Katharine Hepburn

Acting • Born 1907-05-12 – Died 2003-06-29

Acting1Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Biography

Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. A recipient of a record four Academy Awards and an Emmy Award, she was ranked as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute. She was best known for her sophisticated, headstrong and outspoken screen persona that she cultivated through roles in a variety of film genres — from screwball comedies to literary dramas. Apart from her acclaimed acting and distinctive voice, her impact extended to fashion as well as she helped make wearing pants more socially acceptable for women. Throughout her six-decade career, Hepburn's work in stage, film, and television brought her much acclaim — including twelve Academy Award nominations, six Emmy Award nominations, eight Golden Globe Award nominations, and two Tony Award nominations. She co-starred with screen legends like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier and Henry Fonda and performed in plays written and directed by notable playwrights and directors. Her most successful film pairing was with Spencer Tracy, with whom she made multiple hit pictures. The last of their 9 films together was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), which was completed shortly before Tracy's death. Her many performances on the stage included plays by Shakespeare and Shaw, and a Broadway musical. She passed away from cardiac arrest on 29 June 2003 at her family home in Connecticut and since then, has been honored with several memorials.

Filmography

109 credits

Bringing Up Baby

Movie • 1938

Susan Vance

The Philadelphia Story

Movie • 1940

Tracy Lord

The African Queen

Movie • 1952

Rose Sayer

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Movie • 1967

Christina Drayton

Woman of the Year

Movie • 1942

Tess Harding

Desk Set

Movie • 1957

Bunny Watson

On Golden Pond

Movie • 1981

Ethel Thayer

In Search of Tracy Lord

Movie • 2017

Self (archive footage)

Sylvia Scarlett

Movie • 1935

Sylvia Scarlett

Broadway's Lost Treasures II

Movie • 2004

Coco Chanel (segment "Coco")

Without Love

Movie • 1945

Jamie Rowan

Morning Glory

Movie • 1933

Eva Lovelace

Adam's Rib

Movie • 1949

Amanda Bonner

Keeper of the Flame

Movie • 1943

Christine Forrest

Pat and Mike

Movie • 1952

Patricia "Pat" Pemberton

State of the Union

Movie • 1948

Mary Matthews

Early Directors on Directing

Movie • 2009

Self

The Iron Petticoat

Movie • 1956

Captain Vinka Kovalenko

Suddenly, Last Summer

Movie • 1959

Violet Venable

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Movie • 1962

Mary Tyrone

The Rainmaker

Movie • 1956

Lizzie Curry

Stage Door

Movie • 1937

Terry Randall

Christopher Strong

Movie • 1933

Lady Cynthia Darrington

Mary of Scotland

Movie • 1936

Mary Stuart

The Little Minister

Movie • 1934

Barbara 'Babbie'

Alice Adams

Movie • 1935

Alice Adams

Becoming Cary Grant

Movie • 2017

Self (archive footage)

Love Affair

Movie • 1994

Ginny

Undercurrent

Movie • 1946

Ann Hamilton

Holiday

Movie • 1938

Linda Seton

Stage Door Canteen

Movie • 1943

Katharine Hepburn

A Delicate Balance

Movie • 1973

Agnes

Spitfire

Movie • 1934

Trigger Hicks

Rooster Cogburn

Movie • 1975

Eula Goodnight

Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell

Movie • 1995

Self

The Trojan Women

Movie • 1971

Hecuba

Little Women

Movie • 1933

The Lion in Winter

Movie • 1968

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Call Me Kate

Movie • 2023

Self (archive footage)

Summertime

Movie • 1955

Jane Hudson

Quality Street

Movie • 1937

Phoebe Throssel

A Bill of Divorcement

Movie • 1932

Sydney Fairfield

The Glass Menagerie

Movie • 1973

Amanda Wingfield

Grace Quigley

Movie • 1985

Grace Quigley

The Sea of Grass

Movie • 1947

Lutie Cameron Brewton

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

Movie • 1972

Self (archive footage)

A Woman Rebels

Movie • 1936

Pamela 'Pam' Thistlewaite

Dragon Seed

Movie • 1944

Jade Tan

Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry

Movie • 1986

Margaret Delafield

Love Among the Ruins

Movie • 1976

Jessica Medlicott

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Movie • 2018

Self (archive footage)

Break of Hearts

Movie • 1935

Constance Dane Roberti

Song of Love

Movie • 1947

Clara Wieck Schumann

One Christmas

Movie • 1994

Cornelia Beaumont

The Madwoman of Chaillot

Movie • 1969

Contessa Aurelia

The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story

Movie • 1996

Self (voice) (uncredited)

The Corn Is Green

Movie • 1979

Miss Lilly Moffat

Olly Olly Oxen Free

Movie • 1978

Miss Pudd

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

Movie • 2019

(archive footage)

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

Movie • 2021

Self (archive footage)

Laura Lansing Slept Here

Movie • 1988

Laura Lansing

The Man Upstairs

Movie • 1992

Victoria Brown

This Can't Be Love

Movie • 1994

Marion Bennett

Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues

Movie • 1988

Self