Product Description
She was living evidence that fairy tales are real and that angels can come down to earth. It was Colette who discovered the too tall and too thin girl with expressive eyes, then a complete unknown, and made her the lead in the 1951 Broadway production of Gigi. Her film triumphs were all the more astonishing since she didn’t match the usual Hollywood clichés. Petite, almost androgynous, and with a disarming naturalness, she had a worldwide impact on fashion and beauty trends and was enthusiastically welcomed as an alternative to the sex bombs and pin-up girls of the 50s.

This book, with an essay by Klaus-Jürgen Sembach, is dedicated to Audrey Hepburn who died in 1993. It includes the best film stills, portraits, and private photographs by well-known and by unknown photographers from all over the world who have provided us with an immortal image of Hollywood’s most endearing star. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Gift
This was a gift for a friend and she loved it.She's a huge Audrey fan.

Wonderful tribute to a great lady
Audieu Audrey is a sumptuous, beautifully presented tribute to one of the greatest actresses (and humanitarians) of all time!the photographs are exquisitely reproduced in both color and black and white.Any Audrey fan would love this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Audrey Hepburn epitomised elegance and style and her beauty, fragility and grace set her apart in Hollywood, but her story makes her even more special. From poverty and humble beginnings in WW2 to Gigi on Broadway and thence one of the most beloved of all screen actresses, Hepburn's life is illustrated by the likes of Slim Aarons and Richard Avedon, Bert Hardy , Leonard McCombe and Ralph Morse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Worthwhile for the Photos of Audrey - the world's most graceful actress
There are some absolutely stunning photos of the actress in this book...and that is the only reason to buy it.The commentary is uninspired, but a fair review of her life. It covers just the basics- her birth in Belgium, her hunger during World War II, her formal experience in ballet, her discovery by "Colette" for the play - GIGI, her breakthrough role (in Hollywood) with Gregory Peck for "Roman Holiday", the marriage and divorce with Mel Ferrer, the critical acclaim for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "My Fair Lady". But...alas...every subject is treated as just a sketch. ... Read more

Product Description
Audrey Hepburn was a ballet dancer but never danced in a ballet. She made more money than any other movie actress, but never studied acting. The world loved her but she was not always happy. The warm face she showed to the world hid the sadness she often felt inside.The star of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and many other films, Audrey Hepburn became one of the most famous women in the world. This is her story. ... Read more

Product Description
We watched her grow from gamine girl in Gigi to young sophisticate in Breakfast at Tiffany's to elegant lady in Robin & Marian, earning Academy, Emmy, Tony & Grammy awards during her career as a film & stage actress, fashion icon, & humanitarian. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
12 x 16 poster style wall calendar.



Hepburn became one of the most successful film actresses in the world and performed with such notable leading men as Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Peter O'Toole, and Albert Finney. She won BAFTA Awards for her performances in The Nuns Story (1959) and Charade (1963), and received Academy Award nominations for Sabrina (1954), The Nun's Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961) and Wait Until Dark (1967).

She starred as Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), becoming only the third actor to receive one million Dollars for a film role. From 1968 to 1975 she took a break from film-making, mostly to spend more time with her two sons. In 1976 she starred with Sean Connery in Robin and Marian. In 1989 she made her last film appearance in Steven Spielberg's Always. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the screen legend, based on more than one hundred interviews with friends and family, discusses her early years, her personal life, her work opposite Hollywood's greatest leading men, and her tireless work for UNICEF. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Don't use this seller!
I have emailed twice and now have filed a claim. I have not recieved the book and it has been a few weeks now. Byer beware!

the definitive biography on Audrey Hepburn
This is the definitive biography on Audrey Hepburn, written by an accomplished biographer, although this is not an authorized biography. For that, you need the Barry Paris or Sean Hepburn Ferrer books (the first is the 'unoffical authorized' version by a friend of the family, the second is by the son, done most likely for the book revenues one would presume).

What makes the Maychick book realistic is her access to Hepburn near the end of her life, in which details about Hepburns history of eating disorders were first revealed and subsequently reported. There are many other new tidbits revealed, but that had to be the most vivid.

Interestingly, several of the facts about Hepburn's life from Maychick's book that had been previously unreported were featured prominently in the 2000 TV movie starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as Audrey. Maychick's book did not receive a film credit, but if this isn't enough to substantiate the accuracy of Maychick's excellent and thorough biography, I can't imagine what would be. Most likely, the Hepburn estate had a strong influence on the movie production and depiction of Hepburn.

Diana Makesick might be more accurate.
What's to say that hasn't been said already, and in a way, there's little point since this piece of garbage has thankfully all but disappeared from the market (and one can hope, circulation in general).However, it got me so infuriated in reading it that I have to add my two cents, for others who come across this book or these reviews.

Until now, I've known little of Audrey aside from that she was my favorite actress, and probably one of the classiest, most beautiful human beings to have graced this planet.As it happens, I stumbled across a copy of this book in the library, entirely by chance, so I decided to check it out and see if I could learn more about this wonderful woman.Well, before I was halfway through, even with my limited knowledge, I was disappointed and angry at what I was reading, though I couldn't entirely put my finger on it.Yes, there were the mistakes with describing the movies.There was a lot that was not only unflattering but didn't ring true, not only about Audrey but those in her life as well.There was the ongoing "posing" tone in it, where the author tries to come across as Audrey's confidant and close friend.The whole thing smelled somehow, and left me with an uneasy, angry feeling, and I didn't quite know why.

It was at that point that I decided to look into information and reviews of the book on the Internet, only to discover that it was even worse than I suspected.As it is, this book is full of mistakes, full of what is likely complete fabrication, and full of something else that shall go unmentioned (with which I'd say Diana Maychick is similarly afflicted).It is a slap in the face to the intelligent reader, an affront to anyone who loves Audrey Hepburn, an insult to her, and a disgusting testament to what some people will sink to in chasing a dollar.

In any case, if you do run across a copy of this tripe, don't waste your time and stress level with it...from what I understand, there are several other good sources of information on Audrey, any of which would be better.If there's one good thing that's come out of my encounter with this book, it's that it's at least given me the impetus (out of anger if nothing else) to dig up quality information on this marvelous woman.This "book" isn't even worth using as a Bathroom Reader replacement.

If you love Audrey - don't read this book
This book has so many errors and untruths that it really should be classed as fiction.As has already been mentioned, Audreys family are taking legal action against this author - she claims to have spoken to Audrey at a time when Audrey was infact dying! I read this book before I was aware of the above and was struck by the inaccuracy of some of it's contents - in particular her plot synopsis for the film Roman Holiday was inaccurate - did she actually watch the film!!Also she had some pretty nasty things to say about Audrey which seemed strange coming from someone who claimed to love and miss her.I have ripped the book into shreds, keeping only the photographs of Audrey which are the only part of this book worth keeping.There are, of course, plenty of facts that are correctly stated which the author probably gleaned from other biographers - and anything that was not already known has probably been invented, the problem being that once you know a book to contain some falsehoods it's hard to believe any of it.If you love Audrey, don't read this book, choose another that is more credible, if you can possibly wait then buy her son, Sean Ferrer's book when it is published, hopefully later this year.I am only sorry that the author of this piece of fiction has already benefited from my, and a lot of other people's money.

An Average Book
I don't think this book was as horrible as most of the other reviewers thought; I found it very average. This book was obviously a complilation of interviews (quotes I've seen in other books), plot descriptions of herfilms, a few lackluster photos and some creative filling-in of the blanks.What irritated me was the descriptions of the films: there were so manymistakes I doubt the author even bothered to watch the films! As a hugeAudrey Hepburn fan, I would hope there were many other, better books outthere. ... Read more

Product Description
Audrey Hepburn: an enduring screen legend and one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her photograph graced the covers of magazines across the world for half a century, yet in a movie career lasting forty-five years she made only twenty-six feature films, from blink-and-you'll-miss-them walk-ons in classic films (The Lavender Hill Mob) to enduring masterpieces (My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's) that remain with the viewer long after they've left the cinema. But being a film legend wasn't enough. For twenty years she dedicated her life to working for UNICEF. The Pocket Essential Audrey Hepburn looks at Audrey's early life growing up in Holland during the war. Her father was a nazi sympathiser and her mother of Dutch aristocracy and this brought about pressures and experiences that Audrey would carry with her throughout her life. Wartime starvation was responsible for her 'gamin' appearance. Her early ambition for a career as a ballet dancer gave her the poise and dignity with which she was eponymous and her forty-year working relationship with the designer Hubert Givenchy created the 'Hepburn Look' which Hollywood film stars are still trying to emulate.

As well as an introductory essay, the Pocket Essential Audrey Hepburn has at its core Audrey the film star and each of her films (and the re-makes) is reviewed and analysed, including background information and trivia.

Customer Reviews (2)

The only book that compiles her filmography in detail
I would like to give the author credit for a good job at compiling all her films with descriptive categories and contemporaneous critical reviews, both favorable and not so favorable.Just for that effort this book isworthwile to buy.It has a biography of her which may be too long for anintroduction or too short for a full biography.I get the impression thatthe author wanted to portray to the reader a summary of her life throughthe films compiled here, as obectively as possible.There are other booksif one is interest in a complete biography.This is a good compilation ofher work.

There are some pictures not seen in other publications. Especially I would like to mention pictures from "How to steal amillion" and "Two for the Road".They are the best of herMod-ish look.Especially, the one on pp. 188 that shows her face half inthe dark is a superb piece of art.Also, it includes beautiful images ofher with a dark coat and a beret from the last scenes of the muchoverlooked film "The Children's Hour."

One complaint about thisbook is the poor quality of its binding. Already pages are coming loose. It should have been hard-bound. But still this is the ony compilation ofher films.

Audrey betrayed by another man putting her in her place.
One expected the text to be trite.Vermalye is obviously oneof those professional hacks with no feeling, love or understanding fortheir subjects beyond spouting received truisms.

It begins with a brief overview of her career, offering no insight into why Audrey was perhaps the most wonderful actress of them all.We're so consistently reminded of her 'grace' and 'kindness' that we forget that she was an actual human being, and that her particular genius lay in the disparity between her ineffable chic and mischievous charm on the surface, and the profound sadness and disillusion (which ironised her so-called vulnerability)hidden in her eyes.

He fails to put her persona into any kind of meaningful cultural context - he doesn't define her persona at all; her modernity, her status as an almost abstract icon (in films like Charade and Funny Face, her very chiselled beauty becomes enmeshed with the sharp formality of the film's mise-en-scene to create a complex, anti-naturalistic evocation of desire, last seen in the Dietrich/Von Sternberg films) are all ignored in favour of fluffy Victoriana.

As I said, one expected the text to be trite: after all, one buys these books for the photographs.And these are magnificent, detailing Audrey from every point of her career, and her early life, some I've never seen before.They reveal her at work, in wonderfully disarming, relaxed attitudes.There are stunning stills from all her pictures, not all of them flattering, but always redolent of a real woman, not some angelic waif, and certainly making you yearn to watch those amazing films again. ... Read more

Product Description
An Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn left a legacy true to her spirit, elegance and charity. This natural beauty became one of the most prominent actresses of her time, starring in adored films such as Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, and Funny Face. This 2011 slimline calendar features a wonderful photographic collection of this unforgettable talent and icon. ... Read more

Product Description
Though starring in only some 20 films and two engagements on Broadway, Audrey Hepburn earned her reputation through the quality of her performances rather than the quantity of her work. Unlike other legends of Hollywood, she was never driven by her career. Hepburn worked only when she wished, talked to the press only when convenient, and took years off between movies to spend time with her family. This book details all of her performances. ... Read more

Product Description

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.

Product Description
Truman Capote suggested Marilyn Monroe for the lead role in the film version of his 1958 bestseller novel Breakfast at Tiffany's. Yet even she felt the role was too indecent. Director Blake Edwards chose boyish, well brought-up Audrey Hepburn, and she played New York playgirl Holly Golightly so successfully that Breakfast at Tiffany's became a cult film and the lead actress an icon of the 1960s.

During the filming Howell Conant took publicity shots on set: Holly Golightly loveably wicked with her indispensable cigarette holder, glamorous in her Givenchy dress in the midst of the party, dreamy-melancholy when singing the Oscar-winning "Moon River" at night on the fire escape.

Further photo sessions followed for Life, Look and Paris Match, fashion shots in the Swiss Alps, a portrait series with hats, and photos on the set of Together in Paris (1962) and Wait until Dark (1967). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lovely Photos of Audrey
If you are an Audrey and Breakfast at Tiffany's fan, you will love the photos in this book.It is not an indepth book on the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's.Just enjoy the photos.

badly scratched book cover
the bokk that arrived is new but the cover is badly scratched - I would like a refund!! - please contact me

Breakfast at Tiffany's Keepsake
Lots of information about Audrey Hepburn, a great addition to anyone's collection. Loved all of the pictures and interesting facts I couldn't find about Audrey. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who still adores the legendary "Rat Pack Princess" Ms. Hepburn. Her memory will always live on in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
'God kissed the face of Audrey Hepburn, and there she was'. Billy Wilder Audrey Hepburn was loved by millions of movie fans and reflected that love back on her audience. Her warmth and grace, both onscreen and off, endeared her to millions and her humanitarian efforts made her a role model to countless more. When she died from colon cancer in 1993, the loss was felt all over the world. Audrey Hepburn was more than a movie star, more than a style icon. She considered her most important role to be wife and mother. In this beautiful memoir, her son, Sean Ferrer, remembers their life together. This is the story of her life from her childhood during WWII, to Hollywood, to her work for the United Nations. It is a story about Audrey Hepburn as only her son could tell it, and it is also an incredible account of the steadfast bond between them. Intimate, inspiring and including more than 300 photographs and drawings - many of which have never before published - "An Elegant Spirit" is an illustrated memoir of the woman the world adored, by the son who adored her and was adored by her. There have been a number of books about Audrey, but few have truly captured her essence.Sean Hepburn Ferrer's beautiful memoir does just that. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Son Loves His Mother...Who Happens to Be Audrey Hepburn
If there is a polar opposite to Christina Crawford's scathing poor-me memoir, Mommie Dearest, it has to be this loving tribute to Audrey Hepburn from her eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Rather than being an exhaustive biography on the legendary film star (and enough of those exist anyway), it is more a very attractive coffee table book with remembrances from her colleagues, family friends and most importantly, Ferrer himself. It is a testament to Hepburn that all these books, especially this one, have been nothing less than respectful and at times downright reverential. There is no getting around the fact that she was well loved by those closest around her and certainly by her fans, me included. That she comes across as such a giving person merely validates what we all want to believe about her, and this becomes especially clear in Ferrer's account of her later years making goodwill trips to Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Somalia on behalf of UNICEF.

While as a fan, I was disappointed about her long absences from films from the late sixties until her death in 1993, Ferrer makes it clear how important motherhood was to her and how imperative it was for her to stay at home with her sons during those years. Just from the treasure trove of family photos, this book clearly shows that her dedication to them was and continues to be reciprocated. The perspective of this book is understandably biased but fresh, and obviously Ferrer's access to his mother's personal belongings - family snapshots, paintings and drawings done by her, even her passports - builds an intimate story. I have to admit I was taken aback by the more familiar photos of Hepburn during her Hollywood glory years (especially the glamorous Cecil Beaton pictures) and amazed at how lovely she continued to look in the professional photos taken a year or so before her death. Not surprisingly, the most moving part is Ferrer's account of her final weeks when she took one last flight from California to what looks to be a most idyllic place, her home La Paisible in Switzerland. This should be the final word about her, but that is unlikely as she continues to fascinate. Somewhere Joan Crawford must be eating her heart out. ... Read more

Product Description
This dark story of lies, intrigue, plots and counterplots deals with Nazism and Hollywood,with adoption, with child abuse, with the anti-war movement of the 1960s, with the ballet world, and with official criminality.

In 1947, a young woman travelled from Holland to London and went through a pregnancy in secret, living and working amid a ballet company. Two years later, in 1949, she began an acting career and gave her child away to another young actress on the London stage. The mother was Audrey Hepburn, and in a few years she was famous. Her son, meanwhile, had been taken to America by his English adoptive mother and her husband, a U.S. military pilot who was stationed in England. He grew up in secrecy in Maryland. He was named Stuart Byczynski, and this book is about Audrey's life, her son's birth and adoption, and Audrey's conflicted and menacing behavior toward him.

Not a photo book, this work explores the dark side of Audrey Hepburn's career, revealing new information about her and correcting some of the misinformation in the existing literature.

To make her career in films, Audrey had to suppress any information that she had had a child, as well as her family ties to the Third Reich during WWII. She interfered with the author and arranged for minor Hollywood people to enter his life as acquaintances in order to gather information. In her final years, in the aftermath of the publicity about Joan Crawford's parenting, Audrey did volunteer work for Unicef, perhaps out of guilt over her own abandoned child, but more likely to polish her public image. This book is the kind of thing Audrey dreaded, and it was originally intended for publication while she was alive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Worthless nonsense
In this hyper-world of gotcha this ranks right up there with the sightings of Elvis. This trumps all including the Vegas odds makers who likely would rate an Elvis sighting a better bet! Why in the world would anyone publish such rubbish? Money it seems,trumps all; including proper respect for one who led an exemplary life and is not here to defend herself. In a word, SHAME on any one who gives support,moral or financial, to this trash.

Don't believe a word in this book
Unfortunately the author has picked Audrey Hepburn as his mother- he should have picked Greta Garbo or somebody like her.It would have been more fitting.Audrey's life was full of sad and unhappy experiences and certainly did not lead the life like this author says she did. I am very disappointed that the world has people that write trash like this.

Paranoid egocentric conspiracy trash
This guy blah, blah, blah's forever without producing any substantial evidence.He blames Audrey Hepburn for the abuse from his adoptive parents. Plus, he think she has controled every aspect of his dismal life--from his jobs to his girlfriends.He writes in circles.He never says anything.He is delusional--a conjoined twin separated after his birth?Audrey Hepburn's son?He wishes his life was interesting--his fiction isn't.

Secret Life Indeed
This is a secret life Audrey Hepburn led only in the author's deluded mind.I bought the book because I was curious.Aftera few pages, I wished that, further than reading the back cover blurb, I had flipped through the book to glean some of the choice accusations, then I wouldn't have wasted the money.As another reviewer puts it, I too can't believe the audacity of the publisher to have endorsed such garbage.

Of course it's not outside the realm of possibility that a young, then unknown actress might have had an unwanted pregnancy... but the author is clearly quite insane when he claims to be a victim of unsuccessful attempts of assasination commissioned by his 'mother' not to mention the possibility of his being the result of possible Nazi experiments performed on Hepburn with her knowledge.

Stuart Byscynki needs professional help and he should get it quick!

A waste of a book
This "biography" doesn't even deserve one star.It is filled with ridiculous fantasies of the author.Do not even attempt to take this book seriously, as it is complete and utter nonsense. I can't believe that anyone would have the audacity to publish this type of garbage. ... Read more

Product Description
Audrey Hepburn was a ballet dancer but never danced in a ballet. She made more money than any other movie actress, but never studied acting. The world loved her but she was not always happy. The warm face she showed to the world hid the sadness she often felt inside.The star of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and many other films, Audrey Hepburn became one of the most famous women in the world. This is her story. ... Read more