KATHARINE HEPBURN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Katharine Hepburn was born on May 12th, 1907 in Hartford, CT to parents Katharine Martha Houghton and Thomas Norval Hepburn.  Her father was a doctor and both parents were very strong-willed and intelligent.  She was one of five siblings, but sadly in 1921 lost one of her brothers, Tom, to possible suicide. 
 
Hepburn graduated high school and go on to attend university at Bryn Mawr College.  She met her first husband at college, Ludlow Ogden Smith.  She graduated in 1928 and married that same year, however the marriage only lasted six years.

It was at the university that Hepburn first became interested in theater arts.  She was involved in the school theater productions and after her senior year, she did two more amateur stage productions in Baltimore.
 
Hepburn decided if she was really going to pursue a career in acting, she needed to move where the action was.  She relocated to New York City and began her training as an actress.  Her first New York Production was "The Big Pond", but after her first night performing she was fired.

Her first real major Broadway role was in "The Warrior's Husband" (1932) and this marked her entrance into the industry when RKO pictures invited her to come to Hollywood.

Her film debut was in "A Bill of Divorcement" (1932) and she followed with that role with roles in "Christopher Strong" (1933) and "Morning Glory" (1933) for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. 

She briefly went back to New York as the lead in the Broadway stage production "The Lake" (1933), but the show failed miserably and she quickly returned to Hollywood where she worked on a variety of films, some better than others. The public was just not paying to see her films and box office sales for films she starred in were suffering.

Hepburn decided to take another chance on stage back in New York starring in the play "The Philadelphia Story" (1939) which was written by playwright Philip Barry specifically for Hepburn.  Luckily this play was a huge success and being the smart, strong-willed, business-minded woman she was, Hepburn owned the rights to the play.  When Louis B. Mayer and MGM bought the play to turn into a film, Hepburn was guaranteed the lead.  The film was also a huge success, earning her another Academy Award nomination.

Hepburn went on next to star with Spencer Tracy in "Woman of the Year" (1942).  Together they would end up working on nine films together and have an intimate relationship for 27 years.  Katharine continued to pursue her career on film and on the stage and received a total of seven Academy Award nominations, and won two Oscars for Best Actress, for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) alongside Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier and for her role in "The Lion in Winter" (1968). 

Starring with the legendary John Wayne, Katharine had another memorable role in "Rooster Cogburn" (1975).

Her stage career continued with roles in four Shakespearean productions in Stratford, CT and a role in the Broadway musical "Coco" which was quite successful. 

She also  took her acting career to television with roles in several TV movies such as "Love Among the Ruins" (1975) and won an Emmy Award.  In the 80's she returned to film, starring in "On Golden Pond" (1981) with Henry Fonda, and won her fourth Academy Award for Best Actress.  Her last film appearance was in 1984 in "Love Affair". 

Katharine Hepburn retired from acting and continued to live an active life.  She passed away on June 29th, 2003 in her home in Old Saybrook, CT.  In 1979 she had been awarded the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and also published an autobiography in 1991 titled "Me: Stories of My Life".  She had numerous relationships throughout her lifetime, but her relationship with Spencer Tracy was the most meaningful.  Her persona on and off camera makes her a memorable actress from the 20th Century. 
 

Filmography

1932  A Bill of Divorcement
1933  Christopher Strong
1933  Morning Glory
1933  Little Women
1934  Spitfire
1934  The Little Minister
1935  Break of Hearts
1936  Alice Adams
1936  Sylvia Scarlett
1936  Mary of Scotland
1936  A Woman Rebels
1937  Quality Street
1937  Stage Door
1938  Bringing Up Baby
1938  Holiday
1940  The Philadelphia Story
1942  Woman of the Year
1942  Keeper of the Flame
1943  Stage Door Canteen
1944  Dragon Seed
1945  Without Love
1946  Undercurrent
1947  The Sea of Grass
1947  Song of Love
1948  State of the Union
1949  Adam's Rib
1951  The African Queen
1952  Pat and Mike
1955  Summertime
1956  The Rainmaker
1956  The Iron Petticoat
1957  Desk Set
1959  Suddenly, Last Summer
1962  Long Day's Journey Into Night
1967  Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
1968  The Lion in Winter
1969  The Madwoman of Chaillot
1971  The Trojan Women
1973  A Delicate Balance
1975  Rooster Cogburn
1978  Olly, Olly, Oxen Free
1981  On Golden Pond
1984  George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey  
1985  Grace Quigley
1994  Love Affair