Katharine Hepburn

American actress. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, into a distinguished New England family; her mother was a suffragist and birth control campaigner and her father was a surgeon. On graduating from Bryn Mawr College in 1928, Kate married businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith. They divorced April 30, 1933.

Kate made her professional debut in the play The Czarina in 1928 in Baltimor. Afterwards, she appeared in summer stock and on Broadway. In 1932 she accepted a film contract with RKO and was an immediate success in A Bill of Divorcement, directed by George Cukor. During the 1930's she made many films including Morning Glory (1933) which won her first Academy Award, and Little Women (1933), but her most memorable were the comedies with Cary Grant, such as Bringing Up Baby (1938). She was not, however, popular with the general public and her independent character led her to be branded box office poison in the late thirties. She brought her talents to Broadway in The Philadelphia Story which was written specially for her by Philip Barry. The play was such a hit that Hollywood again came beckoning. The film was an even bigger hit than the play, and once again Kate was back on top.

During the filming of Woman of the Year (1942) she met Spencer Tracy, and their love affair, lasting 27 years, became a respected open secret in Hollywood. They appeared together in nine films, the last being Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, released a few weeks before Tracy's death in 1976.

Hepburn's film career, meanwhile, had highlights such as The African Queen (1951), Suddenly Last Summer (1962), and Long Day's Journey into Night (1962). The latter and The Lion in Winter (1969) provided two more Academy Awards. She also starred on stage in several Shakespearian roles during the 1950's, such as Rosalind, Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew,and Portia. In 1970 and 1971, she toured with the musical Coco, based on the life of Coco Chanel. In 1981, she appeared with Henry and Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond, for which she won her fourth Academy Award.

In addition to appearing on film, TV, and Broadway, Katharine Hepburn is a best selling author. She has written The Making of the African Queen and Me (1991). Her last feature film was Love Affair (1994), with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, and her last TV- film was One Christmas (1994) (TV). With her health declining she retired from public life in the mid-nineties. She died at the age of 96 in 2003 at her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Hepburn's career was remarkable for the independence and strength she revealed on screen, for her dealings with the studios, and for the protection of her private life.