My abdominal pains which had begun a while before but it had become intense, but my doctors only suspected an amoebic infection. At the insistence of my friends and family, I did testing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Three days later, on November 2, they operated on me for colon cancer. My sons joined me as I recovered from the surgery, however I wished to spend Christmas back at La Paisible in Tolochenaz, a private jet got arranged for me. I will spend the last months of my sickness at La Paisible, but before I left Los Angeles, I received news from the Screen Actors Guild that she is to be the January recipient of the SAG Achievement Award, I was so honored. Then I heard another flattering new that I was going to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for 1992 for my UNICEF work, delivered in person by the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. These are great ways to go through my sickness days.
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I am so happy to write here that I am officially appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, an organization I had previously helped with fundraising events. With both of my sons now living away from home (Luca is now living with his father in Rome), I think the role reflects on my ability to now devote myself more fully to this work. In my new UNICEF role, accompanied by Wolders, I will visit Macao and then Japan, after which requests pour in from UNICEF committees all over the world requesting her appearances. Before the end of the year I will also visit Ireland. This is my chance to give back to the world. I devote myself to children from now on.
I suffered my fifth miscarriage in 1974.After that I rejected many scripts, but this year I am ready to return, Robin and Marian will be filmed in Spain, in six weeks. This is a very different kind of film. Producers think I will be welcomed by fans and critics alike, although pre-reviews of the film are mixed. Me and my new husband the father of my second child started to receive anonymous kidnapping threats for Sean and Luca. For safety, after the film we will relocate them to Switzerland. Before this there was an attempt to abduct Dr. Dotti as he leaves his clinic but his cries attract security guards which foils the attempt.
The shooting of Breakfast at Tiffany's took place in New York, followed by some in Hollywood. It opened in October 1960, doing less well than the studio hoped, although it did have a significant cultural influence. For that role I was nominated for my fourth Oscar but again I couldn’t win it. It is now 1961. The next film I am going to shoot is The Children's Hour, I learned I will reunite with William Wyler. Another very sad thing happened Mr. Famous, my dog got run over on Wilshire Boulevard. Mel quickly bought a new one, but no one can replace Mr. Famous. I think I will miss him I don’t do good with such great loses.
The worst thing happened to me while I was shooting the Unforgiven I fell of from a horse, and I was hospitalized with four broken vertebras, torn muscles in my lower back and a badly sprained foot. Mel immediately joined me as well as my Hollywood physician and Marie-Louise Habet I call her ”the real-life Sister Luke”, whom I got to know during The Nun's Story, she took personal nursing charge of me . After a month with the help of an orthopedic brace, I was able to complete the film. Then it got released in April, 1960. But this wasn’t the worst thing. After I returned to Bargenstock because I was still pregnant. But, soon after, that, I miscarried again due to my fall during The Unforgiven. Mel is calling it "a tragedy". Doctors think I am in some kind of deep depression, losing weight and smoking heavily.
Funny Face will be shot in three months in Hollywood, followed by a month in Paris. Mel and I will be together for the whole time while my mom, based in London, makes several trips to visit me in Paris. Now my contract includes, Givenchy designs for all of my film clothes. I forgot to mention I went through a miscarriage. I and Mel grieved privately. You might not believe but Funny Face is the first movie deal I signed onto after that. I also signed onto a movie deal to choose after this one called the Nun Story. It is a very different film I have never shot a movie that had a similar theme like the nun story. Even tough I am still grieving, I think I am ready for a movie like that, of course after I finish shooting Funny Face.
Today my boyfriend, Mel Ferrer proposed to me in Switzerland. We have been going out for a long while, and I accepted him. We got married in a civil cermony at Buoche, on the shores of Lake Lucerne. The next day we repeated our vows at a religious ceremony in a chapel below the mountain at Bargenstock. After a four-day honeymoon near Bargenstock I and Mel enjoyed a week together near Cinecitta Studios, Italy, where he was filming La Madre. My mother was not happy about my decision. She didn’t give me permission to marry him. I met him whilst shooting Roman Holiday. Mel is twice-divorced, a father of four, an actor, stage and film director and he has been doing that for twelve years. But it doesn’t matter what she thinks about him, I just learned I am pregnant with his child.
Today I just learned that I have been nominated for an Academy Award for Roman Holiday, and three days later I learned that I am also nominated for a tony for my Broadway act, Ondine. But I am kind of done with both. Doctors said that I was suffering from exhaustion, because of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and being fifteen pounds underweight. On advice from my doctors to rest, I quit, and so Ondine closed on July 3 after 157 performances. At the end of the month I am thinking about moving to Switzerland to the Alpine resort to get some rest until, of course, until I can get settled and move into my new place that I hope to find in Switzerland.
Today I learned that I received two big deals. One is for a Hollywood movie called Roman Holiday directed by William Wyler. And also I got casted for a Broadway act called Gigi they’ll both be directed in New York City. I have to move to NYC immediately to get ready for the next big year of my life. I don’t know how I feel about leaving my mom all by herself in Arnhem. It is the first time in my life that ill be an ocean long away from my mother. I have to go there eventually but leaving my mother does not feel good inside. I know that my rehearsals begin in October, I start early because I need vocal coaching. I’ll just hope for the best for her and go my own way.
Because of the WW2 outbreak my mother, Ella decided to move me back to Holland. She thinks is actually safer than England but me my family and I think that it is a wrong decision. She isn’t open for judgments she doesn’t listen to anyone. Since my father left she is different. She acts different. When I return they will teach me Dutch immediately. She promised me if I return to Holland I will be able to continue professional ballet lessons. Did I mention that I do ballet now. There is a ballet trainer called Winja Marova she is a pro.
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