Audrey Hepburn — one of the great Hollywood stars, not to mention humanitarians — now has a Blue Plaque in London.
Unveiled by English Heritage on 7 October 2025 — with the help of a Hepburn-esque model — the official Blue Plaque can be found on the exterior of Hepburn's former digs in 65 South Audley Street, Mayfair.
Hepburn lived in a flat with her mother here between 1949-1954, a period in which she made a name for herself as an actor, landing chorus-line roles in the West End, before appearing in the 1951 Ealing Comedy The Lavender Hill Mob — and in the same year being cast in the title role of the Broadway production of Gigi. This in turn led to a breakthrough performance opposite Gregory Peck in 1953's Roman Holiday, a movie that won Hepburn an Academy Award and propelled her to stardom.
Born in Belgium in 1929, Hepburn moved with her family to the Netherlands as war broke out in Europe, operating there as a young spy — before moving to London a few years later. As her fame took off, she relocated to the United States, and later, Switzerland. Ultimately, Hepburn considered charity a more rewarding pursuit than acting, becoming a tireless advocate for children's rights, as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Alongside Breakfast at Tiffany's, Hepburn's best-known film is 1964's My Fair Lady, in which she plays the 'common' Covent Garden flower girl Eliza Doolittle, relaunched for polite society by the pompous Professor Henry Higgins. The classic song Wouldn't It Be Loverly plays out in a facsimile Covent Garden piazza, although famously, Hepburn's singing voice was overdubbed by that of Marni Nixon.
Said English Heritage Senior Historian, Howard Spencer: "Audrey Hepburn was far more than a film star. She was — and remains — a universally acknowledged symbol of elegance. This plaque marks the place she called home when she made the leap from the London stage to the silver screen, on the way to becoming one of the most recognised faces in the world."
A couple of doors down from Hepburn's plaque, you'll find another one, dedicated to educator, florist and novelist Constance Spry.
Blue Plaques were also recently unveiled by English Heritage for the musicians Marc Bolan and Winifred Atwell.
