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Katharine Hepburn
Sun 23rd Nov - 9:00PM


Katharine Hepburn biography
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[h3]Katherine Hepburn was the daughter of Dr. Thomas Norval Hepburn, a successful urologist from Virginia, and Katharine Martha Houghton, a suffragette.[/h3]

From an early age her parents encouraged Katherine to speak her mind, develop it fully, and exercise her body to its full potential.

Tragedy struck in 1921, when Hepburn found her older brother Tom, whom she worshipped, hanging from the rafters of the attic by a rope, dead of an apparent suicide. Her family denied that it was self-inflicted, arguing that he had been a happy boy. They insisted that it must have been an experimentation gone awry. It has also been speculated that the boy was trying to carry out a trick that he learned from his father.

Katherine was devastated by his death and sank into a deep depression. She shied away from children her own age and was mostly schooled at home. For many years she used Tom's birthday (November 8) as her own.

Katharine was involved in the theatre before arriving in Hollywood in 1932, when her first film, 'A Bill Of Divorcement', showed her to be an intelligent and compelling screen presence.

In 1933 she quickly secured roles in 'Morning Glory' and 'Little Women'. Her portrayal of Jo in the latter won her an Oscar, a taste of things to come.

At this point in her career she worked at a great pace. One of the most enduring films of her output at this time was the madcap comedy, 'Bringing Up Baby'. This saw her work extremely successfully in partnership with Carey Grant.

In 1939 Katharine returned to Broadway to star in 'The Philadelphia Story'. She secured her role in the onscreen version, which also starred James Stewart. Following swiftly on came another success, 'Woman Of The Year'. Spencer Tracey first shared the screen with Katharine in this picture.

Her on and off screen relationship with Tracey lasted until his death. The last film they were in together was 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner', which earned Hepburn another Oscar.

She started to make films at a less breakneck speed from the late 1940s, with one of her most memorable films, 'The African Queen', directed by John Huston in 1951. Her performance was complemented by that of unlikely companion, Humphrey Bogart.

The seventies saw Katharine make some notable television appearances. 'Love Among The Ruins' of 1975 saw her act alongside Laurence Olivier; she was also acclaimed in the television version of 'The Glass Menagerie'.

'On Golden Pond', in 1981, saw her twelfth Oscar nomination and fourth Best Actress win.

In 1994 she made her last film 'This Can't Be Love', and in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked her the greatest actress of all time.

Katharine Hepburn died aged 96, in the Connecticut home in which she was born, on 29th June 2003.
Katharine Hepburn biography



- Admitted to using her brother's birthdate as her own for years.

- She used to walk around the studio in her underwear in the early 1930s when the costume department stole her slacks from her dressing room. She refused to put anything else on until they were returned!

- She was nearly decapitated by an aeroplane propeller when she was rushing about an airport trying to avoid the press.

- She was ranked the No.1 woman in the AFI's '50 greatest movie legends' in June 1999.
Katharine Hepburn biography



One Christmas (1994)

Love Affair (1994)

Grace Quigley (1984)

On Golden Pond (1981)

Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)

Rooster Cogburn (1975)

A Delicate Balance (1973)

The Trojan Women (1971)

The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)

The Lion in Winter(1968)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Desk Set (1957)

The Iron Petticoat (1956)

The Rainmaker(1956)

Summertime (1955)

Pat and Mike (1952)

The African Queen (1951)

Adam's Rib (1949)

State of the Union (1948)

Song of Love (1947)

The Sea of Grass (1947)

Undercurrent (1946)

Without Love (1945)

Dragon Seed (1944)

Keeper of the Flame (1942)

Woman of the Year (1942)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Holiday (1938)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Stage Door (1937)

Quality Street (1937)

A Woman Rebels (1936)

Mary of Scotland (1936)

Sylvia Scarlett (1935)

Alice Adams (1935)

Break of Hearts (1935)

The Little Minister (1934)

Spitfire (1934)

Little Women (1933)

Morning Glory (1933)

Christopher Strong (1933)

A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
Katharine Hepburn biography




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