Show me an actress who isn't a personality, and you'll show me a woman who isn't a star.

On Sunday, June 29 2003, Katharine Hepburn died at the age of 96. Her career went through an astounding seven decades. She was arguably the most honored actress in Hollywood ever, with an incredible four Oscars for best actress. Her image as a feminist is warranted, as she dressed for comfort and didn't conform to Hollywood's conventions. Her trademark auburn hair and high cheek bones made her highly recognizable.

Early Life

Katharine Hepburn was born May 12, 1907 in Connecticut. Her mother was a suffragette and her father a doctor. They both taught her to speak her mind. Later, Hepburn would embrace suffrage, and she would become famous for speaking her mind. She has been described as forthright and free thinking, this was probably because of the way she was raised.

Her brother died early when practicing a hanging trick that his father had taught him. Katharine found his body. She became very withdrawn after this, and was very shy around children her age. Mostly because of this, she was homeschooled.

For much of her early life, she wanted to be famous but didn't want to be an actress. When she attended Bryn Mawr College, she changed her mind about acting and appeared in several of their productions. In 1928, she graduated college and married Ludlow Ogden Smith¹. She also made her stage debut in Baltimore Mayland in a 1928 play.

Broadway

Soon after her graduation from college, Hepburn moved onto Broadway. Through the early 1930s, she had some small roles in the plays. She got her first major role in 1932 when she starred as an Amazon princess in A Warrior's Husband. After only a few short years on Broadway, she moved on to Hollywood.

Throughout the years, Katharine would return to Broadway periodically, especially when her film career slowed down. Her last performance in Broadway was in 1976, A Matter of Gravity.

Hollywood

She started in Hollywood on July 4th 1932. When she was on Broadway, she told her agent Leland Hayward to wait for 1,500 dollars a week salary before she would accept. Hepburn never dreamed that this would materialize, but it did.

David Selznick, an executive at RKO Radio², had been looking for a wild 'jungle like' actress, and Merian Cooper, a producer brought Hepburn from Broadway to the small RKO Radio. On her way to Hollywood, some iron filling got into her eye, and it was swollen shut. When her new agent Myron Selznick met her, she is rumoured to have said 'This is what they're paying 1,500 dollars a week for?'

She made six films from 1932 to 1934, the following are some of the milestones-

Three Came Unarmed

Her first role was supposed to be in the 1932 film Three Came Unarmed as an exotic girl, and Hepburn resented it. Unfortunately, production problems arose and production was cancelled. This was not to be her first film.

A Bill of Divorcement

Hepburn's first appearance in a film was the 1932 A Bill of Divorcement alongside John Barrymore. This film was a huge hit, but is best remembered as its debut of Katharine Hepburn. She starred as Sydney Fairchild, a young girl, and became well known almost immediately. Hepburn signed a contract for RKO almost as a direct result of this film.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory, in 1933 was one of her best performances, and it earned her her first Oscar for Best Actress. The role of Eva Lovelace mirrored her life in many ways, avoiding the 'casting couch³' and trying to break into Broadway. It's no surprise that she was awarded an Oscar.

Little Women

Little Women of 1933, a film adaptation of the novel was one of the most sucessful films of its day, and was Hepburn's biggest hit yet. This was her first major hit, actually. She played Jo March, a lead sister in the film.

Unconventional Behaviour

After making several sucessful films, stories began that told the audiences how unconventional Katharine was, and interpreted it as arrogance. She didn't wear makeup offscreen, didn't pose for photographs and didn't give interviews. (Later, this behaviour would be recognized as independence and she became an icon of feminism.) Audiences responded So she went back to Broadway in 1934 to star in The Lake.

Her Broadway career wasn't much better. The Lake bombed, and critics hated it, so Hepburn returned to Hollywood. She made five movies from 1935 to 1937. Break of Hearts did badly, as did Mary of Scotland and RKO executives started losing faith in Hepburn. The only gem in this period was Alice Adams in 1935, which inspired some confidence. However in 1936, Sylvia Scarlett lost a fortune for RKO, and she became known as 'box-office poison'.

A Comeback

Despite seemingly being beaten by Hollywood, Hepburn was determined to still become a sucess. She went back to Broadway and starred in The Philadelphia Story. She bought the rights to the play and when it became a hit, she mounted a comeback. She went back to Hollywood and used her rights to the play as leverage to chose the way the film was produced. She chose MGM as the production company, and they would produce several of her subsequent films. In 1940, the film version was released and did very well. She was no longer 'box-office poison'.

Spencer Tracy

In 1942, she starred in Woman of the Year opposite actor Spencer Tracy. This led to a eight more films alongside Tracy, until Tracy's death in 1967.

Tracy and Hepburn were one of the legendary romances of Hollywood. They were very close, but Hepburn remained Tracy's 'other woman' as he was married, and as a strict Roman Catholic, he didn't believe in divorce. It was unlikely that Hepburn would have married Tracy even if he had divorced. When she divorced her husband Ludlow Ogden, she declared that 'marraige was not a natual institution.'

Most of Hollywood knew of this affair, even Tracy's wife. It was something of a public secret. Hepburn says that she loved him and considered him her support, but Tracy wouldn't say that he loved her. He remained in him marraige, and Hepburn stayed as the other woman. She says that the first time she spoke with Tracy's wife was when she called Spencer's family, when he died in her home.

Later Years

She stopped being as prolific after the 1940s, but scored another major sucess in The African Queen. She did a few films occasionally during the 1950's, and apparently spent her time with her lover Spencer Tracy. In 1967, she made her eighth and final appearance with Tracy in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? which also won her an Academy Award for best actress. In 1968, Hepburn won her third Academy Award for best actress for A Lion in Winter.

In 1969, Hepburn made a triumphant return to Broadway with the musical Coco. Proving that she spoke her mind, during one performance, she stopped acting, dropped character and verbally attacked an audience member that kept taking pictures.

In 1975, Hepburn made her first television appearance by starring in the made for TV movie 'Love Among the Ruins'. This performance won an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Special Program.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hepburn starred in some films and television, always announcing that it would be her last appearance. In 1981, she got her fourth Oscar win for On a Golden Pond.

She suffered from a neurological disease, making her look very frail and shaky. In 1994, Hepburn appeared onscreen for the last time in the film Love Affair as an old grand-aunt.

A Legend Passes

Death will be a great relief... no more interviews

Katherine Hepburn won a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress, making her Oscar's most honoured lady. She also held the record for most nominations, 12 before Meryl Streep surpassed it. She was honoured recently as the number one female star by the American Film Institute. She wrote an autobiography in 1992 called 'Me: Stories of my Life'.

When she died in her home on Sunday June 29, a legend ended. According to her wishes, there will be no memorial service, and will be privately buried in Connecticut. She will always be remembered as a great personality, and absolutely forthright. One of Hollywood's greatest leading ladies. Through her life, she appeared in 44 films-

1. A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
2. Christopher Strong (1933)
3. Morning Glory (1933)⁴
4. Little Women (1933)
5. Spitfire (1934)
6. The Little Minister (1934)
7. Break of Hearts (1935)
8. Alice Adams (1935)
9. Sylvia Scarlett (1936)
10. Mary of Scotland (1936)
11. A Woman Rebels (1936)
12. Quality Street (1937)
13. Stage Door (1937)
14. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
15. Holiday (1938)
16. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
17. Woman of the Year (1942)
18. Keeper of the Flame (1942)
19. Stage Door Canteen (1943)
20. Dragon Seed (1944)
21. Without Love (1945)
22. Undercurrent (1946)
23. The Sea of Grass (1947)
24. Song of Love (1947)
25. State of the Union (1948)
26. Adam's Rib (1949)
27. The African Queen (1951)
28. Pat and Mike (1952)
29. Summertime (1955)
30. The Rainmaker (1956)
31. The Iron Petticoat (1956)
32. Desk Set (1957)
33. Suddenly Last Summer (1959)
34. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
35. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)⁵
36. The Lion in Winter (1968)⁶
37. The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
38. The Trojan Women (1971)
39. A Delicate Balance (1973)
40. Rooster Cogburn (1975)
41. Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)
42. On Golden Pond (1981)⁷
43. The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (1985)
44. Love Affair (1994)

...whenever possible, I always went back East to my family - to the place where I'd lived and where I'll be buried. Most actors go away from their roots, and it always shows in their performances. I stayed with the roots...