Audrey Hepburn, arguably more than any other Hollywood star, is to this day considered one of the most influential and beloved figures in popular culture.
The star is just as fondly remembered for her layered performances and ingénue charm as she was for her incredibly sophisticated style and humanitarian efforts.
Audrey made her splashy Hollywood debut with 1953's Roman Holiday, which won her an Oscar for Best Actress, but even before her big break, she was quietly working on both screen and stage, building a credible resumé to support her move to the big screen.
In honor of the star's birthday today (what would've been her 97th, in fact), we're taking a look at Audrey's early years in six photos before achieving her breakout success…
© Getty Images1946: Moving to Amsterdam
After the end of the second World War, a traumatic time for her family who were once members of the Dutch nobility, Audrey moved to Amsterdam with her mother (pictured here, Baroness Ella van Heemstra) and her siblings. She soon began ballet training.
© Getty Images1948: Beginnings on stage
By the end of 1948, Audrey had moved to London and dropped her last name "Ruston," where she began working as a chorus girl on stage. She is seen here at the National Exhibition of Cagebirds while she worked as a dancer in Cecil Landeau's Sauce Tartare at the Cambridge Theatre.
© Getty Images1949: Chorus girl life
By the time 1950 rolled around, Audrey's credits had gotten more and more expansive. While she was still a chorus girl, she utilized her ballet training splendidly, appearing in more ambitious productions such as the one pictured here, preparing for a children's show at the Cambridge theater, titled A Christmas Party.
© Getty Images1950: A well-rounded performer
Audrey's ballet training continued in earnest, which she began under one of the leading figures in Dutch ballet, Sonia Gaskell. By this point, she had made a brief appearance in the 1948 Dutch film Dutch in Seven Lessons, and was taking acting and elocution lessons as a way to further support her family.
© Getty Images1951: Film debuts
In 1951 alone, Audrey made minor appearances in four films, the one pictured here being Laughter in Paradise, in which she played Freida, a cigarette girl. The films put her in front of more notable producers, leading to her first supporting role in 1952's Secret People, in which she played a prodigious ballerina.
© Getty Images1951: Making it big on Broadway
Before her Roman Holiday fame, however, Audrey found significant praise on stage when in 1951, she was cast as the lead in the Broadway production of Gigi. This was Audrey's first time speaking on stage, which required private training, but the show ran for over 200 performances and earned the young star critical acclaim, setting her up well for her first starring role on screen to come.
