Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929 - 20 January 1993) was an Academy Award and Tony Award winning Anglo-Dutch film and stage actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian. In 1999, she was ranked as the third greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. She also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work.

Early life

Born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on Rue Keyenveld/Keienveldstraat in Ixelles/Elsene, a municipality in Brussels Belgium, she was the only child of the Englishman Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston and his second wife, the former Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat, who was a daughter of a former governor of Dutch Guiana. Her father later prepended the surname of his maternal grandmother, Kathleen Hepburn, to the family's and her surname became Hepburn-Ruston. She had two half-brothers, Jonkheer Arnoud Robert Alexander 'Alex' Quarles van Ufford and Jonkheer Ian Edgar Bruce Quarles van Ufford, by her mother's first marriage to a Dutch nobleman, Jonkheer Hendrik Gustaaf Adolf Quarles van Ufford. She was a descendant of King Edward III of England and Mary Queen of Scots' consort, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, from whom Katharine Hepburn may have also descended. This made Audrey a distant cousin of Diana Princess of Wales, who thought of her as her favourite actress. This also made her related to the other notable distant cousins including Humphrey Bogart and Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Hepburn's father's job with a British insurance company meant the family travelled often between Brussels, England, and The Netherlands. From 1935 to 1938, Hepburn attended a boarding school for girls in Kent. In 1935, her parents divorced and her father, a Nazi sympathizer, left the family. (Both parents were members of the British Union of Fascists in the mid-1930s according to Unity Mitford, a friend of Ella van Heemstra and a follower of Adolf Hitler.) She later called her father's abandonment the most traumatic moment of her life. Years later, she located him in Dublin through the Red Cross. Although he remained emotionally detached, she stayed in contact with him and supported him financially until his death. In 1939, her mother moved her and her two half-brothers to their grandfather's home in Arnhem in the Netherlands. Ella believed the Netherlands would be safe from German attack. Hepburn attended the Arnhem Conservatory from 1939 to 1945, where she trained in ballet along with the standard school curriculum. In 1940, the Germans invaded the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation, Hepburn adopted the pseudonym Edda van Heemstra, modifying her mother's documents because an 'English sounding' name was considered dangerous. This was never her legal name. The name Edda was a version of her mother's name Ella By 1944, Hepburn had become a proficient ballerina. She secretly danced for groups of people to collect money for the Dutch resistance. She later said, "the best audience I ever had made not a single sound at the end of my performance."

After the Allied landing on D-Day, living conditions grew worse. During the Dutch famine over the winter of 1944, the Germans confiscated the Dutch people's limited food and fuel supply for themselves. People starved and froze to death in the streets. Hepburn and many others resorted to making flour out of tulip bulbs to bake cakes and biscuits.

Arnhem was devastated by Allied artillery fire that was part of Operation Market Garden. Hepburn's uncle and her mother's cousin were shot in front of Hepburn for being part of the Resistance. Hepburn's half-brother Ian van Ufford spent time in a German labour camp. Suffering from malnutrition, Hepburn developed acute anemia, respiratory problems, and oedema.

In 1991, Hepburn said: "I have memories. More than once I was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. I remember, very sharply, one little boy standing with his parents on the platform, very pale, very blond, wearing a coat that was much too big for him, and he stepped on to the train. I was a child observing a child."

Hepburn also noted the similarities between herself and Anne Frank: "I was exactly the same age as Anne Frank. We were both ten when war broke out and fifteen when the war finished. I was given the book in Dutch, in galley form, in 1946 by a friend. I read it - and it destroyed me. It does this to many people when they first read it but I was not reading it as a book, as printed pages. This was my life. I didn't know what I was going to read. I've never been the same again, it affected me so deeply."

"We saw reprisals. We saw young men put against the wall and shot and they'd close the street and then open it and you could pass by again. If you read the diary, I've marked one place where she says 'five hostages shot today'. That was the day my uncle was shot. And in this child's words I was reading about what was inside me and is still there. It was a catharsis for me. This child who was locked up in four walls had written a full report of everything I'd experienced and felt."

These times were not all bad and she was able to enjoy some of her childhood. Again drawing parallels to Anne Frank's life, Hepburn said: "This spirit of survival is so strong in Anne Frank's words. One minute she says 'I'm so depressed'. The next she is longing to ride a bicycle. She is certainly a symbol of the child in very difficult circumstances, which is what I devote all my time to. She transcends her death."

One way in which Audrey Hepburn passed the time was by drawing. Some of her childhood artwork can be seen today.

When the country was liberated, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration trucks followed. Hepburn said in an interview she ate an entire can of condensed milk and then got sick from one of her first relief meals because she put too much sugar in her oatmeal. This experience is what led her to become involved in UNICEF later in life.

Early career

In 1945, after the war, Hepburn left the Arnhem Conservatory and moved to Amsterdam, where she took ballet lessons with Sonia Gaskell. In 1948, Hepburn went to London and took dancing lessons with the renowned Marie Rambert. Hepburn eventually asked Rambert about her future. Rambert assured her that she could continue to work there and have a great career, but the fact she was relatively tall (1.7 m, or 5'7") coupled with her poor nutrition during the war would keep her from becoming a prima ballerina. Hepburn trusted Rambert's assessment and decided to pursue acting, a career in which she at least had a chance to excel. After Hepburn became a star, Rambert said in an interview: "she was a wonderful learner. If she had wanted to persevere, she might have become an outstanding ballerina." Hepburn's mother was working menial jobs to support them and Hepburn needed to find a paying job. Since she had trained all her life to be a performer, acting seemed a sensible career. She said: "I needed the money; it paid ?3 more than ballet jobs."

Her acting career started with the educational film 'Dutch in Seven Lessons'. She then played in musical theatre in productions such as 'High Button Shoes' and 'Sauce Piquante'. Hepburn's first role in a motion picture was in the British film 'One Wild Oat' in which she played a hotel receptionist. She played several more minor roles in 'Young Wives' Tale', 'Laughter in Paradise', 'The Lavender Hill Mob' and 'Monte Carlo Baby'. During the filming of 'Monte Carlo Baby' Hepburn was chosen to play the lead character in the Broadway play 'Gigi' that opened on 24 November 1951, at the Fulton Theatre and ran for 219 performances. The writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette upon first seeing Hepburn reportedly exclaimed: "voilà! There's our Gigi!" She won a Theatre World Award for her debut performance and it had a successful six month run.

Her first significant film performance was in the 1952 film 'Secret People', in which she played a prodigy ballerina. Naturally, Hepburn did all of her own dancing scenes. Hepburn's first starring role and first American film was opposite Gregory Peck in the Hollywood motion picture 'Roman Holiday'. Producers initially wanted Elizabeth Taylor for the role, but director William Wyler was so impressed by Hepburn's screen test (the camera was left on and candid footage of Hepburn relaxing and answering questions, unaware that she was still being filmed, displayed her talents), that he cast her in the lead. Wyler said: "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent. She also was very funny. She was absolutely enchanting, and we said, 'That's the girl!'".

The movie was to have had Gregory Peck's name above the title in large font with "introducing Audrey Hepburn" beneath. After filming had been completed, Peck called his agent and, predicting correctly that Hepburn would win the Oscar for Best Actress, had the billing changed so that her name also appeared before the title in type as large as his. Hepburn and Peck bonded during filming, and there were rumours that they were romantically involved; both denied it. Hepburn, however, added: "actually, you have to be a little bit in love with your leading man and vice versa. If you're going to portray love, you have to feel it. You can't do it any other way. But you don't carry it beyond the set." Because of the instant celebrity that came with 'Roman Holiday', Hepburn's illustration was placed on the 7 September 1953 cover of TIME.

Hepburn's performance received much critical praise. A.H. Weiler noted in The New York Times, "Although she is not precisely a newcomer to films, Audrey Hepburn, the British actress who is being starred for the first time as Princess Ann, is a slender, elfin, and wistful beauty, alternately regal and childlike in her profound appreciation of newly-found, simple pleasures and love. Although she bravely smiles her acknowledgment of the end of that affair, she remains a pitifully lonely figure facing a stuffy future." Hepburn would later call 'Roman Holiday' her dearest movie, because it was the one that made her a star.

After filming 'Roman Holiday' for four months, Hepburn went back to New York and did eight months of 'Gigi'. The play was performed in Los Angeles and San Francisco in its last month. She was given a seven-picture contract with Paramount with twelve months in between films to allow her time for stage work.

Hollywood stardom

After 'Roman Holiday', she filmed Billy Wilder's 'Sabrina' with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Hepburn was sent to fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy to decide on her wardrobe. When told that 'Miss Hepburn' was coming to see him, Givenchy famously expected to see Katharine. He was not disappointed with Audrey, however, and they formed a lifelong friendship and partnership. During the filming of Sabrina, Hepburn and Holden became romantically involved and she hoped to marry him and have children. She broke off the relationship when Holden revealed that he had had a vasectomy.

In 1954, Audrey went back to the stage to play the water sprite in 'Ondine' in a performance with Mel Ferrer, whom she would wed later that year. During the run of the play, Hepburn was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress and the Academy Award, both for 'Roman Holiday'. Six weeks after receiving the Oscar, Hepburn was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actress for 'Ondine'. Hepburn is one of only three actresses to receive a Best Actress Oscar and Best Actress Tony in the same year (the other two being Shirley Booth and Ellen Burstyn).

By the mid-1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but also a major fashion icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognized sense of chic were both admired and imitated. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe - World Film Favourite - Female.

Having become one of Hollywood's most popular box-office attractions, Audrey Hepburn co-starred with major actors such as Humphrey Bogart in 'Sabrina', Henry Fonda and Sir John Mills in 'War and Peace', Fred Astaire in 'Funny Face', Maurice Chevalier and Gary Cooper in 'Love in the Afternoon', Anthony Perkins in 'Green Mansions', Burt Lancaster and Lillian Gish in 'The Unforgiven', Shirley MacLaine and James Garner in 'The Children's Hour', George Peppard and Mickey Rooney in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', Cary Grant and Walter Matthau in the critically acclaimed hit 'Charade', Rex Harrison in 'My Fair Lady', Peter O'Toole in 'How to Steal a Million', and Sean Connery in 'Robin and Marian'. Many of her leading men became very close to her. Rex Harrison called Audrey his favourite leading lady (many accounts indicate that she became great friends with British actress and dancer Kay Kendall, who was Harrison's wife); Cary Grant loved to humour her and once said: "all I want for Christmas is another picture with Audrey Hepburn"; and Gregory Peck became a lifelong friend. After her death, Peck went on camera and tearfully recited her favourite poem, 'Unending Love' by Rabindranath Tagore. Some believe Bogart and Hepburn did not get along, but this is untrue. Bogart got along better with Hepburn than anyone else on set. She later said: "Sometimes it's the so-called 'tough guys' that are the most tender hearted, as Bogey was with me."

'Funny Face' in 1957 was one of Hepburn's favourite movies to film because she got to dance with Fred Astaire. 1959's 'The Nun's Story' was one of her most daring roles. Films in Review stated, "her performance will forever silence those who have thought her less an actress than a symbol of the sophisticated child/woman. Her portrayal of Sister Luke is one of the great performances of the screen."

Hepburn's Holly Golightly in 1961's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' became an iconic character in American cinema. She called the role "the jazziest of my career". Asked about the acting challenge of the role, she replied: "I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did." She wore trendy clothing in the film designed by her and Givenchy and added blonde streaks to her brown hair, a look that she would keep off-screen as well.

Hepburn had established herself as one of Hollywood's most popular actresses. Marilyn Monroe was not the only one to sing 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' to President John F Kennedy on his birthday. For Kennedy's next (and last) birthday on 29 May 1963, Hepburn, the President's favourite actress, sang 'Happy Birthday, dear Jack' to him. Despite her stardom, Hepburn retained her humility. She preferred a more quiet living with family and nature. She lived in houses, not mansions, and she loved to garden.

In 1963, Hepburn starred in 'Charade', her first and only film with Cary Grant, who had previously withdrawn from the starring roles in 'Roman Holiday' and 'Sabrina'. In 1964, Hepburn starred in 'My Fair Lady' which was said to be the most anticipated movie since 'Gone with the Wind'. Hepburn was cast as Eliza Doolittle instead of then-unknown Julie Andrews, who had originated the role on Broadway. The decision not to cast Andrews was made before Hepburn was chosen. Hepburn initially refused the role and asked Jack Warner to give it to Andrews, but when informed that it would either be her or Elizabeth Taylor, who was also vying for the part, she accepted the role. According to an article in Soundstage magazine, "everyone agreed that if Julie Andrews was not to be in the film, Audrey Hepburn was the perfect choice." Julie Andrews had yet to make 'Mary Poppins', which was released within the same year as 'My Fair Lady'. Hepburn recorded singing vocals for the role, but subsequently discovered a professional 'singing double', Marni Nixon, had overdubbed all of her songs. She walked off the set after being told, but returned early the next day to apologise for her behaviour. Footage of several songs with Hepburn's original vocals still exist and have been included in documentaries and the DVD release of the film, though to date, only Nixon's renditions have been released on LP and CD. Some of her original vocals remained in the film, such as 'Just You Wait' and snippets from 'I Could Have Danced All Night'. When asked about the dubbing of an actress with such distinctive vocal tones, Hepburn frowned and said, "you could tell, couldn't you? And there was Rex, recording all his songs as he acted... next time -" She then bit her lip to keep from saying any more. Aside from the dubbing, many critics agreed that Hepburn's performance was excellent. Gene Ringgold said, "Audrey Hepburn is magnificent. She is Eliza for the ages."

The controversy over Hepburn's casting reached its height at the 1964-65 Academy Awards season, when Hepburn was not nominated for best actress while Andrews was, for 'Mary Poppins'. The media tried to play up the rivalry between the two actresses as the ceremony approached, even though both women denied any such bad feelings existed and got along well. Julie Andrews won the award.

'Two for the Road' was a non-linear and innovative movie about divorce. Director Stanley Donen said that Hepburn was more free and happy than he had ever seen her, and he credited that to Albert Finney. 'Wait Until Dark' in 1967 was a difficult film. It was an edgy thriller in which Hepburn played the part of a blind woman being terrorised. In addition, it was produced by Mel Ferrer and filmed on the brink of their divorce. Hepburn is said to have lost fifteen pounds under the stress. On the bright side, she found co-star Richard Crenna to be very funny, and she had a lot to laugh about with director Terence Young. They both joked that he had shelled his favourite star 23 years before; he had been a British Army tank commander during the Battle of Arnhem. Hepburn's performance was nominated for an Academy Award.

From 1967 onward, after fifteen highly successful years in film, Hepburn acted only occasionally. After her divorce from Ferrer, she married Italian psychiatrist Dr. Andrea Dotti and had a second son, after a difficult pregnancy that required near-total bed rest. After her eventual separation from Dotti, she attempted a comeback, co-starring with Sean Connery in the period piece 'Robin and Marian' in 1976, which was moderately successful. She reportedly turned down the tailor-made role of a former ballerina in 'The Turning Point'. (Shirley MacLaine got the part.) Hepburn finally returned to cinema in 1979, taking the leading role in Sidney Sheldon's 'Bloodline'. Author Sidney Sheldon revised his novel when it was reissued to tie into the film, making her character older to better match the actress' age. The film was a critical and box office failure.

Hepburn's last starring role in a cinematic film was with Ben Gazzara in the comedy 'They All Laughed', directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film was overshadowed by the murder of one of its stars, Bogdanovich's girlfriend, Dorothy Stratten; the film was released after Stratten's death but only in limited runs. In 1987, she co-starred with Robert Wagner in a tongue-in-cheek made-for-television caper film, 'Love Among Thieves' which borrowed elements from several of Hepburn's films, most notably 'Charade' and 'How to Steal a Million'. The TV-film, which also starred Jerry Orbach as a villain, was only a moderate success, with Hepburn being quoted that she appeared in it just for fun.

Hepburn's last film role, a cameo appearance, was an angel in Steven Spielberg's 'Always', filmed in 1988. This film was also only moderately successful. In the final months of her life, Hepburn completed two entertainment-related projects: she hosted a television documentary series entitled 'Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn', which debuted on the day of her death, and she also recorded a spoken word album, 'Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales' featuring readings of classic children's stories, which would win her a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

Personal life

In 1952 she was engaged to the young James Hanson. She called it "love at first sight"; however, after having her wedding dress fitted and the date set, she decided the marriage would not work, because of the demands of their careers that would keep them apart most of the time.

Hepburn married twice, first to American actor Mel Ferrer, and then to an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti. She had a son with each - Sean in 1960 by Ferrer, and Luca in 1970 by Dotti. Her elder son's godfather is the novelist A.J. Cronin, who resided near Hepburn in Lucerne.

Hepburn met Mel Ferrer at a party hosted by Gregory Peck. She had seen him in the film Lili and was captivated by his performance. Ferrer later sent Hepburn the script for the play Ondine and Hepburn agreed to play the role. Rehearsals started in January 1954 and Hepburn and Ferrer were married on September 24. Hepburn claimed that they were inseparable and were very happy together, despite the insistence from gossip columns that the marriage would not last. She did, however, admit that he had a bad temper. Ferrer was rumored to be too controlling of Hepburn and was called her Svengali. William Holden was quoted as saying: "I think Audrey allows Mel to think he influences her."

Before having their first child, Hepburn had two miscarriages, the first in March 1955. In 1959, while filming The Unforgiven, she broke her back after falling off a horse onto a rock. She spent weeks in the hospital and later had a miscarriage that was said to have been induced by physical and mental stress. While she was resting at home, Mel Ferrer brought her the fawn from the movie 'Green Mansions' to keep as a pet. They called him Ip, short for Pippin. In 1965, she had another miscarriage. Hepburn was much more careful when she was pregnant with Luca in 1969; she rested for months and passed the time by painting before delivering Luca by caesarean section. Hepburn had her final miscarriage in 1974. Hepburn is famous for the poem 'Time Tested Beauty Tips', which she used to recite to her sons. The poem includes verses such as, 'For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day,' and, 'For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.' The poem is popularly attributed to her, but it was in fact written by Sam Levenson.

Hepburn had several pets, including a Yorkshire Terrier named Mr. Famous, who was hit by a car and killed. To cheer her up, Mel Ferrer got her another Yorkshire named Assam of Assam. She also kept Ip; they made a bed for him out of a bathtub. Sean Ferrer had a Cocker Spaniel named Cokey. When Hepburn was older, she had two Jack Russell Terriers.

The marriage to Ferrer lasted 14 years, until 5 December 1968; their son was quoted as saying that Hepburn had stayed in the marriage too long. In the later years of the marriage, Ferrer was rumored to have had a girlfriend on the side, while Hepburn had an affair with her younger, 'Two for the Road' co-star Albert Finney. She denied the rumours, but director Stanley Donen said: "with Albert Finney, she was like a new woman. She and Albie have a wonderful thing together; they are like a couple of kids. When Mel wasn't on set, they sparkled. When Mel was there, it was funny. Audrey and Albie would go rather formal and a little awkward. The couple separated before divorcing. During their separation, Hepburn lost weight.

She met Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti on a cruise and fell in love with him on a trip to some Greek ruins. She believed she would have more children, and possibly stop working. She married him on 18 January 1969. Although Dotti loved Hepburn and was well-liked by Sean, who called him "fun", he began having affairs with younger women. The marriage lasted thirteen years and ended in 1982, after Luca and Sean were old enough to handle life with a single mother. Though Hepburn had broken off all contact with Ferrer (she would only speak to him twice in the remainder of her life; at Sean's graduation and first wedding), she remained in touch with Dotti for the benefit of Luca. Andrea Dotti died in October 2007 from complications of a colonoscopy.

At the time of her death, she was involved with Robert Wolders, a Dutch actor who was the widower of film star Merle Oberon. She had met Wolders through a friend, in the later stage of her marriage to Dotti. After Hepburn's divorce was final, she and Wolders started their lives together, although they never married. In 1989, after nine years with him, she called them the happiest years of her life. "Took me long enough," she said in an interview with Barbara Walters. Walters then asked why they never married. Hepburn replied that they were married, just not formally.

Death

In 1992, when Hepburn returned to Switzerland from her visit to Somalia, she began to feel abdominal pains. She went to specialists and received inconclusive results, so she decided to have it examined while on a trip to Los Angeles in October. On 1 November, doctors performed a laparoscopy and discovered abdominal cancer that had spread from her appendix. It had grown slowly over several years, and metastasised not as a tumour, but as a thin encasing over her small intestine. The doctors performed surgery and then put Hepburn through a course of chemotherapy. A few days later, she had an obstruction. Medication was not enough to dull the pain, so on 1 December she had a second surgery. After one hour, the surgeon decided that the cancer had spread too far and could not be removed.

As Hepburn was unable to tolerate a commercial flight, Givenchy arranged for socialite Bunny Mellon to send her private jet to Los Angeles to take Hepburn home to Switzerland. Mellon filled the cabin with flowers. Audrey Hepburn died of the cancer on 20 January 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, and was interred there. She was 63 years old.

Work for UNICEF

Soon after Hepburn's final film role, she was appointed a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Grateful for her own good fortune after enduring the German occupation as a child, she dedicated the remainder of her life to helping impoverished children in the poorest nations. Hepburn's travels were made easier by her wide knowledge of languages; she spoke French, Italian, English, Dutch, and Spanish.

Though she had done work for UNICEF in the 1950s, starting in 1954 with radio presentations, this was a much higher level of dedication. Those close to her say that the thoughts of dying, helpless children consumed her for the rest of her life. Her first Field Mission was to Ethiopia in 1988. She visited an orphanage in Mek'ele that housed 500 starving children and had UNICEF send food. Of the trip, she said: "I have a broken heart. I feel desperate. I can't stand the idea that two million people are in imminent danger of starving to death, many of them children, [and] [sic] not because there isn't tons of food sitting in the northern port of Shoa. It can't be distributed. Last spring, Red Cross and UNICEF workers were ordered out of the northern provinces because of two simultaneous civil wars... I went into rebel country and saw mothers and their children who had walked for ten days, even three weeks, looking for food, settling onto the desert floor into makeshift camps where they may die. Horrible. That image is too much for me. The 'Third World' is a term I don't like very much, because we're all one world. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering."

In August 1988, Hepburn went to Turkey on an immunization campaign. She called Turkey "the loveliest example" of UNICEF's capabilities. Of the trip, she said: "the army gave us their trucks, the fishmongers gave their wagons for the vaccines, and once the date was set, it took ten days to vaccinate the whole country. Not bad."

In October, Hepburn went to South America. In Venezuela and Ecuador, Hepburn told Congress: "I saw tiny mountain communities, slums, and shantytowns receive water systems for the first time by some miracle – and the miracle is UNICEF. I watched boys build their own schoolhouse with bricks and cement provided by UNICEF."

Hepburn toured Central America in February 1989, and met with leaders in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. In April, Hepburn visited Sudan with Wolders as part of a mission called "Operation Lifeline". Because of civil war, food from aid agencies had been cut off. The mission was to ferry food to southern Sudan. Hepburn said, "I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution - peace."

In October, Hepburn and Wolders went to Bangladesh. John Isaac, a UN photographer, said: "Often the kids would have flies all over them, but she would just go hug them. I had never seen that. Other people had a certain amount of hesitation, but she would just grab them. Children would just come up to hold her hand, touch her – she was like the Pied Piper."

In October 1990, Hepburn went to Vietnam in an effort to collaborate with the government for national UNICEF-supported immunisation and clean water programs.

In September 1992, four months before she died, Hepburn went to Somalia. Hepburn called it "apocalyptic" and said: "I walked into a nightmare. I have seen famine in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, but I have seen nothing like this - so much worse than I could possibly have imagined. I wasn't prepared for this." "The earth is red - an extraordinary sight - that deep terra-cotta red. And you see the villages, displacement camps and compounds, and the earth is all rippled around them like an ocean bed. And those were the graves. There are graves everywhere. Along the road, around the paths that you take, along the riverbeds, near every camp - there are graves everywhere."

Though scarred by what she had seen, Hepburn still had hope. "Taking care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics. Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles is not a realist. I have seen the miracle of water which UNICEF has helped to make a reality. Where for centuries young girls and women had to walk for miles to get water, now they have clean drinking water near their homes. Water is life, and clean water now means health for the children of this village. People in these places don't know Audrey Hepburn, but they recognize the name UNICEF. When they see UNICEF their faces light up, because they know that something is happening. In the Sudan, for example, they call a water pump UNICEF."

In 1992, President George Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work with UNICEF, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded her The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her contribution to humanity. This was awarded posthumously, with her son accepting on her behalf.

In 2006, the Sustainable Style Foundation inaugurated the Style & Substance Award in Honor of Audrey Hepburn to recognize high profile individuals that work to improve the quality of life for children around the world. The first award was given to Hepburn posthumously and received by the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.

Enduring popularity

Audrey Hepburn to this day is a beauty and fashion icon. She has often been called one of the most beautiful women of all time. Her fashion styles also continue to be popular among women. Contrary to her recent image, although Hepburn did enjoy fashion, she did not place much importance on it. She preferred casual, comfortable clothes. In addition, she never considered herself to be very attractive. She said in a 1959 interview: "you can even say that I hated myself at certain periods. I was too fat, or maybe too tall, or maybe just plain too ugly... you can say my definiteness stems from underlying feelings of insecurity and inferiority. I couldn't conquer these feelings by acting indecisive. I found the only way to get the better of them was by adopting a forceful, concentrated drive."

To date, only one biographical film based upon Audrey Hepburn's life has been attempted. The 2000 American made-for-television film, 'The Audrey Hepburn Story', starred Jennifer Love Hewitt as the actress. Hewitt also co-produced the film. It received poor reviews due to numerous factual errors and Hewitt's performance. The film concluded with footage of the real Audrey Hepburn, shot during one of her final missions for UNICEF. Several versions of the film exist; it was aired as a mini-series in some countries, and in a truncated version on America's ABC television network, which is also the version released on DVD in North America. Emmy Rossum, in one of her first film roles, portrayed Hepburn as a young teen in the film.

Hepburn's image is still widely used in advertising campaigns across the world. In Japan, a series of commercials used colorised and digitally enhanced clips of Hepburn in 'Roman Holiday' to advertise Kirin black tea. In the US, Hepburn was featured in a Gap commercial which ran in 2006. It used clips of her dancing from 'Funny Face', set to AC/DC's 'Back in Black', with the tagline 'It's Back - The Skinny Black Pant'. To celebrate its 'Keep it Simple' campaign, the Gap made a sizeable donation to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. The commercial was popular, with approximately 200,000 users viewing it on YouTube.

The 'little black dress' from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', designed by Givenchy, sold at a Christie's auction on 5 December 2006, for £467,200 (approximately $920,000), almost seven times its £70,000 pre-sale estimate. This is the highest price paid for a dress from a film. The proceeds went to the 'City of Joy Aid' charity to aid underprivileged children in India. The head of the charity said: "there are tears in my eyes. I am absolutely dumbfounded to believe that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks and cement to put the most destitute children in the world into schools." The dress auctioned off by Christie's was not the one that Hepburn actually wore in the movie. Of the two dresses that Hepburn did wear, one is held in the Givenchy archives, while the other is displayed in the Museum of Costume in Madrid.

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard OBE (born Harry Rodger Webb on 14 October 1940) is an English singer, actor and businessman.

With his backing band The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during the The Beatles' first year in the charts. A conversion to Christianity and subsequent softening of his music led to his having more of a pop than rock image. Although never able to achieve the same impact in the United States as in Britain (in spite of several chart singles there), Richard has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in the UK; he also retains a following in many other countries.

During the six decades in which he has been active, Cliff Richard has charted many hit singles, and holds the record (along with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its active decades (1950s-2000s). According to his website, he has sold over 250 million records. On the British charts, Richard has had over 120 singles, albums and EPs make the top 20, more than any other artist.

1940-1958: Childhood

Cliff Richard was born at the King George Hospital, Victoria Street, Lucknow, India in 1940 to parents Rodger Oscar, a steward, and Dorothy Marie (born Dazely) Webb. He was christened on 2 November 1940 at St Thomas' Church, Dehradun, India. Both parents were of mixed Indian Blood or Anglo Indian. A year later his family moved to Calcutta. In 1947, following Indian independence, the family moved to Britain.

The Webbs moved from comparative wealth in India (with servants) to a much lower standard of living in England. For three years the Webbs did not have their own home and stayed with relatives. In 1951, they were allocated a council house in the town of Cheshunt.

1958-1963: Success and stardom

Beginning as a member of an obscure skiffle group, Harry Webb soon became the lead singer of the rock and roll group the Drifters (not to be confused with the American group of the same name). Before their first large scale appearance, at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley in 1958, they adopted the name 'Cliff Richard and the Drifters'. The four members of the band were Webb, Ian 'Sammy' Samwell on guitar, Terry Smart on drums and Norman Mitham on guitar. None of the other three played with the later and better known Shadows, although Samwell would write songs for Richard's later career.

In the summer of 1958 Richard obtained a recording contract with EMI's Columbia label for himself only, leaving the band behind. He remained with EMI until signing with Decca in 2004. Richard recorded his first single on 24 July 1958 with the (pre-Marvin/Welch) Drifters. However, producer Norrie Paramor had little faith in the band and brought in two experienced session men, Ernie Shear and Frank Clarke, to provide backing on lead guitar and bass.

For his debut session, Paramor provided Richard with a song called 'Schoolboy Crush', a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms. Richard was permitted to record one of his own songs for the B-side; this was 'Move It', written by the Drifters' Samwell (famously on a number 715 Green Line Bus on the way to Cliff's house for a rehearsal).

There are a number of stories about why the A-side song was replaced by the intended B-side. One is that Norrie Paramor's young daughter raved about the B-side and not the A-side. Another possible reason for the flip was that influential TV producer Jack Good, who used the act for his TV show 'Oh Boy!', wanted the only song on his show to be 'Move It'.

In any event, the single was flipped and went to number 2 on the UK charts. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler would later write that it was the first genuine British rock classic (to be followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates's 'Shakin' All Over'). John Lennon was also once quoted as saying that 'Move It' was the first English rock record.

In the early days, Cliff Richard was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley. As did previous British rockers such as Tommy Steele and Marty Wilde (father of Kim Wilde), Richard adopted a Presley-like dress and hairstyle. In performance he struck a pose of rock attitude, rarely smiling or looking directly at the audience or camera. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, 'High Class Baby', Lionel Bart's 'Living Doll' were followed by 'Mean Streak' which carried a rocker's sense of speed and passion. It was on 'Living Doll' that the Drifters began to back Richard on record. By that time the band's lineup had changed with the arrival of Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch. The group was obliged to change its name to 'The Shadows' after legal complications arose with The Drifters from the USA.

The Shadows were not a typical backing group. They would become contractually separate entities from Cliff, and the group would not receive any performer royalties for the records they made backing the singer. In 1959, The Shadows (then still known as the Drifters) landed an EMI recording contract of their own, for independent recordings without Cliff. That year, they released three singles, two of which featured double-sided vocals and one of which had instrumental A and B sides. In 1960, they recorded and released 'Apache', hitting the top of the charts in more than one country, the single set the Shadows on a path of their own. They thereafter had several major hits of their own, including five UK number 1s. The band also continued to appear and record with Richard and wrote many of his hits. On more than one occasion, a Shadows instrumental replaced a Richard song atop the British charts.

Richard's fifth single 'Living Doll' triggered a change of focus with a softer, more relaxed, sound. Subsequent hits, the number 1s 'Travellin' Light' and 'I Love You' and also 'A Voice in The Wilderness' and 'Theme for a Dream' cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop entertainer (along with a few contemporaries such as Adam Faith and Billy Fury). Throughout the early sixties his hits were consistently in the top five.

Typically, The Shadows closed the first half of the show with a 30-minute set of their own, and then backed Richard on his show-closing 45-minute stint. Tony Meehan and Jet Harris eventually left the group, in 1961 and 1962 respectively, and later had their own chart successes. The Shadows added a few more bass players, and also took on Brian Bennett on drums.

In the early days, Cliff Richard sometimes recorded without The Shadows, mainly to cater to other styles. Even after the Beatles' rise to prominence he continued to achieve hits, although more often without the Shadows but with an orchestra: a revival of 'It's All In The Game' and 'Constantly'. A session under the direction of Billy Sherrill in Nashville yielded two more top two hits: 'The Minute You're Gone' and 'Wind Me Up' in 1965.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows were unable to parlay their UK stardom into hit status in the United States. In 1960 they toured the US and were fairly well-received. However, lacklustre support and distribution from the record company proved costly, and the chance was lost. The band made appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was a crucial outlet for the Beatles' success, but these performances did not really help Cliff and the Shadows. As a result, Cliff Richard remained obscure in America. In England, however, Cliff and the Shadows were key in calling EMI's attention to the importance and strength of rock'n'roll music. It was owing to their popularity that Parlophone were looking for a 'second' Cliff and the Shadows, eventually signing the Beatles.

Cliff and The Shadows appeared in a number of films, most notably in 'The Young Ones', (the title song being his biggest hit until 'Mistletoe and Wine'); 'Summer Holiday' (which featured a slimmed-down Richard with visible dancing skills), 'Wonderful Life' and 'Finders Keepers'. These movies created their own genre known as the 'Cliff Richard musical' and led to Cliff being named the number one cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963. The irreverent 1980s TV sitcom 'The Young Ones' took its name from Richard's 1962 movie, and also made references to the singer. In 1966, Richard and the Shadows appeared as marionettes in the Gerry Anderson film 'Thunderbirds Are GO'.

1964-1975: Changing circumstances

As with the other existing rock acts in Britain, Richard's career was affected by the sudden advent of The Beatles and the Mersey sound in 1963 and 1964. However, his popularity was established enough to allow him to weather the storm and continue to have hits in the charts throughout the 1960s, albeit not at the level that he had enjoyed before. Nor did doors open to him in the US market; he was not considered part of the 'British Invasion', despite four Hot 100 hits (including the top 25 'It's All In The Game') between August 1963 and August 1964, and the American public had little awareness of him.

Another important aspect of Richard's life was his conversion to Christianity in 1964. Standing up publicly as a Christian affected his career in several ways. He believed that he should quit rock'n'roll, feeling he could no longer be the rocker who had been called a 'crude exhibitionist' and 'too sexy for TV' and a threat to parents' daughters. However, his image had already become tamer due to his film roles and well-spoken manners on radio and TV. Richard intended at first to 'reform his ways' and become a teacher, but Christian friends advised him that he did not need to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian. Soon after, Cliff Richard re-emerged, performing with Christian groups and recording some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work, including his appearances with the Billy Graham crusades. As time progressed, Richard balanced his faith and work, which enabled him to remain one of the most popular singers in Britain as well as one of its best-known Christians. He was a leading figure in the Nationwide Festival of Light of 1971, protesting against the commercial exploitation of sex and violence in Britain, and advocating the teaching of Christ as the key to recovering moral stability in the nation.

Cliff Richard's first straight acting role took place in the 1968 film 'Two a Penny', in which he played a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude. He released the live album 'Cliff in Japan', which featured Olivia Newton-John as backing singer and John Farrar on guitar (Farrar would later be Newton-John's producer). Also in 1968 he sang the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest - 'Congratulations' by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. It lost by just one point to Spain's 'La La La'. (Who cares!) According to John Kennedy O'Connor's 'The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History', this was the closest yet result in the contest and Cliff locked himself in the toilet to avoid the nerves of the voting. Nevertheless, 'Congratulations' was a huge hit throughout Europe and yet another number 1 in April. In 1973 he sang the British entry 'Power to All Our Friends'. The song finished third, close behind Luxembourg's 'Tu Te Reconnaîtras' and Spain's 'Eres Tú'. This time, Cliff took valium in order to overcome his nerves and his manager had difficulty waking him for the performance. Richard also hosted the BBC's qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, 'A Song for Europe', in 1970, 1971 and 1972 as part of his BBCTV variety series. He presented the Eurovision preview programmes for the BBC in 1971 and 1972.

After the Shadows split in 1968, Cliff Richard recorded without the band. He had already become accustomed to the Shadows' absence, and was able to record in a variety of settings. Although many of his earliest fans regretted that Cliff had tried out songs which were not strictly in the rock'n'roll genre, most had got used to his habit of recording rockier material with the Shadows, while producing more middle-of-the-road material at other times. This versatility extended Richard's career prospects.

During the 1970s, Richard took part in television shows, such as 'It's Cliff', many of which also starred Hank Marvin and Una Stubbs. These shows, for a time, branded Cliff Richard as a television personality more than a recording artist. In 1972, he made a short BBC television comedy film called 'The Case' with appearances from comedians and his first-ever duets with a woman, Olivia Newton-John. In 1973 he starred in the film 'Take Me High'.

1976-1994: Comeback

In 1976 the decision was made to repackage Cliff Richard as a 'rock' artist. That year he produced the landmark album 'I'm Nearly Famous', which included the successful but controversial guitar-driven track 'Devil Woman' (Richard's first true hit in the United States) and the ballad 'Miss You Nights'. Richard's fans were excited about this revival of a performer who had been a part of British rock from its early days. Many music names such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Elton John were seen sporting 'I'm Nearly Famous' badges, pleased that their boyhood idol was getting back into the heavier rock in which he had begun his career.

Notwithstanding this, Richard continued to release gospel-tinged albums in parallel with his rock and pop albums. For example, 'Small Corners' from 1978 contained the single 'Yes He Lives'. Despite his 1976 comeback, this single failed to chart in the United Kingdom. In 1980, the singer officially changed his name by deed poll from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard.

In 1979, Richard teamed up with producer (and former-Shadow) Bruce Welch for the pop hit single 'We Don't Talk Anymore', which hit number 1 in the UK and number 7 in the US. The record gave Richard the distinction of becoming the first act to reach the Hot 100 in the 1980s who had also reached the Hot 100 in each of the three previous decades. The song was quickly added onto the end of his latest album 'Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile'. It was his first time at the top of the UK singles chart in over ten years, and the song would become his biggest-selling single ever. At long last he had some extended success in the United States following 'Devil Woman': the follow-up 'Dreaming' also reached the top ten. His 1980 duet 'Suddenly' with Olivia Newton-John was a Top 20 hit in America. Richard continued with a string of top ten albums, including 'I'm No Hero', 'Wired For Sound', 'Now You See Me, Now You Don't' and, marking his 25th year in show business, 'Silver'. The singles chart also saw his most consistent period of top twenty hits since the mid 1960s, with three of them on the Hot 100 at the same time at the end of 1980. 1987 saw Richard record his 'Always Guaranteed' album, which became his best selling album of all new material. It contained the two top ten hit singles, 'My Pretty One' and 'Some People'. Richard concluded his thirtieth year in music in spectacular chart style, reaching number one on the British singles chart with 'Mistletoe and Wine', while simultaneously holding the number one positions on the album and video charts with the compilation 'Private Collection', summing up his biggest hits from 1979-1988. 'Mistletoe and Wine' was his biggest seller to that point.

In 1986, Richard teamed up with The Young Ones to re-record his smash hit 'Living Doll' for the charity Comic Relief. Along with the song, the recording contained comedy dialogue between Richard and The Young Ones. The release went to number 1. That same year he opened in the West End as a rock musician called upon to defend planet earth in a trial set in the Andromeda Galaxy in the multi-media Dave Clark (of Dave Clark Five fame) musical 'Time'.

Further top ten albums included 'Stronger' in 1989, 'From a Distance' in 1990 and yet another number one with 'The Album' in 1993. The next few years saw Richard concentrate on bringing the musical 'Heathcliff' to the stage. The production was a resounding success, but the time it took seemed to take a toll on his reinvigorated chart status. Back in the UK during the next years and throughout the 1980s, Richard remained one of the best-known music artists in the country. In the space of a few years he worked with Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Phil Everly, Janet Jackson, Sheila Walsh, and Van Morrison. Richard also reunited with Olivia Newton-John. In 1989, he filled the Wembley Stadium for a few nights with a spectacular titled 'The Event'. Meanwhile, the Shadows later re-formed (and again split). They recorded on their own, but also reunited with Richard in 1978, 1984, and 1989-90 for some concerts. On June 14, 2004 Cliff joined the Shadows onstage at the London Palladium. The Shadows had decided to re-form for one final tour of the UK, with this concert heralded as their final ever concert as 'Cliff and the Shadows'.

1995 - Sir Cliff

Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured. (Bob Geldof had received his honorary knighthood a full nine years earlier, but as he isn't a British citizen he' not permitted to use 'Sir'). Cliff was knighted ahead of Sir Paul McCartney (1997) and Sir Elton John (1998). In 1999, controversy arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his records. EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his latest single. Richard took his 'Millennium Prayer' to an independent label, Papillon, which released the charity record (in aid of Children's Promise). The single went on to top the UK chart for three weeks, his fourteenth number 1, and the third highest-selling single of his career. Richard's next album (2001) was a covers project, 'Wanted', followed by another top ten album with 'Cliff at Christmas'. The holiday album contained both new and older recordings, including the single 'Santa's List', which reached number 5 in 2003. Richard decamped to Nashville, Tennessee for his next album project in 2004, employing a writers' conclave to give him the pick of all new songs for the album 'Something's Goin' On'. Though the collection was critically well-received, it had disappointing sales. Nevertheless it was yet another top ten album, and produced three top fifteen singles: 'Something's Goin' On', 'I Cannot Give You My Love', with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the lively 'What Car'. However, Richard did not hide his disappointment with the album's lacklustre sales, and it was speculated that it might have been his last ever album of original songs.

Sir Cliff Richard finished number 56 in the 2002 '100 Greatest Britons' list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. Adored especially by baby boomer women, many of whom camp out for his concert tickets, he has become a fixture of the British entertainment world. He once led the Wimbledon Centre Court crowd in singing during a rain delay in 1996. 'The Ultimate Pop Star', a Channel 4 programme broadcast in 2004, revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and Elvis Presley in third. Richard has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004. He spends much of his time at his house in Barbados, and has lent it to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at times.

2006 saw Richard's album of duets, (another top 10 success) including newly-recorded material with Brian May, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Barry Gibb and Daniel O'Donnell, plus some previously recorded duets with artists such as Phil Everly, Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. Released to coincide with the UK leg of his latest world tour, the album 'Here and Now' included a number of lesser known, but fan-favourite songs including 'My Kinda Life', 'How Did She Get Here', 'Hey Mr. Dream Maker', 'For Life', 'A Matter Of Moments', 'When The Girl In Your Arms', 'Every Face Tells A Story', 'Peace In Our Time' and the Christmas single '21st Century Christmas', which debuted at number 2 on the UK singles chart.

Richard's mother, Dorothy Webb, suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease. In a September 2006 interview with the Daily Mail, he spoke about the difficulties he and his sisters had in dealing with their mother's condition. On 18 October 2007 a statement on the star's website read: "We are sad to report that Cliff's mother, Dorothy, passed away early on 17 October. She was 87."

Another compilation album, 'Love... The Album' was released on 12 November. Like 'Two's Company' before it, this album includes both previously released material and newly-recorded songs, namely 'Waiting For a Girl Like You', 'When You Say Nothing At All', 'All Out Of Love', 'If You're Not the One' and 'When I Need You' (the latter was released as a single, reaching number 38). The album peaked at number 13. The concept of the project has divided fans who anticipate an album of new material. On 5 December, Richard appeared on Channel 4's tea time hit 'The Paul O'Grady Show' to promote the compilation, where he admitted that he felt it was "unfair" to release the same music more than once, but said with apparent sincerity that his fans would buy anything of his as they were "stupid". Richard went back on his remark a few minutes later.

"The most radical rock star ever"

Cliff Richard openly laments the lack of commercial support from radio stations and record labels. He spoke about this on the 'Alan Titchmarsh Show' on ITV in December 2007, pointing out that while new bands needed airplay for promotion and sales, long-established artists like himself also relied upon airplay for the same ends. He did note, however, that so-called '80s' radio stations did play his records, and that this went some way to help sales and maintain his media presence. As noted in a BBC Radio 2 documentary 'Cliff - Take Another Look', he points out that many documentaries charting the history of British music fail to even mention him.

Cliff Richard's protracted chart success undermines radio stations' claims that he does not enjoy the support of their target audiences. Cliff believes he is "the most radical rock star there has ever been". Richard's premise is that his decision not to adopt the "sex, drugs and alcohol" image expected of rock stars, then and now, was the truly avant-garde choice.

Chart accomplishments

Cliff Richard has scored fourteen number 1 singles in the UK, more than any other artist other than Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Westlife.

As a performer, Cliff Richard has scored the most top 10 hits on the UK singles charts (67), the most top 20 hits (94) and the most top 40 hits (118).

Based solely on data used to compile the Official UK Singles Charts, Cliff has sold more singles in the UK than any other act, with sales exceeding twenty million copies. Interestingly enough, he has scored only one million-selling single: 'The Young Ones'. This does not reflect his total sales as the data used to compile the charts in the early part of his career was only partial. Sales from his 1950s singles would be significantly understated in this figure.

Cliff has had top ten hits in each of the last six decades.

Cliff is the only act in the UK to score a number 1 single in each of the first five decades since the inception of the UK Singles chart in 1952.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson (1 June 1926 - 5 August 5 1962), was a Golden Globe award-winning American actress, model, Hollywood icon, and sex symbol. She was known for her comedic skills and screen presence. Monroe became one of the most popular movie stars of the 1950s and early 1960s. During the later stages of her career, she worked towards serious roles and her fame surpassed that of any other entertainer of her time.

Her premature death was classified as a "probable suicide." Many individuals including Jack Clemmons, the first LAPD police officer to arrive at the death scene believed that she was murdered. She is the only woman on the Forbes top earning dead celebrities list.

Family and early life

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in the charity ward of the Los Angeles County Hospital. According to biographer Fred Lawrence Guiles, her grandmother, Della Monroe Grainger, had her baptised Norma Jeane Baker by Aimee Semple McPherson. Although she took a stagename of Marilyn Monroe in 1946, she did not legally change her name to Marilyn Monroe until 23 February 1956. Her mother was Gladys Pearl (Monroe) Baker. Monroe's birth father was never identified. For many years it was believed that Gladys's second husband Martin Edward Mortenson (1897-1981) was Monroe's father. His name was listed on her birth certificate. However this has been disputed; Monroe herself believing a salesman named Charles Stanley Gifford was her father. Whatever the case, Monroe had no father in her life.

Mentally unstable and unable to care for Monroe, Gladys placed her with foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender of Hawthorne, California, where she lived until she was seven. In her autobiography My Story, Monroe states she believed Albert was a woman.

One day, Gladys announced that she had bought a house. A few months after they had moved in, Gladys suffered a breakdown. In 'My Story', Monroe recalls her mother "screaming and laughing" as she was forcibly removed to the State Hospital in Norwalk. According to 'My Sister Marilyn', Gladys's brother, Marion, hanged himself upon his release from an asylum, and Della's father did the same in a fit of depression.

Norma Jeane was declared a ward of the state, and Gladys' best friend, Grace McKee (later Goddard) became her guardian. After McKee married in 1935, Norma Jeane was sent to the Los Angeles Orphans Home (later renamed Hollygrove), and then to a succession of foster homes.

The Goddards were about to move to the east coast and could not take Monroe. Grace approached the mother of a neighbouring boy, James Dougherty, about the possibility of her son marrying the girl. They married weeks after she turned 16, so that Norma Jeane would not have to return to an orphanage or foster care. Monroe stated in her autobiography that she did not feel like a wife; instead she enjoyed playing with the neighbourhood children until her husband would call her home for the evening. The marriage would last until 1946 when Monroe decided to pursue her career.

Career - early years

While her husband was in the Merchant Marine during World War II, Norma Jeane Dougherty moved in with her mother-in-law where she started working in the Radioplane Company factory owned by Hollywood actor Reginald Denny. Her job required spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and inspecting parachutes. Army photographer David Conover was scouting local factories, taking photos for a 'YANK' magazine article about women contributing to the war effort. He saw her potential as a model, and she was soon signed by The Blue Book modeling agency. Shortly after signing with the agency, Monroe had her hair cut, straightened, and lightened to golden blonde. She began taking drama classes and singing classes.

She became one of Blue Book's most successful models, appearing on dozens of magazine covers. In 1946, she came to the attention of talent scout Ben Lyon. He arranged a screen test for her with 20th Century Fox. She was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting salary of $125 per week.

Lyon suggested she adopt Marilyn (after the famous actress Marilyn Miller) as her stage name, since Norma Jeane was not considered commercial enough. For her last name, she took her mother's maiden name. Thus, the 20-year-old Norma Jeane Baker became Marilyn Monroe. During her first six months at Fox, Monroe was given no work, but Fox renewed her contract and she was given minor appearances in 'Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!' and 'Dangerous Years', both released in 1947. In 'Scudda Hoo!', her part was edited out of the film except for a quick glimpse of her face when she speaks two words. Fox decided not to renew her contract. Monroe returned to modelling and began to network and make contacts in Hollywood. She posed for nude photographs which were later featured in the first issue of 'Playboy'.

In 1948, during a six-month stint at Columbia Pictures, she starred in 'Ladies of the Chorus'. The low-budget musical was not a success and Monroe was dropped yet again. She met one of Hollywood's top agents, Johnny Hyde, who had Fox re-sign her after MGM turned her down. Darryl F. Zanuck, the vice-president of Fox, was not convinced of Monroe's potential, but because of Hyde's persistence, she gained supporting parts in the Marx Brothers film 'Love Happy' (1949), and in Fox's 'All About Eve' and MGM's 'The Asphalt Jungle' (both 1950). Even though the roles were small, moviegoers as well as critics took notice. Hyde also arranged for her to have minor plastic surgery on her nose and chin, adding that to earlier dental surgery.

The next two years were filled with inconsequential roles in standard fare such as 'We're Not Married!' and 'Love Nest'. However, RKO executives used her to boost box office potential of the Fritz Lang production 'Clash by Night'. After the film performed well, Fox employed a similar tactic, and she was cast as the dizzy receptionist with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers in Howard Hawks's slapstick comedy 'Monkey Business'. Critics no longer ignored her, and both films' success at the box office was partly attributed to Monroe's growing popularity.

Fox finally gave her a starring role in 1952 with 'Don't Bother to Knock', in which she portrayed a deranged babysitter who attacks the little girl in her care. It was a cheaply-made B-movie, and although the reviews were mixed, they claimed that it demonstrated Monroe's ability and confirmed that she was ready for more leading roles. Her performance in the film has since been noted as one of the finest of her career.

Stardom

Monroe proved she could carry a big-budget film when she starred in 'Niagara' in 1953. Movie critics focused on Monroe's connection with the camera as much as on the sinister plot. She played an unbalanced woman planning to murder her husband.

Playboy playmate

Around this time, the nude photos of Monroe began to surface, taken by photographer Tom Kelley during her unemployment. Prints were bought by Hugh Hefner and, in December 1953, appeared in the first edition of 'Playboy'. To the dismay of Fox, Monroe decided to publicly admit it was indeed her in the pictures. When a journalist asked her what she wore in bed she replied, "Chanel no. 5". When asked what she had on during the photo shoot, she replied, "The radio".

A-list actress

Over the following months, 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'How to Marry a Millionaire' cemented Monroe's status as an A-list actress, and she became one of the world's biggest movie stars. The lavish Technicolor comedy films established Monroe's "dumb blonde" on-screen persona.

In 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', Monroe's turn as gold-digging showgirl Lorelei Lee won her rave reviews, and the scene where she sang 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' has inspired the likes of Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Geri Halliwell. In the Los Angeles premiere of the film, Monroe and co-star Jane Russell pressed their foot- and hand-prints in the cement in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

In 'How to Marry a Millionaire', Monroe was teamed up with Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable. She played a short-sighted dumb blonde, and even though the role was stereotypical, critics took note of her comedic timing.

Her next two films, the western 'River of No Return' and the musical 'There's No Business Like Show Business', were not successful. Monroe tired of the roles that Zanuck assigned her. After completing work on 'The Seven Year Itch' in early 1955, she broke her contract and fled Hollywood to study acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York. Fox would not accede to her contract demands and insisted she return to work on productions she considered inappropriate, such as 'The Girl in Pink Tights' (which was never filmed), 'The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing', and 'How to Be Very, Very Popular'.

Marilyn Monroe Productions

Once in New York Monroe set up her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, with fashion photographer Milton H. Greene.

As 'The Seven Year Itch' raced to the top of the box office in the summer of 1955, and with Fox starlets Jayne Mansfield and Sheree North failing to click with audiences, Zanuck admitted defeat and Monroe returned to Hollywood. A new contract was drawn up, giving Monroe approval of the director as well as the option to act in other studios' projects.

The first film to be made under the contract and production company was 'Bus Stop', directed by Joshua Logan. She played Chérie, a saloon bar singer who falls in love with a cowboy. Monroe deliberately appeared badly made-up and unglamourous. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for the performance and was praised by critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times proclaimed: "Hold on to your chairs, everybody, and get set for a rattling surprise. Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself an actress." In his autobiography, 'Movie Stars, Real People and Me', director Joshua Logan wrote: "I found Marilyn to be one of the great talents of all time... She struck me as being a much brighter person than I had ever imagined, and I think that was the first time I learned that intelligence and, yes brilliance have nothing to do with education."

The second movie filmed under her production company was 'The Prince and the Showgirl', co-starring Laurence Olivier. Olivier, who directed the movie, said Monroe was "a brilliant comedienne, which to me means she is also an extremely skilled actress". However, he became furious at her habit of being late to the set, as well as her dependency on her drama coach Paula Strasberg. Monroe's performance was hailed by critics, especially in Europe, where she was handed the David di Donatello, the Italian equivalent of the Academy Award, as well as the French Crystal Star Award. She was also nominated for a BAFTA award.

Later years

In 1959, she scored the biggest hit of her career starring alongside Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in Billy Wilder's 'Some Like It Hot'. After shooting finished, Wilder publicly blasted Monroe for her difficult on-set behaviour. Soon, however, Wilder's attitude softened, and he hailed her as a great comedienne. 'Some Like It Hot' is consistently rated as one of the best films ever made. Monroe's performance earned her a Golden Globe for best actress in musical or comedy.

After 'Some Like It Hot', Monroe shot 'Let's Make Love' directed by George Cukor and co-starring Yves Montand. Monroe was forced to shoot the picture because of her obligations to Twentieth Century-Fox. While the film was not a commercial or critical success, it included one of Monroe's legendary musical numbers, Cole Porter's 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy'.

Arthur Miller wrote what became her and her co-star Clark Gable's last completed film, 'The Misfits'. The exhausting shoot took place in the hot Nevada desert. Monroe, Gable and Montgomery Clift delivered performances that are considered excellent by contemporary movie critics. Tabloid magazines blamed Gable's death of a heart attack on Monroe, citing her tardiness and quoting Gable's widow Kay Spreckels Gable, who claimed that her husband did his own stunt work out of the frustration of waiting for Monroe. Exacerbating the situation was Gable's advanced age, plus long history of alcohol and tobacco use. Nevertheless Monroe was invited by Kay to the baptismal ceremony for her and Clark's son John Clark Gable. She attended.

In 1961, some of the most famous photographs of Monroe were taken by Douglas Kirkland as a feature for the 25th anniversary issue of 'LOOK' magazine.

Monroe returned to Hollywood to resume filming on the George Cukor comedy 'Something's Got to Give', a never-finished film that has become legendary for problems on the set and proved a costly debacle for Fox. In May 1962, she made her last significant public appearance, singing 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' at a televised birthday party for President John F. Kennedy.

After shooting what was claimed to have been the first ever nude scene by a major motion picture actress, Monroe's attendance on the set became even more erratic. On 1 June, her thirty-sixth birthday, she attended a charity event at Dodger Stadium.

Financially strained by the production costs of 'Cleopatra', starring Elizabeth Taylor, Fox dropped Monroe from the film and replaced her with Lee Remick. However, co-star Dean Martin, who had a clause in his contract giving him an approval over his co-star, was unwilling to work with anyone but Monroe. She was rehired.

Monroe conducted a lengthy interview with 'Life', in which she expressed how bitter she was about Hollywood labeling her as a dumb blonde and how much she loved her audience. She also did a photo shoot for 'Vogue' and - according to the Donald Spoto biography - began discussing a future film project with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

She was planning to star in a biopic of Jean Harlow as well as starring alongside Jack Lemmon in 'Irma La Douce', a Billy Wilder comedy that eventually starred Shirley MacLaine. Other projects under consideration were 'What a Way to Go!' (in which Shirley MacLaine replaced her), 'Kiss Me, Stupid', a comedy starring Dean Martin and Kim Novak, and a musical version of 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

Before the shooting of 'Something's Got to Give' resumed, Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home on the morning of 5 August, 1962. She remains one of the twentieth century's legendary public figures and archetypal Hollywood movie stars.

Marriages and relationships

Monroe married James Dougherty on 19 June 1942. In 'The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe' and 'To Norma Jeane with Love, Jimmie', he claimed they were in love, but dreams of stardom lured her away. In 1953 he wrote a piece called 'Marilyn Monroe Was My Wife' for Photoplay, in which he claimed that he left her. In the 2004 documentary 'Marilyn's Man', Dougherty made three new claims: he was her Svengali and invented the 'Marilyn Monroe' persona, studio executives forced her to divorce him, and that he was her only true love.

He remarried in 1947. The 6 August 1962 New York Times reported that, on being informed of her death, he replied "I'm sorry", and continued his LAPD patrol. He did not attend Monroe's funeral.

His sister wrote in the December 1952 'Modern Screen' magazine that Dougherty left Monroe because she wanted to pursue modeling. He admitted to A&E Network that his mother asked him to marry her and told 'Lifetime' in 1996 that he cut off her allowance after being served with divorce papers.

In 1951, Joe DiMaggio saw a picture of Monroe with two Chicago White Sox players but did not ask the man who arranged the stunt to set up a date until 1952. Monroe wrote in 'My Story' that she did not want to meet him, fearing a stereotypical jock. They eloped at San Francisco's City Hall on 14 January 1954. During the honeymoon, they visited Japan, and she was asked to visit Korea. She performed ten shows over four days in freezing temperatures for over 100,000 US servicemen. Biographers have noted that DiMaggio, who stayed in Japan, was not pleased with his wife's decision to make public appearances during what he wanted to be an intimate trip.

Back home, she wrote him a letter about her dreams for their future, dated 28 February 1954:

"My Dad, I don't know how to tell you just how much I miss you. I love you till my heart could burst... I want to just be where you are and be just what you want me to be... I want someday for you to be proud of me as a person and as your wife and as the mother of the rest of your children (two at least! I've decided)..."

DiMaggio biographer Maury Allen quoted New York Yankees PR man Arthur Richman that DiMaggio told him everything went wrong from the trip to Japan on. On 14 September 14 1954, Monroe filmed the iconic skirt-blowing scene for 'The Seven Year Itch' in front of New York's Trans-Lux Theater. Bill Kobrin, then Fox's east coast correspondent, told the 26 June 2006 'Palm Springs Desert Sun' that it was Billy Wilder's idea to turn it into a media circus: "... every time her dress came up and the crowd started to get excited, DiMaggio just blew up". The couple later had a "yelling battle" in the theater lobby. She filed for divorce on grounds of mental cruelty 274 days after the wedding.

Years later, she turned to him for help. In February 1961, her psychiatrist arranged for her to be admitted to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, where, according to Donald Spoto, she was placed in the ward for the most seriously disturbed. Unable to check herself out, she called DiMaggio, who secured her release. She later joined him in Florida. Their 'just good friends' claim did not stop rumours of remarriage. Archive footage shows Bob Hope jokingly dedicating Best Song nominee 'The Second Time Around' to them at the 1960 Academy Awards telecast. The two conceived a child, but it was stillborn.

According to Maury Allen, on 1 August 1962, DiMaggio - alarmed by how his ex-wife had fallen in with people such as Frank Sinatra and his 'Rat Pack' - quit his job with a PX supplier to ask her to remarry him.

After her death, he claimed her body and arranged her funeral, barring Hollywood's elite. For 20 years, he had a dozen red roses delivered to her crypt three times a week. Unlike her other two husbands, he never talked about her publicly, nor wrote a tell-all book, nor remarried.

On 29 June 1956, Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller, whom she had first met in 1951, in a civil ceremony in White Plains, New York. City Court Judge Seymour Robinowitz presided over the hushed ceremony in the law office of Sam Slavitt (the wedding had been kept secret from both the press and the public). In reflecting on his courtship of Monroe, Miller wrote, "She was a whirling light to me then, all paradox and enticing mystery, street-tough one moment, then lifted by a lyrical and poetic sensitivity that few retain past early adolescence". Nominally raised as a Christian, she converted to Judaism before marrying Miller. After she finished shooting 'The Prince and the Showgirl' with Laurence Olivier, the couple returned to the United States from England and discovered she was pregnant. However, she suffered from endometriosis, and the pregnancy was found to be ectopic. A subsequent pregnancy ended in miscarriage.

Miller's screenplay for 'The Misfits', a story about a despairing divorcée, was meant to be a Valentine gift for his wife, but by the time filming started in 1960 their marriage was beyond repair. A Mexican divorce was granted on 24 January 1961. On 17 February 1962, Miller married Inge Morath, one of the 'Magnum' photographers recording the making of 'The Misfits'.

In January 1964, Miller's play 'After The Fall' opened, featuring a beautiful and devouring shrew named Maggie. The similarities between Maggie and Monroe did not go unnoticed by audiences and critics (including Helen Hayes). Simone Signoret noted in her autobiography the morbidity of Miller and Elia Kazan resuming their professional association "over a casket". In interviews and in his autobiography, Miller insisted that Maggie was not based on Monroe. However, he never pretended that his last Broadway-bound work, 'Finishing the Picture', was not based on the making of 'The Misfits'. He appeared in the documentary 'The Century of the Self' lamenting the psychological work being done on her before her death.

The Kennedys

It has been claimed that Monroe was involved with either Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, or both. Jeanne Carmen, who claims to have been a friend of Monroe's, has said she dated both, though she only loved Robert. Carmen also believes at least one of the Kennedys was responsible for her death. Joe DiMaggio told both his son and attorney that "the Kennedys killed her."

Death and aftermath

LAPD police sergeant Jack Clemmons received a call at 4:25am on 5 August 1962 from Dr. Hyman Engelberg, proclaiming that Marilyn Monroe was dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. Sergeant Clemmons was the first police officer to arrive at the death scene. Many questions remain unanswered about the circumstances of her death and the time-line leading up to Monroe's body being found.

The official cause of her death was classified as a case of "acute barbiturate poisoning" by Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office. Her death was classified as "probable suicide", but because of a lack of evidence they could not classify her death as suicide or homicide. Also, some conspiracy theories involve John and Robert Kennedy with her death, while other theories suggest CIA or mafia complicity. As a side note, toxicology tests revealed that Monroe also had a slight iron deficiency in her blood.

On 8 August 1962, Monroe was interred in a crypt at Corridor of Memories, Number 24, at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Lee Strasberg delivered the eulogy.

Over 40 years after her death Forbes.com compiled a survey titled 'Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities', which compared the money the celebrities' estates earn annually from sales. Monroe ranked ninth, the only woman on the list.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley (8 January 1935 - 16 August 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is a cultural icon, often known as 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll', or simply 'The King'.

Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing 'black' and 'white' sounds, made him popular - and controversial - as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like 'Hound Dog' and 'Jailhouse Rock' later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music halls of fame.

In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies - mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special and thereafter performed across the US, notably in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his premature death at age 42.

Early life

Presley's father, Vernon (10 April 1916 - 26 June 1979), had several low-paying jobs, including sharecropper and truck driver. His mother, Gladys Love Smith (25 April 1912 - 14 August 1958) worked as a sewing machine operator. They met in Tupelo, Mississippi, and eloped to Pontotoc County where they married on 17 June 1933.

Presley was born in a two-room house, built by his father, in East Tupelo. He was the second of identical twins - his brother was stillborn and given the name Jesse Garon. He grew up as an only child and was, it was generally agreed, unusually close to his mother. The family lived just above the poverty line and attended the Assembly of God church. Vernon has been described as "a malingerer, always averse to work and responsibility". In 1938, he was jailed for an eight dollar check forgery. During his absence, his wife, described as "voluble, lively, full of spunk", lost the family home. Priscilla Presley recalls her as "a surreptitious drinker and alcoholic".

Presley was bullied at school; it is recalled that classmates "threw things at him - rotten fruit and stuff - because he was different... quiet and he stuttered and he was a mama's boy."

At the age of ten, Presley made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, the young Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone and sang Red Foley's 'Old Shep'. He won second prize.

In 1946, Presley got his first guitar. In November 1948, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, allegedly because Vernon - in addition to needing work - had to escape the law for transporting bootleg liquour. In 1949, they lived at Lauderdale Courts, a public housing development in one of Memphis' poorer sections. Presley practiced playing guitar in the laundry room and also played in a five-piece band with other tenants. Another resident, Johnny Burnette, recalled, "Wherever Elvis went he'd have his guitar slung across his back... He'd go in to one of the cafes or bars... Then some folks would say: 'Let's hear you sing, boy.'" Presley attended L. C. Humes High School, but fellow students apparently viewed the young singer's performing unfavourably: One recalled that he was "a sad, shy, not especially attractive boy" whose guitar playing was not likely to win any prizes. Many of the other children made fun of him as a 'trashy' kind of boy playing 'trashy' hillbilly music".

Presley occasionally worked evenings to boost the family income. He began to grow his sideburns and dress in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on Beale Street. He stood out, especially in the conservative Deep South of the 1950s, and was mocked and bullied for it. Despite his unpopularity, he was a contestant in his school's 1952 'Annual Minstrel Show' and won by receiving the most applause and thus an encore (he sang 'Cold Cold Icy Fingers' and 'Till I Waltz Again With You').

After graduation, Presley was still rather shy, a "kid who had spent scarcely a night away from home". His third job was driving a truck for the Crown Electric Company. He began wearing his hair longer with a 'ducktail' - the style of truck drivers at that time.

Musical influences

Initial influences came through his family's attendance at the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal Holiness church. 'Rolling Stone' wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days". During breaks at recording sessions or after concerts, Presley often joined in private with others for informal gospel music sessions.

The young Presley frequently listened to local radio; his first musical hero was family friend Mississippi Slim, a hillbilly singer with a radio show on Tupelo’s 'WELO'. Presley performed occasionally on Slim’s Saturday morning show, 'Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly'. "He was crazy about music... That’s all he talked about", recalls his sixth grade friend, James Ausborn, Slim’s younger brother. Before he was a teenager, music was already Presley’s consuming passion. J.R. Snow, son of 1940s country superstar Hank Snow, recalls that even as a young man Presley knew all of Hank Snow’s songs, "even the most obscure".

In Memphis, Presley went to record stores that had jukeboxes and listening booths, playing old records and new releases for hours. He was an audience member at the all-night black and white 'gospel sings' downtown. Memphis Symphony Orchestra concerts at Overton Park were another Presley favourite, along with the Metropolitan Opera. His small record collection included Mario Lanza and Dean Martin. Presley later said, "I just loved music. Music, period".

Memphis had a strong tradition of blues music and Presley went to blues as well as hillbilly venues. Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African-American composers and recording artists, including Arthur Crudup, Rufus Thomas and B.B. King. King says that he "knew Elvis before he was popular. He used to come around and be around us a lot ... on Beale Street".

Presley was an untrained musician who played entirely by ear. "I don't read music", he confessed, "but I know what I like". Because he was not a songwriter, Presley rarely had material prepared for recording sessions. When he, as a young singer, ventured into the recording studio he was heavily influenced by the songs he had heard on the jukebox and radio".

First recordings at Sun Studios

On 18 July 1953, Presley went to Sun Records' Memphis Recording Service to record 'My Happiness' with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", supposedly a present for his mother. On 4 January 1954, he cut a second acetate. Sun Records boss Sam Phillips was on the lookout for someone who could deliver a blend of black blues and boogie-woogie music; he thought it would be very popular among white people. Assistant Marion Keisker called Presley on 26 June 1954. After an inauspicious session, Phillips invited local musicians Winfield 'Scotty' Moore and Bill Black to audition Presley. Though not overly-impressed, a studio session was planned.

During a recording break, Presley began 'acting the fool', first with Arthur Crudup's 'That's All Right (Mama)'. Phillips got them all to restart and began taping. This was the sound he had been looking for. The group recorded other songs, including Bill Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky'. 'That's All Right' was aired on 8 July 1954, by DJ Dewey Phillips. After its release, both sides of 'That's All Right'/'Blue Moon of Kentucky' began to chart across the South.

First public performances

Moore and Black began playing regularly with Presley. They gave a few performances in July 1954 to promote the Sun single at the Bon Air, a rowdy music club where the band was not well-received. On July 30 the trio, billed as The Blue Moon Boys, made their first appearance at the Overton Park Shell, with Slim Whitman headlining. A nervous Presley's legs were said to have shaken uncontrollably during this show: his wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing females in the audience to go crazy. Presley consciously incorporated similar movements into future shows.

DJ and promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager (replacing Scotty Moore). Moore and Black left their band, the Starlite Wranglers and, from August through October 1954, appeared with Presley at The Eagle's Nest. Presley debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on 2 October; Hank Snow introduced Presley on stage. He performed 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: "Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck".

Country music promoter and manager Tillman Franks booked Presley for the Louisiana Hayride on 16 October. Before Franks saw Presley, he referred to him as "that new black singer with the funny name". During Presley's first set, the reaction was muted; for the second, Franks advised Presley to "Let it all go!". As house drummer D.J. Fontana (who had worked in strip clubs) complemented Presley's movements with accented beats and Bill Black engaged in his usual stage antics, the crowd was more responsive. According to one source, "Audiences had never before heard [such] music... [or] seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance... People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it...".

Roy Orbison saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: "His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing... I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.'" Sam Phillips said Presley "put every ounce of emotion ... into every song, almost as if he was incapable of holding back".

Breakthrough year: 1956

Presley's sound proved hard to categorise; he was billed or labeled in the media as 'The King of Western Bop', 'The Hillbilly Cat' and 'The Memphis Flash'.

On 15 August 1955, 'Colonel' Tom Parker became Presley's manager. By August 1955, Sun Studios had released ten sides credited to 'Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill', all typical of the developing Presley style. Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On 21 November 1955, Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.

To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television (In March 1955, Presley had failed an audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.) He booked six Dorsey Brothers' 'Stage Show' appearances (CBS), beginning on 28 January, 1956, when Presley was introduced by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle. Parker also obtained a lucrative two-show deal with Milton Berle (NBC).

On 27 January, Presley's first RCA single, 'Heartbreak Hotel', was released. By April it hit number one in the US, and sold one million copies. On 23 March RCA released Elvis Presley, his first album. Like the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were country songs.

From 23 April, he had two weeks at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip—billed this time as 'the Atomic Powered Singer'. His shows were badly received, by critics and the conservative guests. Presley saw Freddie Bell and the Bellboys live in Vegas, and liked their version of Leiber and Stoller's 'Hound Dog'. By 16 May, he had added the song to his own act.

A few days after a 3 April appearance for The Milton Berle Show in San Diego, a near-fatal flight taking Presley's band to Nashville for a recording session left all three badly shaken.

After more hectic touring, Presley returned to The Milton Berle Show on 5 June and performed 'Hound Dog' (without his guitar). Singing it uptempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand stirred the audience - as did his vigourous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat. Presley's 'gyrations' created a storm of controversy - often eclipsing the 'communist threat' headlines prevalent at the time. The press described his performance as "vulgar" and "obscene". Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local New York City TV show 'Hy Gardner Calling': "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it".

The Berle shows drew such huge ratings that Steve Allen (NBC), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance in New York. Allen wanted "to do a show the whole family can watch" and introduced a "new Elvis" in white bow tie and black tails. Presley sang 'Hound Dog' for less than a minute to a Basset Hound in a top hat. According to one author, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition..." The day after (2 July), the single 'Hound Dog' was recorded and Scotty Moore said they were "all angry about their treatment the previous night". (Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.) A few days later, Presley made a triumphant outdoor appearance in Memphis at which he announced: "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight".

Country vocalists The Jordanaires accompanied Presley on The Steve Allen Show and their first recording session together produced 'Any Way You Want Me', 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Hound Dog'. The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s.

Though Presley had been unhappy, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings, causing a critical Sullivan (CBS) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.

Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (9 September 1956) was seen by some 55–60 million viewers. On the third Sullivan show, Presley sang only slow-paced ballads and a gospel song. The fact that Presley was only shown from the waist up and dressed in the outlandish costume of a pasha during this last broadcast has led to claims that Sullivan had censored the singer, or that Colonel Parker had orchestrated the episode to generate publicity. In spite of any misgivings about the controversial nature of his performing style, Sullivan declared at the end of the third appearance that Presley was "a real decent, fine boy" and that they had never had "a pleasanter experience" on the show.

Controversial king

When 'That's All Right' was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, and most white disc-jockeys wouldn't play his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man. To some, Presley had undoubtedly 'stolen' or at least 'derived', his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s. Some black entertainers, notably Jackie Wilson, countered, "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis".

By the spring of 1956, Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He’d start out, 'You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog,' and they’d just go to pieces. They’d always react the same way. There’d be a riot every time." Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him". In Lubbock, Texas, a teenage gang fire-bombed Presley's car. Some performers became resentful (or resigned to the fact) that Presley going on stage before them would 'kill' their own act; he thus rose quickly to top billing. At the two concerts he performed at the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, one hundred National Guardsmen were on hand to prevent crowd trouble.

To many adults, the singer was the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. They did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex." In 1956, a critic for the 'New York Daily News' wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the Jesuits denounced him in its weekly magazine, 'America'. Even Frank Sinatra opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."

Presley was even seen by the security forces as a "definite" danger to the security of the United States. His actions and motions were called "a strip-tease with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage". They were compared with "masturbation or riding a microphone". Some saw the singer as a sexual pervert, and psychologists feared that teenaged girls and boys could easily be "aroused to sexual indulgence and perversion by certain types of motions and hysteria - the type that was exhibited at the Presley show." In August 1956, a Florida judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in Jacksonville. The judge declared that Presley's music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling.

In 1957, Presley was alleged to have said: "The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes". The singer always denied saying, or ever wanting to say, such a racist remark. 'Jet' magazine, run by and for African-Americans, subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim. On the contrary, the 'Jet' journalist did find plenty of testimony that Presley judged people "regardless of race, colour or creed".[79]

His parents moved home in Memphis, but the singer lived there briefly. With increased concerns over privacy and security, Graceland was bought in 1957, a mansion with several acres of land. This was Presley's primary residence until his death.

Presley's record sales grew quickly throughout the late 1950s, with hits like 'All Shook Up', '(Let me Be Your) Teddy Bear' and 'Too Much'.

Military service and mother's death

On 20 December 1957, Presley received his draft notice. Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures had already spent $350,000 on the film 'King Creole', and did not want to suspend or cancel the project. The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment to finish it. On 24 March 1958, he was inducted and completed basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being posted to Friedberg, Germany with the 3rd Armored Division.

Presley had chosen not to join 'Special Services', which would have allowed him to avoid certain duties and maintain his public profile. He continued to receive massive media coverage, with much speculation echoing Presley's own concerns about his enforced absence damaging his career. However, early in 1958, RCA producer Steve Sholes and Hill and Range 'song searcher' Freddy Bienstock had both pushed for recording sessions and strong song material, the aim being to release regular hit singles during Presley's two-year hiatus. The hit singles - and six albums - duly followed during that period.

In Germany, a sergeant introduced Presley to amphetamines when they were on manoeuvres at Grafenwöhr; it seemed that a significant proportion of the soldiers in the company were taking them. Friends around Presley also began taking them, if only to keep up with Elvis, who was practically evangelical about their benefits.

The army also introduced Presley to a form of karate which he studied seriously, even including it in his later live performances.

As Presley's fame grew, his mother continued to drink excessively and began to gain weight. She had wanted her son to succeed, but the hysteria of the crowd frightened her. Doctors had diagnosed hepatitis and her condition worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her in August 1958, but shortly afterwards his mother died, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, for days grieving almost constantly.

Presley returned to the US on 2 March 1960, and was honourably discharged with the rank of sergeant on 5 March. Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs - including 'It's Now or Never'. Although some tracks were uptempo, none could be described as 'rock n' roll'. Most found their way on to an album - 'Elvis is Back!' - described by one critic as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had... broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved". The album was also notable because of Homer Boots Randolph's acclaimed saxophone solo during the blues standard 'Reconsider Baby'.

Hollywood years

In 1956, Presley launched his career as a film actor, beginning with the musical western, 'Love Me Tender'. It was panned by the critics but did well at the box office. The original title - 'The Reno Brothers' - was changed because of the advanced sales of the song 'Love Me Tender'. The majority of Presley's films were musical comedies made to sell records and produce high revenues. He also appeared in more dramatic films, like 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'King Creole'. To maintain box office success, he even shifted into beefcake formula comedy mode for a few years." He also made one non-musical western, 'Charro!'.

In the Army, Presley said on many occasions that, "more than anything," he wanted to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. His manager, with an eye on long-term earnings, negotiated a multi-picture seven-year contract with Hal Wallis.

The singer withdrew from performing, except for 'The Frank Sinatra Timex Show': 'Welcome Home Elvis' (1960) and three charity concerts (two in Memphis and one in Pearl Harbour, 1961). Although Presley was praised by directors, like Michael Curtiz, as polite and hardworking (and as having an exceptional memory), "he was definitely not the most talented actor around". The Presley vehicles and the AIP beach movies (mainly made for an early-60s teenage audience) were generally criticised as a pantheon of bad taste. Critics reported that the scripts of his movies were all the same, the songs progressively worse. 'Sight and Sound' wrote that in his movies: "Elvis Presley, aggressively bisexual in appeal, knowingly erotic, [was] acting like a crucified houri and singing with a kind of machine-made surrealism". Others noted that the songs seemed to be written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll. For 'Blue Hawaii', fourteen songs were cut in just three days. Julie Parrish, who appeared in 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style', says that Presley hated such songs and that he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them. Critics would later claim that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis