Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929, in Belgium. She was a British citizen and attended school in England. She experienced hardship as she lived through World War II. She studied ballet as a child, and later, acting as an adult. She starred in the Broadway show “Gigi” in 1951. She reached Hollywood in 1953 as she starred in “Roman Holiday.” A year later, she took a Broadway role once again in “Ondine,” which won her a Tony Award. She would go on to also win Emmy, Grammy and Academy awards.
Hepburn was seen in movies such as “Sabrina” and “Funny Face” in the 1950s. She played in some of her most famous roles in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “My Fair Lady” in 1961 and 1964, respectively. She took a break from acting to raise her family in the late ‘60s and did not return for nearly a decade. Alongside acting, Hepburn was a major fashion icon, as many followed her style. She also became an ambassador for UNICEF in the 1980s, advocating for children who had extreme needs. Hepburn related to the cause, detailing the periods of hunger she endured during World War II.
Lucille Ball
Born in New York on August 6, 1911, Lucille Ball is well known for her role as Lucy Ricardo in the 1950s sitcom, “I Love Lucy.” She received acting lessons as a child, but her mentors did not see potential in her. Ball continued to work, however, as she moved to Hollywood and earned small movie roles. On set, she met Desi Arnaz, her future husband and “I Love Lucy” co-star. The sitcom began in 1951 and ran until 1957, proving to be very popular.
Ball later became the first woman in charge of a major TV production company with Desilu Productions. She went on to star in “I Love Lucy” spinoffs and guest roles on other famous shows. She won four Emmy Awards in her career and is honored in the Television Hall of Fame. Ball was also given the International Radio and Television Society Gold Medal in 1971, being the first woman to achieve this honor.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia on Nov. 12, 1929. Kelly enjoyed acting as a child, taking part in school productions. She was influenced by her two uncles who were in show business and guided her to the start of her career. As a young woman, Kelly moved to New York City and took classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While receiving her education, she worked as a model on the side. She eventually moved to California where she starred in her first film, “Fourteen Hours” in 1951.
Kelly achieved great success as an actor, starring opposite famous actors such as Clark Gable and Bing Crosby. She won an Academy Award in 1954 for her role in “The Country Girl.” Kelly was a top-paid Hollywood actor when she met Monaco’s Prince Rainier the III. The two were married on April 19, 1956, giving Kelly the real-life role of a princess. Kelly left her acting career to pursue a new life as a wife and mother of three children.
Debbie Reynolds
Born as Mary Frances Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds was born in El Paso, Texas, on April 1, 1932. Reynolds was found by a Warner Bros. scout as she took part in beauty pageants. Reynolds first appeared in smaller roles, but reached her fame when she starred in the 1952 musical, “Singin’ in the Rain.” From here, she began to appear in more films and starred across big names such as Frank Sinatra and Dick Van Dyke.
Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” in 1964. She also had her own show, “The Debbie Reynolds Show” that ran from 1969-70. Reynolds took on Broadway in 1973 with “Irene” and again with “Woman of the Year” in 1983. She continued acting into the 1990s and 2000s. Reynolds passed away in 2016, shortly after the death of her daughter, a notable actor, Carrie Fisher.
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in California. At the age of three, she was placed in dance lessons. Soon, she was discovered by film producers who led her to her start in acting. Temple’s first Hollywood appearance took place in the film, “Carolina,” when she was six-years-old. Temple went on to star in many more films as a child, proving to have talent in not just dancing and acting, but singing as well.
Temple received the name “Little Miss Miracle” from President Franklin Roosevelt, as her films helped to lift people up during the time of the Great Depression. She won an Academy Award for “Outstanding Personality of 1934” for her performance in “Bright Eyes,” which features her popular musical performance of “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” Other popular films included “Heidi” and “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.” Temple starred in a total of 43 feature films, plus other types of movies throughout her career.
Julie Andrews
Born as Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935, in Surrey, England, Julie Andrews received the last name “Andrews” from her stepfather. Her stepfather and mother were both of musical talent, and Andrews proved to have this ability as well. Her family found out that her vocal cord strength was equal to an adult’s when she was just eight-years-old. She received success on the stage when she was 12 and several years later, went to the United States to star on Broadway. She received her first Tony nomination for her lead role in “My Fair Lady” in 1956.
Andrews went on to film in the 1960s with her most well-known roles in the musicals “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music.” The latter won her an Academy Award nomination while she won the award for “Mary Poppins.” In 1997, she underwent surgery that resulted in the damage of her vocal cords, causing a decline in her singing skills. She did perform in 2004’s “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” but has not been able to regain the range she once had. Andrews also holds the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire as given to her by Queen Elizabeth II.
Rebekah Davidson
Intern