Tippi Hedren

Tippi Hedren (born January 19, 1931 in New Ulm, Minnesota) is an American actress. She was discovered by Alfred Hitchcock who saw her while she was doing a diet drink commercial. He was looking for an actress who looked like Grace Kelly. Hedren appeared in The Birds and Marnie for Hitchcock.

Early life

Hedren was born of a Swedish father and a German-Norwegian mother. Her father gave her the moniker "Tippi" even though her birth name is Nathalie Hedren. "My father thought Nathalie was a little bit much for a brand new baby," Hedren remembered at a 2004 screening of The Birds. Tippi comes from the Swedish nickname "Tupsa," or "sweetheart."

Related Topics:
Swedish - German - Norwegian - Swedish

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As a teenager, Hedren took part in department store fashion shows. Her parents relocated to California while she was still a student in high school. As soon as she had her 18th birthday, she bought a ticket to New York and started her professional modeling career. Within a year she made her movie debut as one of the Petty Girls in the musical comedy The Petty Girl (1950), although in interviews she refers to The Birds as her first film. While in New York, she met and married her first husband, Peter Griffith, in 1952. 1

Related Topics:
Department store - California - High school - New York - Peter Griffith

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