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Born – Katherine Houghton Hepburn,
9 November
1907,
Hartford
,
Connecticut
.
Married
1 –
Ludlow
Ogden
Smith
(1928-1934)
Died
-
29 June 2003 from natural causes in Old Saybrook,
Connecticut, USA.
Katherine began acting in amateur productions at age
12. She made her film debut in 1932,
the first of a long succession of memorable film appearances that
won her four Academy Awards and eight nominations. In 1934 she received a
Best Actress Award from the Venice
Festival, for ‘Little
Woman.’ From the moment that she arrived in Hollywood
. Katherine projected an image quite different
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from that of the usual
Hollywood
star. Katherine was rebellious, this gave her
career, of course, a very special interest in relation to feminism: both
on and off screen. Her persona frequently dealt with the socially
constructed norms of masculinity and femininity.
Her greatest success came in the Broadway productions, and the 1940 film
version of ‘The
Philadelphia
Story.’ The film version broke
attendance records and brought Katherine the
New York
Critics Award. She
received a Rosette Award for
“her unique qualities of understanding, diction and movement; and for
winning two Oscars thirty
years after being declared box-office poison.”
Her next film ‘Woman of the Year’ brought into her life the man who was to become
a lifelong intimate friend, Spencer
Tracy. Extreme opposites in background, taste, and acting
techniques, yet both strong-willed and eccentric by
Hollywood
standards, they formed a most remarkable screen team
in nine films.
In
1962 she won the Best Actress Award at the
Cannes
Film Festival. She
wasn’t to make another film or stage appearance for the next five
years, during which she spent much time with the ailing
Tracy
. In 1967 Katherine and Spencer were reunited on the
screen for the last time in ‘Guess
Who’s Coming to Dinner.’
She won her forth Academy
Award and the BAFTA Award
for her performance in the 1981 film ‘On
Golden Pond.’
Trivia:
Graduated from
Bryn
Mawr
College
,
Bryn Mawr
,
PA
in 1928, with a BA in Drama.
-
(October 1997) Ranked #68 in Empire
(UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
-
She was nearly decapitated by an
aeroplane propeller when she was rushing about an airport, avoiding the
press.
-
(June 1999) Ranked #1 woman in the
AFI's '50 greatest movie legends'.
-
September 1999 - Katherine was named
Best Classic Actress of the 20th Century in an Entertainment Weekly
on-line poll, just barely (21.5% to 20.6%) beating out runner-up Audrey
Hepburn.
-
Received the most Oscar nominations (12) and the most
Oscar wins (4) in an acting category in history.
-
Has never watched
‘Guess
Who's Coming to Dinner’ because it was Spencer Tracy's last film.
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Kathryn did not suffer from Parkinson
disease. Quote: "Now to
squash a rumour. No, I don't have Parkinson’s. I inherited my shaking
head from my grandfather Hepburn. I discovered that whisky helps stop
the shaking. Problem is, if you're not careful, it stops the rest of you
too . My head just shakes,
but I promise you, it ain't gonna fall off!"
-
Little photo from Players cigarette
cards.
Personal Quotations:
“ I was fortunate to be born
with a set of characteristics that were in the public vogue. I’ve had
a fascinating life. I don’t think I ‘m the least peculiar, but
people tell me I am.” "I
don't regret anything I've ever done; As long as I enjoyed it at the
time."
During a career spanning 62 years
Katherine appeared in 60 films.
Featured in the following collective films:
1933 Little
Woman with Joan Bennett
1933
Morning Glory with Adolphe
Menjou AA best actress
1932 Spitfire with Leslie
Howard
1933 Sylvia Scarlett with
Cary
Grant
1937
Quality Street
with Franchot
Tone
1938
Brining Up Baby with Cary
Grant
1938
Holiday
with Cary
Grant
1940 The
Philadelphia Story with Cary
Grant. AAN
best actress
1942
Keeper of the Flame with Spencer
Tracy
1943
Stage Door Canteen with Cheryl
Walker
1945
Without Love with Spencer
Tracy
1949
Adam’s Rib with Spencer
Tracy
1951
The African Queen with Humphrey
Bogart. AAN best actress
1967
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner with Spencer
Tracy. AA best actress
1975 Rooster Cogburn with John
Wayne
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