Hepburn, Katharine (1907-2003), was an American actress. She became famous for her distinctive voice and her roles as high-spirited, independent upper-class women in such films as The Philadelphia Story (1940). Hepburn was nominated for 12 Academy Awards. She won Academy Awards for best actress in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut. She made her film debut in 1932 in the melodrama A Bill of Divorcement. From 1942 to 1967, Hepburn made nine films with actor Spencer Tracy. The most popular of these include Adam’s Rib (1949) and Pat and Mike (1952). She portrayed spinsters in The African Queen (1951), Summertime (1955), and The Rainmaker (1956). Her other notable films include Little Women (1933), Alice Adams (1935), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Woman of the Year (1942), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), and Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962).
Hepburn made more than 40 theater films and several for television. She also appeared on the stage in a variety of plays. Hepburn died on June 29, 2003.
See also Tracy, Spencer .
