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NEED TO KNOW
Audrey Hepburn welcomed two children, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti, with two different partners
Both Sean and Luca went on to welcome children of their own after Audrey's untimely death at 63
Audrey's granddaughter, Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer, has continued her legacy of philanthropy
Audrey Hepburnis remembered far and wide as an Oscar-winning actress, a humanitarian and a fashion icon, but she also left a family behind to carry on her legacy.
Before her untimely death on Jan. 20, 1993, at the age of 63, Audrey gave birth to two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti.
Unfortunately, pregnancy didn't come easily for Audrey. After tying the knot with Mel Ferrer in 1954, she had two miscarriages, one of which reportedly occurred during the filming of her 1961 movie,Unforgiven, when she fell off a horse, perVanity Fair.
Her first child, Sean, was born on July 17, 1960. Though her marriage to Ferrer didn't last, with the couple divorcing in 1968, she became a mother again on Feb. 8, 1970, with the birth of her second son, Luca. Audrey shared the little boy with her second husband, Andrea Dotti, whom she wed in 1969. The pair would later divorce in 1982.
Here's everything to know about Audrey Hepburn's children and grandchildren.
Audrey's Hepburn's children
Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 65
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Sean Hepburn Ferrer was born to Auudrey and Mel Ferrer on July 17, 1960, in Switzerland andspent part of his childhoodin a farmhouse in Tolochenaz, Switzerland — the same city where his parents wed six years earlier.
"I didn't grow up the son of a movie star; I didn't grow up in Hollywood, not the place, not the state of mind," Sean toldFilm Talkin 2016.
In fact, it wasn't until Sean moved to Rome at the age of 10 that he experienced paparazzi. "People wanted to photograph her all the time," he recalled.
Sean, for his part, stayed out of the limelight, attending primary school at Lycee Chateaubriand in Italy before heading back to Switzerland, where he became a student at the Swiss boarding school Le Rosey.
Though he spent a semester at the University of Geneva International Law School upon graduation, he ultimately followed in his mother's footsteps, working in the film industry.
However, Sean retired from Hollywood after his mother's death in 1993, pivoting instead to furthering her humanitarian efforts through the Audrey Hepburn Foundation.
"I left the business when my mother passed away and devoted myself to her work," he explained to Film Talk. "That was to me much more important than to produce a few more films … That's something we felt she would have very much appreciated,"
Sean also released his book,Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit, which gave an intimate glimpse into the actress's daily life, in 2003. "She wanted a normal life for herself and for us," he toldCBSof the memoir. "And it's a valuable and beautiful memory that she left us."
In his personal life, Sean married multiple times, welcoming three children. In 1994, he welcomed daughter Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer with then-wife Leila Flannigan. He went on to marry Giovanna Gregori Ferrer, with whom he welcomed sons Gregorio Ferrer and Santiago Ferrer.
He and Giovanna ultimately split, and Sean married his wife, Karin Hofer. Together, she and Sean released a 2020 children's book,Little Audrey's Daydream: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, about his mother's life.
Today, Sean splits his time between Los Angeles and Florence with Karin.
Luca Dotti, 56
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Luca Dotti was born to Audrey and Andrea Dotti on Feb. 8, 1970, in Switzerland, but grew up in Rome. Similar to his big brother, Luca was unaffected by his mother's fame in his formative years, laterwriting in his 2015 book,Audrey at Home, that he had no idea his mom was a movie star.
When asked about her, he recalled telling reporters, "I don't know who you are talking about. You must be mistaken. My mother is called Dotti."
"I didn't know she was Audrey Hepburn until I was 6 or so," he said.
Luca, a graphic designer, was just 23 years old when his mother died. It was in her honor that he created the Audrey Hepburn's Children's Fund with his brother Sean, which aimed to support underprivileged children.
In addition to Audrey at Home, Luca also publishedAudrey in Romein 2011.
"I wanted to connect these two parts, the public and the private Audrey," he toldPEOPLEof the former book, a memoir. "I hope it will give new insights into her. The most special thing about her was how normal she was. She never spoke about life as a fashion icon, her career as an actress, or her history. She lived her life as she wanted to."
In his personal life, Luca married his wife, Domitilla Dotti, and the two welcomed multiple children together.
Audrey Hepburn's grandchildren
Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer, 31
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Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer was born to Ferrer and his then-wife Leila in Switzerland in May 1994, just one year after her grandmother died.
Though Emma never met her grandmother, she still reckoned with what Audrey meant to her, as both a celebrity and her family.
"I've been questioning a lot lately what she means to me," she toldHarper's Bazaarin August 2014. "I knew her image, of course, and that I happened to be, by pure chance, related to her."
She continued, "But as a child I couldn't really relate to Audrey Hepburn, the actress. To me, she was family. I can live with her through my father. His stories are all about his growing up."
Emma spent her first year of life at the Hepburn family country house, called La Paisible in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, before her parents moved with her to Los Angeles when she was 2 years old, she toldHarper's Bazaar.
Her formative adolescent years were largely spent in Italy, however. Her parents split when she was 6 years old, and, at 14, she moved to Florence with her mom to be closer to her dad, who was living in the Tuscan countryside.
The relocation had a major impact on Audrey's granddaughter, who attended the International School on viale Michelangelo and fell in love with art. At 18, Emma became one of the youngest students to ever attend the Florence Academy of Art, where she studied advanced painting, per herwebsite.
She also shared her grandmother's passion for charity. Emma joined UNICEF, which Audrey had been an ambassador for, to continue her grandmother's efforts.
"I think it's so important to have a history and a legacy that you want to carry on in your family, whether you're famous or not," she told theorganizationin 2019.
Gregorio Ferrer and Santiago Ferrer
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Sean Ferrer's middle child, Gregorio Ferrer, was born to the film producer and then-wife Giovanna Ferrer, whoserved on the board of directorsfor the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.
The couple, who have since divorced, also have a younger son named Santiago.
"My children inspire me," Giovanna said in a 2007 interview withThe Florentineabout her work.
Luca Dotti's children
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While Luca has participated in several book projects about his mom, opening up about his childhood and his famous mother, he has kept his own family life private.
As of 2014, he lived with his wife and children in Rome.
Read the original article onPeople
