Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was a notable American film actress who was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Educated at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, Hepburn received her degree in 1928 and debuted on Broadway that same year in Night Hostess. In 1932 her screen-test for RKO gained her a role in the George Cukor film A Bill of Divorcement (1932), playing opposite John Barrymore. Hepburn won her first Academy Award in 1933 and won three more Oscars and eight additional nominations over the rest of her career.

In Woman of the Year (1942), she made her first of nine appearances opposite Spencer Tracy, launching one of Hollywood's most famous romances, which chemistry continued on-screen as well through Adam's Rib and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Though they were together until Tracy's death in 1967, the couple never married - reportedly because Tracy, a devout Catholic, would not divorce his wife. Hepburn had previously married and divorced Ludlow Ogden Smith (who changed his name to Ogden Ludlow, so that his bride would not have to be known as Kate Smith) and had long-term relationships with Leland Hayward and Howard Hughes.

Her autobiography, , was published in 1991. She died on June 29, 2003 at 2:50 p.m., at Fenwick, the Hepburn family home, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. She was 96.

Table of contents

1 Stage Work
2 Filmography
3 Further reading

Stage Work

These Days - 1928
Art and Mrs. Bottle - 1930
The Warrior's Husband - 1932
The Lake - 1933
The Philadelphia Story - 1939
Without Love - 1942
\As You Like It - 1950
The Millionairess - 1952
The Merchant of Venice; Measure for Measure; The Taming of the Shrew - 1955, On tour in Australia with the Old Vic
The Merchant of Venice; Much Ado About Nothing - 1957, Stratford, Connecticut Shakespeare Theatre
Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night - 1960, Stratford, Connecticut Shakespeare Theatre
Coco - 1969
A Matter of Gravity - 1976
The West Side Waltz - 1981

Filmography

A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
Christopher Strong (1933)
Morning Glory (1933) -- Academy Award for Best Actress
Little Women (1933)
Spitfire (1934)
The Little Minister (1934)
Break of Hearts (1935)
Alice Adams (1935) -- Best Actress nomination
Sylvia Scarlett (1936)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
A Woman Rebels (1936)
Quality Street (1937)
Stage Door (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Holiday (1938)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) -- Best Actress nomination
Woman of the Year (1942) -- Best Actress nomination
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Dragon Seed (1944)
Without Love (1945)
Undercurrent (1946)
The Sea of Grass (1947)
Song of Love (1947)
State of the Union (1948)
Adam's Rib (1949)
The African Queen (1951) -- Best Actress nomination
Pat and Mike (1952)
Summertime (1955) -- Best Actress nomination
The Rainmaker (1956) -- Best Actress nomination
The Iron Petticoat (1956)
Desk Set (1957)
Suddenly Last Summer (1959) -- Best Actress nomination
A Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) -- Best Actress nomination
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) -- Academy Award for Best Actress
The Lion in Winter (1968) -- Academy Award for Best Actress
The Madwoman of Chaillot
The Trojan Women (1971)
A Delicate Balance (1974)
Rooster Cogburn (1975)
Olly Olly Oxen Free (1978)
On Golden Pond (1981) -- Academy Award for Best Actress
The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (1985)
Love Affair (1994)