Audrey Hepburn
Hepburn in trailer for ”Roman Holiday”, 1953
Birth Name: Audrey Kathleen Ruston
Date of Birth: 4 May, 1929
Place of Birth: Ixelles, Belgium
Date of Death: 20 January, 1993
Place of Death: Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland
Ethnicity:
*father – English, Czech, one quarter Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – Dutch [including Frisian], as well as 1/128th French, remote English
Audrey Hepburn was a Belgian-born, Dutch-raised, British actress, model, dancer, and humanitarian. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Roman Holiday (1953). Her films also include Sabrina (1954), Funny Face, The Nun’s Story, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, My Fair Lady, Wait Until Dark, and Robin and Marian. She appeared in the documentary series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn. She often worked with UNICEF, and was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Audrey’s father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úžice/Auschiz, Bohemia, and was of English, Czech, and at least one quarter Ashkenazi Jewish, descent. He was Honorary British Consul in Semarang in the Dutch East Indies, and worked for a trading company and a loan company. He later changed his surname to Hepburn-Ruston, though there is no evidence of a Hepburn name in his family tree. Through him, Audrey was a British citizen.
Audrey’s mother, Ella, Baroness van Heemstra, was Dutch. Audrey’s mother was of almost entirely Dutch descent, including Frisian, and had some remote non-Dutch roots; Audrey’s mother had 1/128th French ancestry, as well as English roots on a similarly distant level. Audrey had stated that she was of half Irish and half Dutch descent, though she was evidently not of Irish ancestry.
Audrey spent time in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands during her childhood, including attending boarding school in Kent, England, in the late 1930s. She was in the Netherlands during WWII, and performed ballet to raise money for the Dutch Resistance. She studied ballet after the war. Audrey had a son, producer and writer Sean Hepburn Ferrer, with her former husband, American actor, director, and producer Mel Ferrer; and a son with her former husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. Audrey’s granddaughter is model and artist Emma Ferrer.
Audrey was sometimes said to have had some degree of Jewish ancestry on her mother‘s side. This does not appear to be accurate.
Audrey’s paternal grandfather was Victor John George Ruston (the son of Joseph John Ruston and Barbara Victoria Belha). Joseph was English, and is usually stated as having been born in London or in Poplar, near London, the son of John Joseph Ruston and Ann Smith.
Audrey’s paternal grandmother was Anna Juliana/Julianna Franziska/Francisca Karolina/Carolina Wels/Wells/Welsová (the daughter of Johann Anton Wels/Wedeles and Carolina Clara Schütz). Anna was born in Kovarce, south-western Slovakia. Johann was born in Prague, Czechia, the son of Jewish parents, Nathan Wedeles and Judith Julie Porges. Carolina was born in Zářečí, Březová Nad Svitavou, Czechia, the daughter of Karl Wenzel Ignatz Schütz and Franziska Josepha Burschwal.
Audrey’s maternal grandfather was Aarnoud Jan/Johan Anne Aleid, Baron van Heemstra (the son of Willem Hendrik Johan, Baron van Heemstra, and of Wilhelmina/Wilhelmine Cornelia de Beaufort). Aarnoud was born in Vreeland, Utrecht. He was a nobleman, jurist, and politician, who served as mayor of Arnhem, from 1910 to 1920, and Royal Governor of Suriname, twice, between 1921 and 1928. Audrey’s great-grandfather Willem was the son of Frans Julius Johan van Heemstra, Baron van Heemstra, and of Henriëtta Philippina/Philippine Jacoba, Baroness van Pallandt. Wilhelmina was the daughter of Arnoud Jan de Beaufort and Anna Aleida Stoop.
Audrey’s maternal grandmother was Elbrig Wilhelmina/Wilhelmine Henriette, Baroness van Asbeck (the daughter of Gerrit Ferdinand, Baron van Asbeck, and of Caroline/Carolina van Hogendorp/Hoogendorp). Elbrig was born in Almelo, Almelo, Overijssel. Gerrit was the son of Tjalling Minne Watze van Asbeck, tot Bergen en Munsterhausen, and of Elbrig Roos van Bienema. Caroline was the daughter of Graaf Dirk/Willem van Hogendorp/Hoogendorp and Marianne Cathérine van Hogendorp.
One of Audrey’s maternal six times great-grandfathers, Henri Collot D’Escury, was French. One of Audrey’s maternal eight times great-grandfathers, George Clifford, was English. Adurey’s mother had another line of English ancestry on a similarly distant level.
Audrey’s matrilineal line can be traced to her great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Clara Maria Christoffers.
Sources: Genealogies of Audrey Hepburn – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://geneagraphie.com
http://fabpedigree.com
Information on Audrey’s paternal grandmother, Anna Juliana/Julianna Franziska/Francisca Karolina/Carolina Wels/Wells/Welsová – http://www.pitt.edu
https://mynitra.sme.sk
Baptismal record of Audrey’s paternal grandmother, Anna Juliana/Julianna Franziska/Francisca Karolina/Carolina Wels/Wells/Welsová – https://familysearch.org
One of the classiest women to grace this planet.
Too bad most girls these days think dressing and acting like a whore is “attractive”. Audrey Hepburn was the epitome of classy and beautiful. Girls should take note and act like she did.
I agree. She seemed like a nice family orientated woman in real life as well.
CORRECTION:
AUDREY HEPBURN’S FATHER WAS OF WELSH, ENGLISH, SCOTTISH, AND AUSTRIAN DESCENT AND AUDREY’S MOTHER WAS DUTCH
I think her ancestry is pretty well addressed here. Do you know something else about the ancestry of her paternal grandfather?
Yes she said in an interview and there is dna results. i do not know where they are now, but i have seen them before clearly
Okay…
Well, someone should change it to the correct info that Audrey said and documented herself.
Mother: Dutch
Father: Austrian, Welsh, English
Where did she say this? It’s all up there already except for Welsh.
She is not french, she is austrian, english, welsh and dutch. I hoped this helped!
SORRY THAT WAS MY COUSIN TOO. THANK GOD SHE DOESNT HAVE ACCESS TO THIS ACCOUNT
She said her ethnicity in an interview in 1979
show us proof or it’s fake
OH MY GOSH. My little cousin took my account and posted these comments. I am so so sorry. She is a fan haha
Audrey Hepburn is Welsh (mostly), Scottish, English, Austrian, Dutch, and a little French, but not a lot at all.
CORRECTION
AUDREW HEPBURN FATHER WAS FROM WELSH, AUSTRIAN AND BRITISH DESCENT HERE MOTHER IS JUST DUTCH ( SHE HAS FEATURES A LOT OF DUTCH WOMEN HAVE ) SHE HAD NO HUNGARIAN, FRENCH ORE SLOVAK HERITAGE. ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA.
Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on 4 May 1929 at number 48 Rue Keyenveld in Ixelles, a municipality in Brussels, Belgium.[4] Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston (1889–1980), was born in Úžice, Bohemia,[5] to Anna Ruston née Wels of Austrian descent[6] and Victor John George Ruston of British and Austrian descent.[7] Ruston had earlier been married to Cornelia Bisschop, a Dutch heiress he met in the Dutch East Indies.[8] Although born Ruston, he later double-barrelled the surname to the more “aristocratic” Hepburn-Ruston, mistakenly[7] believing himself descended from James Hepburn, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.[8]
Her mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra (1900–1984), was a Dutch aristocrat of Frisian ancestry and the daughter of Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra, who was mayor of Arnhem from 1910 to 1920 and served as Governor of Suriname from 1921 to 1928. Ella’s mother was Elbrig Willemine Henriette, Baroness van Asbeck (1873–1939), who was a granddaughter of Dirk van Hogendorp. At age nineteen, Ella had married Jonkheer (Esquire) Hendrik Gustaaf Adolf Quarles van Ufford, but they divorced in 1925. Hepburn had two half-brothers from this marriage: Jonkheer Arnoud Robert Alexander Quarles van Ufford, known as “Alex”(1920–1979) and Jonkheer Ian Edgar Bruce Quarles van Ufford, known as “Ian” (1924–2010).[8][9]
her mother was of frisian descent this is a province in the most nordic part of the netherlands
excuse me but where Hepburn surname come from?
scottish ore english just look at the ethnicity of Katarine Hepburn ( same surname and she was scottish, english )
Scottish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hepburn,_4th_Earl_of_Bothwell
Audrey’s dad changed his surname to the more “aristocratic” Hepburn-Ruston, mistakenly believing himself descended from James Hepburn, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
I’m sorry but Audrey had no Hungarian ancestry. Her mother was Dutch, ENGLISH, and French.