Robert Wolders, who is known for his role in the Western television series Laredo and as the longtime companion of Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn, died on July 12. He was 81.
What happened to Robert Wolders after Audrey Hepburn died?
In 1980, Wolders became the companion of Audrey Hepburn until her death in 1993. From 1994 to 1995, he and actress-dancer Leslie Caron were a couple. In 1995, Wolders began a relationship with Henry Fonda's widow, Shirlee Fonda. Wolders died on 12 July 2018, at the age of 81.
In 1980, Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn met the last great love of her life: Dutch businessman and actor Robert Wolders. And though Hepburn's love life had had it's fair share of ups and downs, heartbreaks and disappointments before that fateful meet-up, Hepburn and Wolders connection stood the test of time.
Mel Ferrer was an actor and director with two ex-wives, four children and 12 years on Hepburn when they were introduced at a party at Roman Holiday's British opening. There was no doubt the pair were an odd match, but Hepburn quickly developed a fondness for Ferrer.
In 1980, Audrey Hepburn met Robert Wolders, a widowed Dutch businessman and television actor, courtesy of a mutual friend. Despite Hepburn's marital status, Wolders gathered the courage to invite her out on their first encounter, only to be informed of her unavailability due to a night shoot.
Her father moved to Britain, where he was put in prison during World War II for pro-Fascist activities. Mother and daughter were caught in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during the war; both suffered from malnutrition.
For those that don't know, Hepburn welcomed two sons: one named Sean Hepburn Ferrer, born July 1960, with her ex-husband Mel Ferrer, and another son named Luca Dotti, born Feb 1970, with her second husband Andrea Dotti.
Much of the marriage was tumultuous due to Dotti's affairs with younger women. Hepburn stayed with Dotti as long as possible for the sake of her sons. However, the couple divorced in 1982. Dotti died in Rome on 30 September 2007 after complications from a colonoscopy.
Throughout World War II, Audrey endured hardships in Nazi-occupied Holland. She still managed to attend school and take ballet lessons, however. During this time her mother temporarily changed Audrey's name to Edda Van Heemstra, worried that her birth name would reveal her British heritage.
The actor recently talked to PEOPLE about his great love with Hepburn and clarified that he never proposed because they never felt the need. “I felt she had two unhappy marriages, it was wonderful the way it was,” he said.
“The best-kept secret about Audrey was that she was sad,” says her oldest granddaughter Emma Ferrer, who was born a year after her grandmother died. The impact two difficult marriages had on her is a key section of the film.
Embodied by our cover star #EmmaKathleenHepburnFerrer @ekhferrer the GrandDaughter of Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn, she carries the torch of Audrey's legacy with grace and purpose, inspiring a new generation to embrace their own family history while paving her own path to make a difference in the world.
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."
Living away from Hollywood, Luca took to academia. A professional graphic designer, he also authored a memoir focused on his mother's off-screen life, “Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen,” celebrating Audrey as a mother and a cook. Nowadays, Luca Dotti continues his work in graphic design in Italy.
In 1980, Hepburn began dating Dutch actor Robert Wolders after meeting him at a party. They were together for 13 years up until Hepburn's death at age 63 from cancer. As for why the stars never married, Wolders simply explained that they didn't feel the need to have a wedding.
In 1921, while visiting a family friend in New York City, Hepburn walked into the attic storeroom where her 15-year-old brother, Tom, was sleeping, and found him hanging from a noose made of torn sheeting.
The outlet shared Hepburn lived with her mother after her father, a supporter of the fascist movement, walked out days before the start of World War II in 1939.
Not only was she an incredible actress but a world traveler and seemingly very smart lady. She spoke English as well as Spanish, French, Dutch, and Italian fluently.
The sentiments of her family changed, too, boiling over in 1942 when Audrey's uncle Otto, an aristocrat and judicial official, was arrested, imprisoned and executed in retaliation for an act of sabotage. His remains were dumped in a mass grave.
As Hepburn's career flourished, the media controlled how her life was portrayed to the public, often overlooking the personal struggles she faced as wife and mother. During her first marriage, she suffered two miscarriages and a stillborn child before giving birth to her first son, Sean.
