The daughter of a wealthy English banker and a Dutch baroness, Audrey was born in Brussels in 1929. Raised by her divorced mother, she grew up in England and the Netherlands. She showed an early interest in the stage. Her first film was Nederland in 7 Lessen (Dutch at the Double) at the age of 19, while still in the Netherlands.

Her lucky break was in Gigi (1951), a musical, which featured her in the role of a young innocent. Then came Roman Holiday (1953), in which she played the part of a runaway princess. She also bagged an Oscar for best actress in this film. An unforgettable role essayed by Audrey was as Holly Golightly in Blake Edwards' Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961. Moon River was written specifically for her. No one else had ever understood it so completely," said composer Henry Mancini, referring to the film's poignant signature tune.

In 1954 she played the title role in Billy Wilder's romantic comedy Sabrina, opposite William Holden. She scooped a further Oscar nomination for this cinematic endeavour.

Following on the heels of Sabrina, her other roles on the silver screen were for Funny Face and Billy Wilder's Love in the Afternoon opposite Gary Cooper. The peak of her film career was in My Fair Lady where she played the role of Eliza Doolittle. Then came the 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark, where she effectively portrayed a blind woman.

Audrey was active on other fronts also. In 1988, she was named an official spokesperson for UNICEF. She continued to make brief appearances on screen; her final role was that of an angel in Steven Spielberg's Always in 1989.

The well loved actress died from colon cancer on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland at the age of 63. Her son Sean accepted a posthumous award at the 1993 Oscars in recognition of her humanitarian efforts.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent