Which actress played Natasha Rostova in the 1956 film War and Peace?

Audrey Hepburn played Natasha Rostova in the 1956 film War and Peace. Directed by King Vidor, the epic adaptation cast Hepburn as Tolstoy’s lively, impulsive young heroine opposite Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezukhov and Mel Ferrer as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.

The film was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti and released by Paramount in the United States. Its screenplay condenses Tolstoy’s enormous novel into a 208-minute production, focusing on the intertwined lives of the Rostovs, Bezukhovs and Bolkonskys during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia.

Hepburn’s casting was significant beyond the performance itself. Jean Simmons had reportedly been an earlier favorite for Natasha, but Hepburn accepted a record salary of $350,000 and gained creative control over several aspects of production. She also helped bring in designer Hubert de Givenchy and facilitated the casting of her then-husband Mel Ferrer as Andrei. The film’s score was composed by Nino Rota.