Everyone thinks they know Audrey Hepburn. You see the posters everywhere—that perfect black dress, the long cigarette holder, the tiny waist. She looks like a fragile porcelain doll. But honestly? That "doll" was a lot taller and tougher than the history books usually let on. When you start digging into the height of Audrey Hepburn, you realize it wasn't just a number on a studio bio. It was the thing that nearly broke her heart before she ever stepped in front of a camera.
She stood at 5 feet 7 inches.
That might not sound like a giant today, but in the late 1940s, it was a major problem. See, Audrey didn't want to be an actress. She wanted to be a prima ballerina. She trained like a demon, moving to London after the war to study under the legendary Marie Rambert. But Rambert eventually pulled her aside and gave her the brutal truth: Audrey was too tall. At 5'7", she towered over the other girls. Add point shoes to that, and she was basically a skyscraper compared to the male dancers of the era.
The Reality of Audrey Hepburn’s Height
It’s weird to think about now, but her height was considered a "defect" for the stage. Most professional ballerinas back then topped out around 5'2" or 5'4". Audrey was nearly 170 cm of lean muscle and bone, and in the world of classical dance, that made her an outlier. It wasn't just the height, though. The war had changed her body in ways that made the physical demands of ballet impossible.
During the "Hunger Winter" in the Netherlands, Audrey was literally starving. She was eating tulip bulbs and grass to survive. By the time the war ended, she was 16 years old, 5'6", and weighed a terrifying 88 pounds. Her body was ravaged by jaundice, anemia, and edema. So, when she finally got to London to dance, she was tall, but her muscles were permanently weakened by malnutrition.
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Why Her Height Mattered on Set
Once she gave up on ballet and pivoted to acting to pay the bills, her height became a different kind of issue. Hollywood in the 50s was obsessed with "petite" leading ladies. Think of Elizabeth Taylor or Natalie Wood—they were tiny. Audrey was a "beanpole."
When she was cast in Sabrina (1954), she had to work alongside Humphrey Bogart. Bogart was also about 5'8", but he was famously sensitive about his height. To keep the "leading man" illusion alive, Audrey often wore flat shoes or ballet slippers—which, ironically, became her signature fashion statement. If she had been 5'2", we might never have gotten the iconic Audrey Hepburn look of Capri pants and flats. She wore them because she had to, so she wouldn't look like she was hovering over her costars.
Tall, Thin, and Breaking the Mold
The height of Audrey Hepburn actually redefined what "beautiful" looked like in the mid-century. Before her, the "it girls" were all about curves—Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Lana Turner. Then along comes this 5'7" woman with a 22-inch waist and a neck like a swan.
Hubert de Givenchy, the designer who became her lifelong friend, absolutely loved her height. To a designer, a tall, lean frame is a moving clothes hanger. He realized that her long limbs and upright, ballet-trained posture could carry architectural shapes that would swallow a shorter woman. The "Givenchy Look" was basically built on the fact that Audrey had the height to pull off those high-fashion silhouettes.
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- Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
- Weight (Adult): Mostly stayed around 110 lbs (50 kg)
- Shoe Size: 10 (She was surprisingly self-conscious about her "big" feet!)
Honestly, she kind of hated her feet. She thought they were too large for her body, which is probably why she stuck to those simple, dark ballet flats. It’s funny how the things she was insecure about—her height and her feet—became the very things that made her a global style icon.
What People Get Wrong About Her Stats
You’ll see a lot of people online claiming she was actually 5'5" or 5'6". Some of that comes from her son, Luca Dotti, who mentioned she was shorter during the war years. But by the time she was filming Roman Holiday and Funny Face, the studio records and her own tailors confirmed she was 5'7".
Why the confusion? Well, she had incredible posture. She sat and stood like a dancer until the day she died. That makes you look taller. But she also spent half her career crouching or leaning to make sure Fred Astaire or Rex Harrison didn't look short next to her. In Funny Face, Fred Astaire was about 5'9", but he was quite slim. Audrey had to be careful with her footwear to ensure they looked "balanced" on screen.
The Lasting Impact of 5'7"
If Audrey Hepburn had been the "correct" height for a ballerina, she probably would have spent her life in a tutu in London or Paris. She would have been famous in the dance world, sure, but we wouldn't have Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her "failure" to fit the height requirements of the ballet world is exactly what gave us one of the greatest movie stars of all time.
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It's a weird lesson in how our supposed "flaws" are often our greatest assets. She was "too tall" for the stage, but that height gave her the presence to command the silver screen. She was "too thin" because of a war, but that gamine look changed the face of fashion forever.
If you’re looking to channel that Audrey energy, don't worry about being petite. Embrace the height. Wear the flats. The goal isn't to be small; it's to be elegant.
Next Steps for the Audrey Obsessed:
- Check out her footwear: Research the specific "Sabrina" flat created by Salvatore Ferragamo. It was designed specifically to accommodate her height and foot shape.
- Look at the cinematography: Next time you watch My Fair Lady, pay attention to the camera angles. Notice how the directors frame her to manage the height gap between her and her male leads.
- Read 'Dutch Girl': If you want the real story of how those years of starvation impacted her growth and health, Robert Matzen’s biography is the most accurate source out there.