At 95, Tippi Hedren remains a symbol of grace, resilience, and compassion. Born Nathalie Kay Hedren in Minnesota in 1930, she began as a model before Alfred Hitchcock discovered her in 1961. He cast her in The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964), roles that launched her career but also exposed her to his controlling, obsessive behavior. “He ruined my career, but he didn’t ruin my life,” she later said.
After Hollywood, Hedren devoted herself to animal welfare. In 1983, she founded the Shambala Preserve, an 80-acre sanctuary for lions, tigers, and leopards, and became known for her dedication to protecting big cats. Her final acting credit was in 2017, but her legacy lives on through both her films and her activism.
“I have done almost everything I wanted to do,” Hedren has said. A survivor of Hollywood’s darker side, she is celebrated not only as a star but as a woman of courage and compassion.