Introduction
One look at Audrey Hepburn and it's hard to deny her physical beauty.
If one explores her life further, one finds that her beauty transcends the physical. Her work as a star actress, fashion icon, and dedicated humanitarian makes her the most beautiful woman of all time.
Star Actress
One sign of Hepburn's level of beauty is her success as an actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. During a time when actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, and Jean Simmons were renowned in the industry, Hepburn was able to hold her own with a unique beauty often described as elfin, waif-like, and wistful adorned by an elegant personality.
Hepburn's success as an actress is shown by the multiple awards she received throughout her acting career:
- 1954: Academy Award for Best Actress.
- 1954: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama.
- 1954: BAFTA Award for Best British Actress in a Leading Role.
- 1954: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.
- 1955: Golden Globe for World Film Favorite – Female.
- 1960: Second BAFTA Award.
- 1965: Third BAFTA Award.
- 1993: Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement (Posthumous).
As a testament to her acting skills, one will note above that in 1954 Hepburn won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA award all for a single performance (Roman Holiday), making her the first actress to do so.
I think sex is overrated. I don't have sex appeal and I know it. As a matter of fact, I think I'm rather funny looking. My teeth are funny, for one thing, and I have none of the attributes usually required for a movie queen, including the shapeliness.
Fashion Icon
Another reason Audrey is the most beautiful woman of all time is her influence on modern fashion.
Although her influence on fashion started back in 1961 when she won a spot in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame, the fashion industry still considers her a fashion icon today.
A simple Google search for "Audrey Hepburn fashion" brings up 804,000 search results like 10 Fall Basic or Easy Audrey Hepburn Style and 12 Pieces For An Audrey Hepburn-Inspired Wardrobe.
It is a testament to Hepburn's everlasting beauty that women today are still interested in modelling their wardrobe after her style decades after she entered the limelight.
[Audrey Hepburn is] the most stylish woman who ever lived.
[Audrey Hepburn is] a gift from on high.
Dedicated Humanitarian
Audrey's beauty is best exemplified by the dedication of her later years to helping impoverished children from all over the world. From 1988 to 1992, Audrey, with UNICEF, helped children in over twenty countries including Ethiopia, Turkey, and Venezuela.
Her humanitarian missions included getting food to orphanages, helping with immunization campaigns, and collaborating with governments on clean water programs.
In her short four year career as a humanitarian, her positive impact to the world won her many noteworthy achievements and awards that are listed below:
- 1989: Appointed Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF.
- 1992: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- 1993: Posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
- 2002: Memorialized by the UNICEF Spirit of Audrey sculpture.
She had a great career as an actress, but I think she will be remembered just as much as a humanitarian, and that's the beauty of her years with UNICEF: She was an inspiration, she brought enormous world attention to children, she raised the profile of the challenges they face.
Conclusion
Audrey Hepburn made the world a better place in several ways. As an actress she challenged existing assumptions on what it meant to be beautiful during the Golden Age of Hollywood. As a fashion icon she inspired women to model her unique style. Finally, as a humanitarian, she alleviated the suffering of hundreds of thousands of impoverished children all over the world.
By living her life as a star actress, fashion icon, and dedicated humanitarian she truly earned the title of being the most beautiful woman of all time.
More Information
Find out more about Audrey Hepburn through the links below: