Innocent, ethereal in her rare beauty, Audrey Hepburn stood alone among the actresses of her time. Into the abundance of voluptuous American girls of the late 1950s came this gamine with an enchanting Anglo-European accent. With her big eyes, long neck, demure smile, melodious voice and perfect wardrobe, that aura of an angel on earth, she dazzled moviegoers for decades and in her later years also worked hard as a special ambassador for UNICEF.

Despite her glamour, charm and elegance, Hepburn is one star who has always been seen to have real heart. Traveling to areas afflicted by famine and devastation, Hepburn worked to raise public awareness of the plight faced by children in times of crisis. Her commitment to alleviate the suffering of children was intense and genuine. Always modest, Audrey described herself as an actress that didn't have much technique because she never learned to act. Her own acting technique, such as it was, simply consisted of hard work, intense concentration - and instinct. She had the magic ability to bridge the gap between herself and her audience, and to make her innermost feelings instantly known and shared.

Director Billy Wilder once said of Audrey: "She had not gone to acting schools, she didn't hear the word Strasberg, she did not repeat in front of the mirror. She just was born with this kind of quality and she made it look so unforced, so simple, so easy." Hepburn was incredibly charismatic. Wilder also said: "What is really needed in order to become a star is an extra element which god gives you or doesn't give you. You're born with it. You cannot learn it. God kissed on her cheek and there she was." Most of the great movie stars have their partisans as well as detractors, but with Audrey Hepburn it is difficult to find negative comments.

Among her most popular and acclaimed films are Roman Holiday, Charade, Funny Face, Sabrina, Love in the Afternoon, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Two for the Road and Robin and Marian, always working with great directors and actors. In these films audiences were enchanted by her combination of grace, elegance and high spirits, alternately regal and childlike. With a slender figure that many women would die for, unconventional beauty, perfect manners and great intelligence, she was someone that could never be created in Hollywood's glamour factories. Dressed in the simple lines of a Givenchy gown, as she often was, her elegance was unrivaled.

She proved that she could act alongside such greats as Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Fred Astaire and Sean Connery. Audrey played the princess in Roman Holiday as if by natural right and won an Academy Award for this role. Maybe the role that best portrayed Audrey herself was her last film - the Steven Spielberg romantic fantasy Always. She played an angel, dressed in white sweater and slacks, and she was radiant. It was a role in which the character's grace and serenity echoed the image of Audrey. When she died of cancer, at 63, it was as if we had lost the marvelous princess of our dreams.