Not long before he died in 1984, photographerMilton H. Greeneconfided to his son, Joshua, that he’d once had a fleeting love affair with Audrey Hepburn.
It was the first Joshua, now 64, had heard of their long ago romance when both were starting out in their careers.
“It was the first time he was assigned to photograph her forLifeMagazine,” notes Joshua to PEOPLE in this week’s issue (on stands Friday). “It’s a wonderful series and not a lot of it was published.”
Audrey Hepburn.Milton H. Greene © Joshua Greene
Of his father’s photos, Joshua says, “He always loved the way she looked. Audrey is one of those women, when you capture them right, set at the right angle, with the right light, she can be absolutely beautiful but if she’s not captured correctly, she looks like a women with a funny face.”
That face (also celebrated in the 1957 filmFunny Face) made the world fall in love with her.
Milton H. Greene © Joshua Greene
Joshua doesn’t know many details of his father’s romance. “My dad was one of those people who didn’t really kiss and tell,” he explains. “He was old school in that regard.”
But his mother Amy Greene, who married Milton in 1953, shared a funny memory of having dinner with Audrey, which Joshua recounts in the new book.
“My mother tells the story about when they met her for the first time and she was seven months pregnant with me,” he recalls. “My mother looked at Audrey and said ‘Oh my god, you’re so beautiful! Would you do me a favor? Could you keep your coat on?’ And Audrey did.”
Their photo collaboration speaks for itself.
“Because they were friends who were intimately close, there’s an added excitement when he’s photographing her,” notes Joshua. “Part of him always felt that his role in photographing women was the make the woman look as beautiful as possible.”
“The two stayed friends throughout their lives,” he says. “He was a big hearted person, as was Audrey.”
Always Audreyis now in stores and online available for purchase from ACC Art Books.
source: people.com
