British Legends: The Life and Legacy of Audrey Hepburn

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Deborah Fennelly

"One might guess this is Miss Hepburn's picture, since she has the title role and has come to it trailing her triumphs from last year's Roman Holiday. And, indeed, she is wonderful in it - a young lady of extraordinary range of sensitive and moving expressions within such a frail and slender frame. She is even more luminous as the daughter and pet of the servants' hall than she was as a princess last year, and no more than that can be said." (Bosley Crowther, movie critic for The New York Times, 1954)

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' British Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of Britain's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

For someone whose career ended over 30 years ago, Audrey Hepburn continues to retain her popularity and exert a strong influence over how people view beauty and sophistication. She remains an American icon despite the fact that she did not even move to the United States until 1953 (at the age of 24) and spent the majority of her life living in Europe. Her characters in films such as Roman Holiday (1953) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) are still held up as the paragon of delicate femininity and elegance. After undergoing a revival in popularity throughout the 1990s, her renewed popularity has refused to wane, and even though she acted in just 25 films, Hepburn is viewed in high regard by the entertainment establishment.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors