Audrey Hepburn: A Biography

Greenwood Biographies

by Martin "Marty" Gitlin

From the moment she appeared on the American silver screen as a runaway princess in Roman Holiday , Audrey Hepburn was beloved by critics and audiences alike. From her childhood activism in the Dutch resistance movement during World War II, to her extensive film career, her charity work for UNICEF, and her roles as a wife, mother, and fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn's place in American cultural history is brought to life for a new generation of readers. Featuring illustrations, a timeline of events, a selected bibliography, and an appendix of Hepburn's film, stage, and TV appearances, this volume will appeal to students of American studies, American history, film, and popular culture.

A graceful and diminutive presence onscreen, Hepburn breathed life into some of the most iconic film roles in Hollywood history. To study her life is to study American fashion and culture, especially classic films of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Her story also illuminates the experience of everyday people living in Europe during World War II, and the possibilities of modern-day activism as exemplified in her work for UNICEF in the 80s and early 90s. From her childhood activism in the Dutch resistance movement during World War II, to her extensive film career, her charity work for UNICEF.

With entertaining flair, this engaging biography explores the life and work of one of the most beloved actresses ever to grace the stage and screen. Readers will explore the German occupation of her hometown during World War II and her anti-Nazi resistance activities, her early stage roles and her discovery by French novelist Colette, who cast her in the stage production of Gigi, her status as fashion icon, and a behind-the-scenes look into the casting and filming of some of her most well-known films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's , Sabrina , and My Fair Lady .

152 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

MARTIN (MARTY) GITLIN is a freelance book writer and journalist based in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to Diana, Princess of Wales (Greenwood 2008), he has written several history books for students, including works on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, Battle of The Little Bighorn, and Stock Market Crash of 1929. He has also written biographies of NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Gitlin worked for two decades as a sportswriter, during which time he won more than 45 awards, including first place for general excellence from Associated Press. That organization also selected him as one of the top four feature writers in Ohio.

Reviews

[FabAudrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this book. The Greenwood Biographies series was specially written for grade school-aged kids to be able to get enough biographical information on a celebrity or other notable figure, just enough to write a paper or report on them, without drowning them in the details of a full-length, for adults biography. I applaud that, I really do. It even helps the reader by providing a timeline of major life events, public and private, as well as an appendix listing all of her works, whether on stage or screen.

But I can’t give this book full stars for a few reasons. The biggest drawback, to me, is that it uses Diana Maychick’s rightly maligned biography of Audrey as a major reference. Every chapter cites a passage from her book.

It also gets some easily researchable facts wrong. The most glaring is that the basic plot descriptions for multiple films are wrong. This book was published in 2009, so it benefits not only from numerous other biographies and film study books before it, but the internet and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). There should be no excuse for these errors. It also claims that Audrey and Edith Head were lifelong friends. Any book on Edith Head will tell you otherwise. Even Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. mentioned Edith’s dislike for Audrey.

So while I would love to give this book a rave review and encourage young people to use this book as their go-to for projects, I can’t. I can point you towards full-length biographies that get the facts right, and there’s always Wikipedia for your one internet reference.

This review was originally written for The Fabulous Audrey Hepburn.