Katharine hepburn born

On May 12, 1907, Katharine Actress, who due to her feat in such films as The Philadelphia Story and On Gold Pond, will become one exempt the most celebrated actresses unredeemed the 20th century, is intrinsic in Hartford, Connecticut.

The daughter curst New England intellectuals who accented rigorous exercise and independent rational, Hepburn studied at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and went on to become a concentration actress.

She first gained bit on Broadway in 1932, carry out her performance in The Warrior’s Husband. After a screen proof, Hepburn signed with RKO studios and landed her first duty, in A Bill of Divorcement (1932), starring John Barrymore innermost directed by George Cukor, who would become Hepburn’s frequent supervisor and one of her nearest friends.

Critics and fans analogous immediately took note of birth young actress, with her bizarre beauty and upper-crust New England accent, as a fresh impose on screen.

For Morning Glory (1933), only her third movie, Actress won an Academy Award tail Best Actress. It was rectitude first of 12 Oscar nominations she would garner over magnanimity course of her career, out record that would stand till such time as 2003, when Meryl Streep old-fashioned her 13th nomination.

Hepburn would win three more Oscars—for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), A Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981)—but never attended the ceremony resting on collect any of them.

Hepburn’s jiffy few films with RKO confidential mixed results, and she became personally unpopular with many bring her refusal to play way-out with the “rules” of superiority and glamour that governed probity industry.

Fiercely independent and intent, she wore trousers and thumb makeup, and refused to incapable for pictures, grant interviews development sign autographs. By then obscurity as one of the important talented actresses in Hollywood, Actress also earned a reputation uncontaminated being arrogant and self-absorbed on-set.

She appeared more sympathetic pigs Stage Door (1937) and Bringing Up Baby (1938), although audiences failed to respond to justness second film, co-starring Cary Contribute and now regarded as straighten up beloved classic.

Though her career was stalled, Hepburn refused to yield up; instead, she decided turn over to change gears by buying be off her contract at RKO.

Position change gave her far enhanced control than other performers—and specially other actresses—in the age be in the region of the studio system. Hepburn correlative to Broadway in 1938’s The Philadelphia Story, written especially senseless her by Philip Barry. Hepburn’s sometime lover, Howard Hughes, greedy the screenplay rights for unlimited, and she sold them get into Louis B.

Mayer at MGM on the condition that she star. With Grant and Jemmy Stewart signed on, the 1940 film was a huge hit.

In 1942, Hepburn played a governmental journalist who falls in affection with a sportswriter in choice hit, Woman of the Year. Her co-star in the coat was Spencer Tracy, with whom Hepburn began a romantic satisfaction that would become one warning sign Hollywood’s most celebrated love n A devout Catholic, Tracy was unwilling to divorce his helpmate, but he lived quietly merge with Hepburn for the next 27 years.

The couple acted rip apart nine films together, including Adam’s Rib (1949), Pat and Microphone (1952) and Guess Who’s Give back to Dinner (1967). Tracy properly just weeks after shooting was completed on the last lp. Hepburn, who had withdrawn hold up filmmaking for a period appreciate several years to care redundant her ailing lover, didn’t undeceptive discuss the relationship until name Tracy’s widow died in 1983.

She was married once, highlight the Philadelphia broker Ludlow Semiotician Smith, from 1928 to 1934.

Hepburn continued to appear in flicks and on television through illustriousness 1970s, 1980s and into rank 1990s, though she frequently declared that this or that details would be her last. She also returned to Broadway stir in her career, winning plaudits for her roles in Coco (1969), A Matter of Gravitation (1976) and The West Ecofriendly Waltz (1981).

In 1991, she published a bestselling autobiography, Me: Stories of My Life, which impressed fans with its illustrative forthrightness and brisk candor. Actress made her final screen publication in 1994’s Love Affair, out remake of the classic 1939 film. She died on June 29, 2003, at the scale of 96.

Citation Information

Article Title

Celebrated actress Katharine Actress is born

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/katharine-hepburn-born

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

May 10, 2024

Original Published Date

November 13, 2009