Tippi Hedren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tippi Hedren
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Hedren in 1964
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Nathalie Kay Hedren
January 19, 1930 New Ulm, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Years active | 1950–2018 |
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| Children | Melanie Griffith |
| Relatives | Dakota Johnson (granddaughter) |
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Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930) is a retired American actress, famous for her work in movies and her love for animals. She began her career as a fashion model, appearing on the covers of popular magazines like Life and Glamour.
Her life changed in 1961 when director Alfred Hitchcock saw her in a TV commercial and decided to make her a star. She became famous for her roles in two of his movies: the thriller The Birds (1963) and the drama Marnie (1964). For The Birds, she won a Golden Globe Award.
Over her long career, Hedren acted in more than 80 films and TV shows. She even worked with the legendary Charlie Chaplin in his last film, A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). For her work in movies, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Besides acting, Hedren is a dedicated animal rights activist. After a trip to Africa in 1969, she became passionate about protecting lions. This led her to create the Shambala Preserve, a large wildlife habitat in California for lions and tigers. She also helped Vietnamese-American women start successful nail salons in the United States.
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Early Life and Modeling
Nathalie Kay Hedren was born in New Ulm, Minnesota, on January 19, 1930. Her family was of Swedish, German, and Norwegian descent. As a teenager, she modeled for department stores.
When she was 20, Hedren moved to New York City to become a professional model. She was very successful and appeared on the covers of many major magazines. After her first marriage ended, she moved back to California with her daughter, Melanie Griffith.
Acting Career
Discovery by Alfred Hitchcock
In 1961, a famous director named Alfred Hitchcock saw Hedren in a TV commercial for a diet drink. He was so impressed that he signed her to a seven-year movie contract.
Hitchcock trained Hedren to be an actress. He had her practice scenes from his older movies and even helped choose her clothes. He wanted her to be a big star. After weeks of training, he offered her the lead role in his next big movie, The Birds. Hedren was so surprised and happy that she cried.
The Birds (1963)
The Birds was Hedren's first major film role. She played Melanie Daniels, a woman who finds herself in a town that is being attacked by birds. Hitchcock taught her everything about filmmaking during the production.
Filming the movie was very challenging. For the final attack scene, the crew had to use real birds. For five days, gulls, ravens, and crows were carefully flung towards her. It was an exhausting and difficult experience, but Hedren's performance was praised by critics. She won a Golden Globe Award for being the most promising new actress of the year.
Marnie (1964)
Hitchcock was so happy with Hedren's work that he cast her as the star of his next film, Marnie (1964). In this movie, she played a troubled young woman with a secret past. Hedren loved the role because it was very complex and interesting.
Marnie was Hedren's favorite of the two films she made with Hitchcock because of the acting challenge. At the time, some people found the movie's story shocking. Today, many critics consider it a masterpiece, and her performance is seen as one of the best in any Hitchcock film.
A Difficult Partnership
Although they made great films together, Hedren and Hitchcock had a difficult relationship. Hitchcock was very controlling and possessive of her. He tried to control who she saw and what she did in her private life.
During the filming of Marnie, his behavior became worse. Hedren felt isolated from the rest of the cast and crew. She finally told Hitchcock that she would not work with him again after the movie was finished.
Hitchcock was angry and told her he would ruin her career. Because of her contract, he was able to stop her from taking roles in other movies for almost two years. This greatly slowed down her career. Years later, Hedren said she could separate the great director from the difficult man. "He ruined my career, but he didn't ruin my life," she said.
Later Film and TV Work
After her contract with Hitchcock ended, Hedren starred in A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), directed by the famous Charlie Chaplin. She later appeared in many different movies and TV shows.
In the 1990s, she had a role in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and appeared in the movie Pacific Heights with her daughter, Melanie. She also had a fun role in the comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004). In 2018, at age 88, she became a model for Gucci watches and jewelry.
Animal Activism and Shambala
Hedren's life changed forever when she filmed two movies in Africa in 1969. She saw the difficult situation of African lions and wanted to help. This inspired her and her husband at the time, Noel Marshall, to make the movie Roar (1981).
Making the Movie Roar
To make Roar, Hedren and her family decided to live with and raise their own lions and tigers. They started with one lion cub at their home in Los Angeles. Soon, they had so many big cats that they bought a large ranch in Acton, California.
Filming Roar was incredibly dangerous. The movie used over 150 untrained lions, tigers, and other animals. Many cast and crew members, including Hedren and her family, were injured during the production. Hedren broke her leg, and her daughter Melanie was also hurt. The movie took 11 years and cost $17 million to make, but it was not a box office success.
The Shambala Preserve
Even though the movie was not a success, it led to Hedren's most important work. In 1983, she started The Roar Foundation, a nonprofit organization to care for the animals from the film. This led to the creation of the Shambala Preserve on the land where they filmed.
Shambala is a sanctuary for about 70 big cats, including lions, tigers, and leopards. Many of the animals were rescued from circuses or private owners who could not care for them. Hedren lives at the preserve and has dedicated her life to caring for these animals and teaching the public about wildlife preservation.
Personal Life
Hedren has been married three times. Her first husband was Peter Griffith, and together they had one daughter, actress Melanie Griffith. Her granddaughter is actress Dakota Johnson.
In 1975, Hedren helped a group of Vietnamese women who had come to the U.S. as refugees. She noticed they admired her nails, so she brought in her own manicurist to teach them how to do nails. This helped start the trend of Vietnamese-American nail salons across the country.
In February 2024, it was reported that Hedren is living with dementia.
Images for kids
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Hedren with Rod Taylor in The Birds (1963)
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Hedren with Noel Marshall in 1982
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Hedren on the set of The Birds II: Land's End (1994)
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Hedren in 2002
See also
In Spanish: Tippi Hedren para niños
