Audrey Hepburn was loved all over the world and was a very influential and successful actress. She was known for acting, modeling and dancing. Many women around the world considered Audrey their idol. She was influenced by many things that happened during her early life. In Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929. As a child she almost died from a case of whooping cough because her mother didn't believe in the doctors she knew. he only believed in prayers (Gitlin 1). Audrey was different from many children: as a child she was shy, but she had a vivid imagination. He imagined a beautiful castle with nature's wonders of trees or bushes (Gitlin 3). Hepburn attended a girls' academy in Kent from 1935 to 1938 (Audrey Hepburn). Audrey and her mother, Ella, were abandoned by Audrey's father because he was so involved in the fascist movement. He was highly motivated by his growing political passions (Gitlin 6). Audrey's grandparents took her and her mother fifty miles southeast to Amsterdam and then helped them get through the difficult time when Audrey's father left them. After spending some time with Audrey's father, Joseph moved to London and asked for visitation rights (Gitlin 6 and 7). In 1939-1945 Hepburn studied ballet at the Arnhem Conservatory. Audrey became so good at ballet in 1944 that she danced for groups of people to raise money for the underground movement. He later said, "The best audience I ever had, didn't make a single sound at the end of my performance" (Audrey Hepburn). While attending boarding school, World War II broke out, but Audrey concentrated on ballet. She didn't feel safe there because of the war. The two have moved to Holland but soon no country in Europe will be safe due to the German attack (Gitlin 8). She and her daughter had to be separated for a while during the war because of all the dangerous areas. One of the last planes was traveling from England to Holland and they managed to make it. This was the last time Audrey would see her father again because his conversion to Nazism was complete (Gitlin 8 and 9). Audrey managed to enroll at the Arnhem Conservatory of Music and Dance during this difficult period. The school wasn't the best in Europe, but they helped her with her posture and flexibility.