiday” for which she won her first Oscar for best actress.
Many classics were to follow which included Sabrina, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, My Fair Lady, and one of my favourites Wait Until Dark.
She semi-retired relatively early to focus on her family and in her later years as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for which she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 for her dedication.
She passed away from cancer in 1993 at the age of just 63, but left an enduring legacy in film, fashion, and charity work.
Today’s mnemonic will be on Audrey Hepburn’s top six movies.
So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.
Born into an aristocratic family in Ixelles, Brussels, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England and the Netherlands.
She attended boarding school in Kent from 1936 to 1939. With the outbreak of World War II, she returned to the Netherlands.
During the war, Hepburn studied ballet at the Arnhem Conservatory, and by 1944 she was performing ballet to raise money to support the Dutch resistance.
She studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam beginning in 1945 and with Marie Rambert in London from 1948.
Hepburn began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films.
She rose to stardom in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) alongside Gregory Peck, for which she became the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for a single performance.
In that year, she also won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine.
Hepburn went on to star in a number of successful films, such as Sabrina (1954), with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden; Funny Face (1957), a musical in which she sang her own parts; the drama The Nun's Story (1959); the romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); the thriller-romance Charade (1963), opposite Cary Grant; and the musical My Fair Lady (1964).
In 1967, she starred in the thriller Wait Until Dark, receiving Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
After that role, Hepburn only occasionally appeared in films, one being Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery. Her last recorded performances were in the 1990 documentary television series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming.
In 1994, Hepburn's contributions to a spoken-word recording titled Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales earned her a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. She is one of few entertainers who have won competitive Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards. Hepburn won three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role. In recognition of her film career, she received BAFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and the Special Tony Award.
Later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to UNICEF, to which she had contributed since 1954. Between 1988 and 1992, she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America and Asia. In December 1992, Hepburn received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
A month later, she died of appendix cancer at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, at the age of 63.[5]
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn]
Mnemonic
Audrey Hepburn – Top 6 Movies Mnemonic – My Roman Breakfast With Sabrina playing Charades
(Picture Yourself having breakfast with Audrey Hepburn who is playing Sabrina, in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome playing charades)
1. My Fair Lady (1964)
2. Roman Holiday (1953)
3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
4. Wait Until Dark (1967)
5. Sabrina (1954)
6. Charade (1963)
Five Fun Facts
1. Audrey Hepburn almost died from starvation during World War II. By the end of the war Hepburn had “jaundice and edema,” which are believed to have caused lifelong complications such as anaemia, which she suffered from, for the rest of her life. Along with these hardships during the war she was also part of the Dutch resistance, where she was recruited at the age of just 14. Being fluent in English she would bring food to American and British pilots and pass on directions.
Now, just in regards to starvation, as we know Audrey Hepburn was wafer-thin and stunning in front of the camera. But I happen to know a film director that only hires overweight actors and actresses, even if they're terrible, so much so, that even I got a job in front of the camera. I was flabber casted!
2. One of Hepburn’s passions was ballet where she was classically trained in London. She dreamt of becoming a prima ballerina but in the end, it was not possible due to her lack of strength caused by malnutrition during the war. She did however, perform on stage to raise money for the resistance.
3. Audrey Hepburn had her own special addiction, and that addiction was pasta with pomodoro sauce. So much so, that she travelled with it, in her suitcase after which she would cook up, on arriving at her destination. She loved fresh food and had her own organic garden at her Swiss estate called “La Paisible” which translates to “peaceful place” which was located near Geneva and the French border.
4. Audrey Hepburn was married twice, firstly to actor Mel Ferrer between 1954 to 1968, then to Andrea Dotti from 1969 to 1982. She had two children, one to Ferrer named Sean and the other to Dotti named Luca. But it wasn’t until 1980 where she met the love of her life Dutch actor Robert Wolders, when they met at a party at Billy Wilder’s Beverly Hills home. They were together until Hepburn’s death in 1993.
5. Audrey Hepburn was a truly remarkable person with many talents. Another one of those talents was language where she reportedly spoke at least five languages fluently which were Dutch, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. She could also sing, most notably “Moon River” in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffanys” but also, did all her own singing in the movies “Funny Face” and “Sabrina.”
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Three Question Quiz
Q.1. What country was Audrey Hepburn born in?
Q.2. Did Audrey Hepburn sing “Happy Birthday” to JFK in 1963? True or False
Q.3. Is there a statue of Audrey Hepburn at UNICEF headquarters? True or False
Bonus Q. Did Audrey Hepburn win an EGOT? Yes or No
Bonus Q. Which designer made Audrey’s costumes for the movie “Sabrina,” among other movies, and is credited for creating the ‘Hepburn look.’ Options are Hubert de Givenchy or Jacques Marcelle
Mnemonic Recap
Audrey Hepburn – Top 6 Movies Mnemonic – My Roman Breakfast With Sabrina playing Charades
(Picture Yourself having breakfast with Audrey Hepburn who is playing Sabrina, in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome playing charades)
1. My Fair Lady (1964)
2. Roman Holiday (1953)
3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
4. Wait Until Dark (1967)
5. Sabrina (1954)
6. Charade (1963)
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. What country was Audrey Hepburn born in?
A. Belgium in 1929
Q.2. Did Audrey Hepburn sing “Happy Birthday” to JFK in 1963? True or False
A. True. Marilyn Monroe did her salty version in 1962 which was the same year she died
Q.3. Is there a statue of Audrey Hepburn at UNICEF headquarters? True or False
A. True. It is called “The Spirit of Audrey” and was unveiled in 2002
Bonus Q. Did Audrey Hepburn win an EGOT? Yes or No
A. Yes, though it was posthumously. She won an Oscar for “Roman Holiday,” a Tony Award for her title role in “Ondine” on Broadway, a Grammy for the children’s album “Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales,” and an Emmy for “Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.”
Bonus Q. Which designer made Audrey’s costumes for the movie “Sabrina,” among other movies, and is credited for creating the ‘Hepburn look.’ Options are Hubert de Givenchy or Jacques Marcelle
A. Hubert de Givenchy
Word of the Week
carp
[ kahrp ]
verb
to find fault or complain unreasonably
Example
Audrey Hepburn was not one to carp about the early challenges and hardships in her life, but rather remained positive and proactive to live what was an amazing life.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls093301083/
https://people.com/movies/audrey-hepburn-most-surprising-facts/
https://kids.kiddle.co/Audrey_Hepburn
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63740/7-things-you-might-not-know-about-audrey-hepburn
https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Celebrities/The-Lovely-Audrey-Hepburn-72903.html