Audrey Hepburn’s status as an icon wasn’t immediately apparent to her son, Luca Dotti, until it was pointed out by a close friend, Hubert de Givenchy.
Recalling Givenchy’s words, Mr. Dotti emphasized that despite her global fame, his mother strove for a normal upbringing for him and his brother Sean.
“She stopped making movies when my brother Sean was about five years old. She wanted to be present as he went to school,” Mr. Dotti, 54, explained.
“By the time I was born ... she was already a full-time mom. And remember, there was no Instagram, Facebook, or anything like that to show me that she was an icon. She was just my mother. I didn’t have that concept that she was an icon until her death.”
Teaming up with Meghan Friedlander, Mr. Dotti authored “Audrey Hepburn in Paris,” a book delving into Hepburn’s enduring influence and style in the City of Light. The book, filled with previously unpublished photos, sheds light on Hepburn’s life beyond the silver screen, showcasing her as more than just a glamorous movie star.
Contrary to popular belief, Hepburn’s roots were not solely French; she was half British and Dutch. Mr. Dotti aims to portray his mother as a contented individual, often finding solace in a Swiss lakeside village where she had lived a quiet life away from the Hollywood limelight.
“Switzerland was where she could escape from the glamour of Hollywood,” Mr. Dotti revealed. “She was just a regular mom who took me to school and looked after me.”
However, Paris held a special allure for Hepburn, serving as her creative haven and playground. There, she brought many of her iconic film roles to life and cemented her status as a fashion icon, notably as a muse to Givenchy.
Ms. Friedlander highlighted Hepburn’s influence on Parisian fashion, noting how her slender figure and unique style defied the prevailing trends of the time. “Audrey embodied a very different kind of look. She had a slender, delicate figure. And that’s what people were craving at the time,” Ms. Friedlander explained. “She really did change the course of fashion.”
Despite her global renown, Hepburn remained authentic and grounded—qualities that endeared her to audiences worldwide. “Audrey’s superpower was her authenticity,” Ms. Friedlander said. “She was the real deal. She was someone who chose to age gracefully.”
More Than an Actress
One year following her breakthrough in “Roman Holiday,” Hepburn delivered another iconic performance in “Sabrina” (1954), solidifying her status as a Hollywood luminary. Her illustrious career soared with memorable roles in “Funny Face” (1957) and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961), adapted from Truman Capote’s acclaimed novel. Hepburn’s filmography quickly burgeoned with these timeless cinematic treasures.Beyond her cinematic achievements, Hepburn emerged as a revered fashion icon. The black dress she wore in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” epitomized by her character Holly Golightly’s wistful gaze into the jewelry store window, remains an emblem of Hepburn’s elegance. Givenchy’s designs adorned Hepburn in numerous films, notably in “Sabrina,” marking the inception of their on-screen collaboration.
Transitioning from the silver screen in the late 1960s, Hepburn devoted herself to familial pursuits while sporadically gracing the screen in the 1970s and 1980s. However, her most enduring legacy lies in her humanitarian endeavors. As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador from the late 1980s, she undertook over 50 missions, traversing the globe from Bangladesh to Sudan, advocating for children’s rights. Her commitment manifested in numerous initiatives, including participation in the World Summit for Children and the launch of UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children reports.
In recognition of her humanitarian contributions, Hepburn was bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, in 1992. Despite battling appendiceal cancer, she remained steadfast in her UNICEF duties until her passing on Jan. 20, 1993, at her Swiss residence. Hepburn’s death reverberated across the realms of film, fashion, and philanthropy, leaving an indelible imprint on popular culture.
