Katharine Hepburn
American actress with a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, and died on June 29, 2003, at age 96. She acted as a leading woman on stage and screen for six decades. Onscreen, she often played strong-willed, sophisticated women, reflecting her own reputation for being headstrong, spirited, and outspoken. Her work ranged from screwball comedies to literary dramas. She won a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress, along with two BAFTAs and a Primetime Emmy, and was nominated for two Tonys, two Grammys, and eight Golden Globes.
Hepburn grew up in Connecticut with progressive parents. Her father was a urologist, and her mother was a feminist who campaigned for women’s suffrage and birth control. As a child, Hepburn joined her mother at “Votes For Women” rallies. The family encouraged free speech and debate, and Hepburn later credited her upbringing for her success. She was a tomboy who called herself Jimmy, cut her hair short, and excelled at sports—especially golf, in which she reached the semifinals of the Connecticut Young Women’s Golf Championship. She also loved swimming and took ice-cold baths daily. She began putting on plays for neighbors as a child, charging 50 cents a ticket to raise money for the Navajo.
When Hepburn was 13, her older brother Tom died by suicide, a trauma that made her nervous and withdrawn. She left school and was tutored privately. For years she used Tom’s birthday as her own, only revealing her true birth date in her 1991 autobiography. She attended Bryn Mawr College at her mother’s urging but found the experience unfulfilling.
Hepburn started acting at Bryn Mawr and got favorable reviews on Broadway, which led to Hollywood. Her third film, *Morning Glory* (1933), won her an Academy Award. But a string of commercial failures followed, including the critically praised but box-office flop *Bringing Up Baby* (1938). She made a comeback by buying out her RKO contract and acquiring the film rights to *The Philadelphia Story*, which she sold on the condition that she star in it. The film was a hit and earned her a third Oscar nomination. In the 1940s, she worked at MGM, where her career became linked with Spencer Tracy. Their screen partnership lasted 26 years and produced nine films.
Later in life, Hepburn performed in Shakespearean plays and took on literary roles. She found a niche playing mature, independent, often unmarried or widowed women—such as in *The African Queen* (1951)—a persona audiences loved. She won three more Oscars for *Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner* (1967), *The Lion in Winter* (1968), and *On Golden Pond* (1981). In the 1970s, she began acting in television films, which became her main focus. She made her final screen appearance at age 87. After a period of inactivity and ill health, she died in 2003.
Hepburn famously avoided Hollywood publicity and refused to conform to societal expectations of women. She was outspoken, assertive, and athletic, and wore pants before it was fashionable. She married once, as a young woman, but lived independently afterward. Her unconventional lifestyle and the independent characters she played made her a symbol of the “modern woman” in 20th-century America and helped change popular perceptions of women. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema.
- born
- May 12, 1907, Hartford, Connecticut
- died
- June 29, 2003, age 96
- field
- Actress
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Four Academy Awards for Best Actress; iconic screen persona of strong-willed, independent women; partnership with Spencer Tracy
Lore & Background
Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the second of six children. Her father was a urologist and her mother a feminist campaigner who headed the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association. As a child, Hepburn joined her mother on 'Votes For Women' demonstrations. She was a tomboy who called herself Jimmy, cut her hair short, and became adept at golf, reaching the semi-final of the Connecticut Young Women's Golf Championship. In March 1921, at age 13, she discovered the body of her older brother Tom, who had died from an apparent suicide; the family denied it was suicide. The incident made her nervous and moody, and she was tutored privately for years. She later used her brother's birthday as her own until her 1991 autobiography revealed her true birth date.
Hepburn attended Bryn Mawr College, where she began acting in college plays. After graduating in 1928, she pursued a theatrical career. Her early Broadway work included a role in These Days, which closed after eight nights, and she was fired from several productions. In 1932, favorable reviews of her Broadway work brought her to Hollywood. Her third film, Morning Glory (1933), won her an Academy Award for Best Actress, but a series of commercial failures followed, culminating in the critically lauded box office failure Bringing Up Baby (1938). She made a comeback by buying out her contract with RKO and acquiring the film rights to The Philadelphia Story, which she sold on condition that she star. That film was a box office success and earned her a third Academy Award nomination.
In the 1940s, Hepburn was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her career focused on an alliance with Spencer Tracy; the screen partnership spanned 26 years and produced nine films. Later in life, she acted in Shakespearean stage productions and literary roles, finding a niche playing mature, independent women such as in The African Queen (1951). She received three more Academy Awards for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). In the 1970s, she began appearing in television films, which later became her focus. She made her final screen appearance at age 87 and died in 2003 at age 96.
Reader's Guide
Katharine Hepburn is significant for her record four Academy Awards for Best Actress, a feat unmatched in acting categories. She cultivated a screen persona of headstrong independence and regularly played strong-willed, sophisticated women, which matched her public image. Hepburn shunned the Hollywood publicity machine and refused to conform to societal expectations of women; she wore pants before it was fashionable, was outspoken and athletic, and lived independently after a brief early marriage. With her unconventional lifestyle and the independent characters she brought to the screen, she came to epitomize the 'modern woman' in 20th-century America and influenced changing popular perceptions of women. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema. Her career spanned six decades and a varied range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and her partnership with Spencer Tracy produced nine films over 26 years.
Did You Know?
- Hepburn discovered the body of her older brother Tom in March 1921; the family denied it was suicide and maintained it was an experiment that went wrong.
- She used her brother Tom's birthday (November 8) as her own for many years, only revealing her true birth date in her 1991 autobiography.
- Hepburn made her comeback by buying out her contract with RKO Radio Pictures and acquiring the film rights to The Philadelphia Story, which she sold on condition that she star.
- She was named the greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute in 1999.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Katharine Hepburn?
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1907, who built a legendary career spanning roughly sixty years across theater and cinema. She became one of the most recognizable leading ladies of Hollywood, celebrated for her sharp wit, towering independence, and refusal to conform to studio expectations.
How many Best Actress Oscars did Katharine Hepburn win?
She holds the all-time record with four Academy Awards for Best Actress, a mark no other performer has matched. Over the course of her career she also collected two BAFTAs and a Primetime Emmy.
What kind of roles was Katharine Hepburn famous for?
Hepburn built her screen identity around bold, intellectually sharp, and fiercely independent women who defied the conventions of their era. Her range stretched from zippy screwball comedies to deeply literary dramatic adaptations, but her signature was always that unapologetic, self-possessed energy.
Who was Katharine Hepburn's most iconic on-screen partner?
Her long creative and personal partnership with Spencer Tracy produced some of the most beloved films of the 1940s and 1950s. Their chemistry became a defining element of both their careers, even though they never married.
When did Katharine Hepburn pass away?
Hepburn died on June 29, 2003, at the age of 96. Her passing marked the close of an era in American cinema, ending a career that had shaped the industry for nearly seven decades.
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