Katharine Hepburn

Who was Katharine Hepburn?

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited personality, Hepburn was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years. She appeared in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and received four Academy Awards for Best Actress—a record for any performer. In 1999, Hepburn was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star in Hollywood history.

Raised in Connecticut by wealthy, progressive parents, Hepburn began to act while studying at Bryn Mawr College. After four years in the theatre, favorable reviews of her work on Broadway brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Her early years in the film industry were marked with success, including an Academy Award for her third picture, Morning Glory, but this was followed by a series of commercial failures. In 1938 she was labeled "box office poison". Hepburn masterminded her own comeback, buying out her contract with RKO Radio Pictures and acquiring the film rights to The Philadelphia Story, which she sold on the condition that she be the star. In the 1940s she was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her career focused on an alliance with Spencer Tracy. The screen-partnership spanned 25 years, and produced nine movies.

Famous Quotes:

• The average Hollywood film star's ambition is to be admired by an American, courted by an Italian, married to an Englishman and have a French boyfriend.
• If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.
• As for me, prizes are nothing. My prize is my work.
• My greatest strength is... common sense. I'm really a standard brand -- like Campbell's tomato soup or Baker's chocolate.
• Acting is the perfect idiot's profession.
• Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.
• If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
• If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.
• To keep your character intact you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.
• If you give an audience a chance they will do half your acting for you.