- Katharine Hepburn was a famous actress
- She starred in many films back in the day
- Learn more about her impressive career highlights in memoriam
Gorgeous Katharine Hepburn was born May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut to an impressively progressive family. Her mother was a strong feminist advocating for Woman's Suffrage and birth control while her father also fought for social change and educated the public on venereal disease.
Katharine Hepburn's Rise To Fame
As a young actress, she worked hard in many smaller theater productions and was even fired off a few sets which did not discourage her, if anything it encouraged her to hone her craft even more, which greatly paid off! After her first lead Broadway debut in The Warrior's Husband, Hepburn was cast in the RKO film A Bill Of Divorcement.
In 1933 Katharine starred in Morning Glory for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress! After this, she had a few setbacks in her career, including a somewhat poor reputation for a bit of an attitude and earned the nickname "Katharine of Arrogance."
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Having learned from her setbacks she worked to earn her way back into good grace in Hollywood and worked alongside hunky Cary Grant for the first time in the screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, but unfortunately did not receive the accolades she expected.
So in 1939 bold Katharine took her career into her own hands and bought herself out of her RKO contract and getting the rights to the stage play The Philadelphia Story and sold on the condition that she be the star of the show. The move fared well for her as she chose the director and cast James Stewart and Cary Grant in the film as well, Stewart even won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for the role!
Katharine Hepburn's Hollywood Career
She went on to star in Woman of the Year alongside her future husband Spencer Tracy. The two would continue to work side by side on many films and on stage like Adam's Rib and Pat and Mike.
Katharine starred in The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart. She continued to woo audiences on stage for years like in The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, and Measure for Measure.
Tragically, her husband actor Spencer Tracy died a mere 17 days after filming their last scene together in 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
She continued to work hard after his passing, landing roles alongside Lawrence of Arabia's Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter and The Glass Menagerie in 1973. She received glowing reviews for her performance alongside Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond in 1981 and the 1984 comedy with Nick Nolte Grace Quigley.
Brave Katharine continued to work until only a few years before her passing on June 29th, 2003. Her work is still cherished to this day and set high standards for all who followed in her footsteps.
