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Audrey Hepburn was born on 4 May 1929 at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles, a municipality in Brussels, Belgium. Although Hepburn was born in Belgium, she had British citizenship through her father. She was born into an aristocratic family and spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Audrey Kathleen Ruston |
| Date of Birth | 4 May 1929 |
| Birth Address | 48 Rue Keyenveld, Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium |
| Father | Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston |
| Mother | Baroness Ella Van Heemstra |
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What You'll Learn
Audrey Hepburn was born in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Audrey Hepburn was born in Ixelles, a district of Brussels, Belgium, on 4 May 1929. Her birthplace, at number 48 Rue Keyenveld, was in a municipality of Brussels. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, moved the family to Brussels in early 1929 to work with a British insurance company. Ruston was of British, Austrian, and Czech-Jewish descent. Hepburn's mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman and aristocrat of Frisian ancestry.
Hepburn was born into an aristocratic family, and she spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands. She attended boarding school in Kent, England, from 1936 to 1939. With the outbreak of World War II, she returned to the Netherlands, where she endured hardships in Nazi-occupied Holland. Despite the challenges, she continued her education and studied ballet in Amsterdam. After the war, she moved to London, where she continued her ballet training with Marie Rambert and pursued a modelling career.
Hepburn's father changed his surname to the more "aristocratic" Hepburn-Ruston, believing himself to be descended from James Hepburn, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. However, this belief was mistaken. Hepburn's parents divorced, after which she moved to London with her mother and attended a private girls' school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, Hepburn attended private schools there as well.
Although born in Belgium, Hepburn held British citizenship through her father. Due to her multinational background, she became fluent in several languages, including English, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Italian.
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Her birth name was Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on 4 May 1929 at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was a British subject and businessman born in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic). He was of British, German-Austrian, and Czech-Jewish descent. Ruston later changed his surname to the more aristocratic-sounding Hepburn-Ruston, believing himself to be descended from James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell.
Audrey Hepburn's parents were married in Batavia in 1926. At the time, Joseph worked for a trading company, but soon after the marriage, the couple moved to Europe, where he began working for a loan company in London. Hepburn's mother, Ella, was the daughter of Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra, who served as the mayor of Arnhem from 1910 to 1920 and as the governor of Dutch Guiana from 1921 to 1928. Ella's mother, Baroness Elbrig Willemine Henriette van Asbeck, was a granddaughter of Count Dirk van Hogendorp.
Audrey Hepburn's father left the family when she was six years old, and she moved to London with her mother, where she attended a private girls' school. Hepburn's parents officially divorced the next year. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, Hepburn attended boarding school in Kent, England, from 1936 to 1939. With the outbreak of World War II, she returned to the Netherlands, where she believed they would be safe. During the war, Hepburn endured hardships in Nazi-occupied Holland, suffering from depression and malnutrition. Despite this, she continued her education and studied ballet in Amsterdam.
Hepburn's birth name, Audrey Kathleen Ruston, was temporarily changed by her mother to Edda Van Heemstra during World War II out of concern that her British-sounding birth name would reveal her British heritage. After the war, she continued her ballet studies in Amsterdam and London. During her early 20s, she studied acting and worked as a model and dancer. She also began to get small film roles, credited as Audrey Hepburn.
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Her parents were Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston and Baroness Ella van Heemstra
Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929, in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her parents were Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston and Baroness Ella van Heemstra.
Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston (1889–1980) was a British subject born in Auschitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. He was of English, Austrian, and Czech-Jewish descent. Ruston was the son of Victor John George Ruston, who was of British and German-Austrian background, and Anna Juliana Franziska Karolina Wels, who was of German-Austrian origin and born in Kovarce. Joseph Ruston was an Honorary British Consul in Semarang, Dutch East Indies, and a businessman. He was first married to a Dutch heiress, Cornelia Bisschop, before marrying Ella van Heemstra in 1926 in Batavia. The couple moved to Europe, where he worked for a loan company, possibly tin merchants MacLaine, Watson, and Company in London. Joseph Ruston later changed his surname to the more aristocratic double-barrelled Hepburn-Ruston, perhaps because he mistakenly believed himself to be descended from James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell.
Baroness Ella van Heemstra (1900–1984) was a Dutch noblewoman. She was the daughter of Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra, who served as the mayor of Arnhem from 1910 to 1920 and as the governor of Dutch Guiana from 1921 to 1928, and Baroness Elbrig Willemine Henriette van Asbeck (1873–1939), a granddaughter of Count Dirk van Hogendorp. Ella van Heemstra was first married to Jonkheer Hendrik Gustaaf Adolf Quarles van Ufford, an oil executive based in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. The couple lived there and had two sons, Jonkheer Arnoud Robert Alexander Quarles van Ufford (1920–1979) and Jonkheer Ian Edgar Bruce Quarles van Ufford (1924–2010), before divorcing in 1925.
Audrey Hepburn's parents were involved in the British Union of Fascists (B.U.F.). Ella met Adolf Hitler and wrote favourable articles about him for the B.U.F. Joseph Ruston left the family abruptly in 1935 after a "scene" in Brussels and moved to London, where he became more deeply involved in Fascist activity. Ella van Heemstra moved with Audrey to her family's estate in Arnhem, while her sons from her first marriage were sent to live with other relatives.
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She had British citizenship through her father
Audrey Hepburn was born on 4 May 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was a British subject born in Auschitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. He was of British, Austrian, and Czech-Jewish descent. Ruston worked as an Honorary British Consul in Semarang, Dutch East Indies, and later for a loan company in London.
Although Hepburn was born in Belgium, she held British citizenship through her father. She spent her childhood in Belgium, the UK, and the Netherlands. Her father's job with a British company and her mother's family in the Netherlands meant the family often travelled between the three countries. As a result, Hepburn became fluent in English, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Italian.
Hepburn attended boarding school in Kent, England, from 1936 to 1939. However, with the outbreak of World War II, she returned to the Netherlands with her mother, who believed they would be safer there than in England. During the war, Hepburn endured hardships in Nazi-occupied Holland. Despite this, she continued to study ballet and even performed to raise money to support the Dutch resistance.
After the war, Hepburn returned to London, where she continued her ballet training with Marie Rambert and performed as a dancer and model. She also began to land small film roles, credited as Audrey Hepburn. Her big break came when French novelist Colette insisted that Hepburn be cast in the title role in the stage adaptation of Gigi (1944). Hepburn went on to become a renowned actress, recognised as a film and fashion icon.
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Her father changed the family name to Hepburn-Ruston
Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on 4 May 1929 at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. She was born into an aristocratic family, with her mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, being a Dutch noblewoman and her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, being a British subject and businessman.
Joseph Ruston, born in Auschitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, was of British, Austrian, and Czech-Jewish descent. He was previously married to Cornelia Bisschop, a Dutch heiress. He later changed his surname to Hepburn-Ruston, a more "aristocratic" double-barrelled name, perhaps at Ella's insistence. This was due to his mistaken belief that he descended from James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell.
Audrey's parents married in Batavia in 1926 and moved to Europe soon after, where Joseph began working for a loan company in London. They had Audrey shortly after, and she spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, the UK, and the Netherlands. During World War II, Hepburn and her family endured hardships in Nazi-occupied Holland. Despite this, she continued her education and studied ballet in Amsterdam.
In her early 20s, Hepburn moved to London and attended ballet school on a scholarship. She also began a modelling career and worked as a dancer. She was soon spotted by a producer and signed for a part in the 1948 film Nederlands in zeven lessen. Hepburn's acting career took off, and she became a well-known Belgian-born British actress and humanitarian. She devoted the final years of her life to humanitarian work and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.
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Frequently asked questions
Audrey Hepburn was born in Ixelles, a district of Brussels, Belgium.
Audrey Hepburn was born at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston.
Audrey Hepburn's mother was Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch noblewoman. Her father was Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, a British subject of English, Austrian and Czech-Jewish descent.
