Audrey Hepburn was the third-greatest female screen legend, known for her talents in film and fashion, as well as her humanitarian activities later in life.

She put her acting career on pause when she met her first husband, Mel Ferrer, despite her passion to the art.

Ferrer grew up in the industry, starring in films like ‘Lili,’ ‘Scaramouche,’ and ‘The Brave Bulls.’ He was the son of a Cuban surgeon and a Manhattan socialite.

After being invited by Gregory Peck at a film party in London in 1953, the two met at a film event in London. Their first meeting, according to Hepburn, was highly formal.

They’d both seen each other’s work and Hepburn was eager to meet him. As reported by Express, she would say about their first meeting:

‘The thing I remember most about our initial meeting is how serious he seemed. He didn’t even crack a smile. He spoke to me… But that was the end of it.’

Following their meeting, the two decided to collaborate on a film, as most actors and actresses do. They decided to contact one other anytime they came across a film that suited them both.

Ferrer wasted no time in sending her a French drama called ‘Ondine.’ The drama was well received by the ‘My Fair Lady’ actress, and rehearsals began in January 1954.

It was at this time that their mutual attraction became apparent. Ferrer proposed, and Hepburn accepted by sending him a platinum watch inscribed with the words ‘Mad About The Boy’ from Noel Coward’s song of the same name.

They married in Switzerland in September and spent their honeymoon in a farmhouse 50 miles outside of Rome.

Later, it was revealed that Hepburn went to considerable measures to keep her marriage to Ferrer a ‘dark’ secret in order to keep the media away from their wedding.

Soon after, Hepburn made the decision to put her marriage ahead of her profession. Her home responsibilities, on the other hand, had already taken primacy long before the two tied the knot.

When tv camer man started asking questions during Oscar ceremony in March 1954, where the actress won Best Actress for ‘Roman Holiday,’ her soon-to-be husband-to-be would be the one to speak on her behalf.

She moved from making at least two films a year to barely making one when they married. Her main goal was to start a family. That was not to be, though, as she had two miscarriages.

The silver lining arrived in January 1960, when she gave birth to Sean, her first child. But her new responsibilities didn’t stop her from gaining more jobs, and her husband soon grew overprotective, feeling overshadowed by her celebrity.

By that time, news had spread that Ferrer felt frightened by Hepburn’s celebrity. It was also revealed that he kept her phone number hidden from backstage management and her publicist.

Ferrer denied the allegations, stating he wasn’t out to compete with her, and Hepburn agreed, saying he didn’t wield too much authority over her and was her guardian. Director Alfred Lunt made the following observation:

‘Ferrer ruled Audrey with an iron fist because of Audrey’s crush for him.’

Some, like King Vidor, backed Ferrer, claiming that Hepburn needed someone to make decisions for her because she didn’t understand the business as well as Ferrer did.

Ferrer is said to have done what he did because, as a director, he knew how much money Hepburn deserved.

Others, on the other hand, were not so complimentary of Ferrer, and as one film director, Michael Powell, put it: ‘He is cold and has nothing to give. Yes, he’s clever; no, he’s not kind.’

AUDREY’S MOTHER HATED HER 14-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND.

Ferrer and Hepburn were married for 14 years, but Hepburn’s mother never warmed up to him throughout that time. In a letter to her acting coach and close friend Aylmer, Hepburn said that her mother referred to Ferrer as a ‘frog faced criminal with the thin legs’.

Ella van Heemstra, Hepburn’s mother, believed the marriage had taken its toll on her daughter and that she was sick of the director. According to People, she would say: ‘I think Audrey is getting a little tired of his crazy side!’

WHY DID AUDREY’S FIRST MARRIAGE FAIL?

Unfortunately, Hepburn and Ferrer’s 14-year marriage came to an end. After Hepburn’s much-publicized romance with Albert Finney, her costar in ‘Two For The Road,’ their marital problems began in 1966.

A year later, the couple split up, and the actress admitted that she was unhappy. ‘It was awful when my marriage ended,’ she said.

She add, ‘It was terrible when my marriage ended.’ ‘More than that, it was a major letdown. I used to believe that a healthy, loving marriage had to last until one of the partners died.’

‘I realized how difficult it had to be to be married to a global celebrity, to be known everywhere, to be second-billed on television and in real life, and I knew how Mel felt. But believe me when I say that my career comes second.’ Hepburn admitted it.

Hepburn only spoke to Ferrer twice after their failed marriage, even as she underwent another difficult marriage in 1969 to Italian physician Count Andrea Dotti.

She moved to Rome and gave birth to her second child, Luca. Her second marriage, on the other hand, was a disaster, with Dotti reportedly cheating on the actress with 200 women.

Helena Coan, a British filmmaker who interviewed several friends of Hepburn and Dotti, believed the actress feeling terrible  with her husband. The marriage terminated in 1980, with Hepburn declaring:

‘Doctors are wonderful with their parents, but they never want to look after their children.’ Hepburn, heartbroken, stayed in Italy to allow Dotti to visit his son and stepson, but when he failed to do so, the actress traveled to Switzerland and married fellow Dutch actor Robert Wolders.