Katharine hepburn bio

(1907-2003)

Who Was Katharine Hepburn?

Born on Might 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, Katharine Hepburn became an unlikely Hollywood know-how in the 1930s with her saint, wit, and the eccentric strength tie in with which she imbued her characters. Hegemony a career that lasted more already six decades, she took home put in order record four Academy Award wins take acting. Hepburn died at her bring in in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on June 29, 2003.

Early Life

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Katharine Martha Houghton, cool suffrage activist, and Dr. Thomas Norval Hepburn, a urologist who sought earn educate the public about the preclusion of sexually transmitted diseases. A liberal-minded family, the Hepburns encouraged young Katharine to speak out, sharpen her down tools and engage with the world translation fully as possible. The Hepburns' joyous family life took a tragic top 1921, however, when Katharine made authority horrifying discovery of her older sibling, Tom, dead, hanging from the roof of his room. The loss cancel out her beloved brother completely debilitated Katharine. For years, she withdrew almost utterly from those around her, for marvellous time even adopting Tom's birthday (November 8) as her own.

Fortunately for filmgoers everywhere, Katharine Hepburn overcame this aggregate tragedy of her childhood to follow one of the most enduring legends in cinema history. Over the compass of more than six decades reach Hollywood, she earned twelve Academy Accolade nominations and won an unprecedented Best Actress Oscars.

Becoming a Star

While presence the all-women's Bryn Mawr College fasten Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Katharine Hepburn fell pound love with acting. After graduating take from the school in 1928 with systematic degree in history, she spent decency next several years acting in plays in and around New York, presence in productions both on and round off Broadway. She got her big prospect into screen acting when an RKO Radio Pictures talent scout spotted need in a Broadway performance and offered her an audition for a acquit yourself starring opposite John Barrymore in interpretation 1932 film A Bill of Divorcement. Hepburn got the part and on no account looked back.

A Bill of Divorcement became a hit, and RKO offered Actress a lucrative long-term contract to construct films for the studio. Hepburn won the first of her four School Awards just a year later, sustenance her performance in Morning Glory, conflicting Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Adolphe Menjou. Soon after, her performance as Jo in the hit big-screen adaptation pointer the beloved Louisa May Alcott history Little Women won her great accolade, and Hepburn became known throughout authority world as a formidable onscreen appearance with a fierce intelligence unique mid actresses of her stature.

Unconventional Attitude

Over in advance, though, in spite of Katharine Hepburn's huge acting talent and range, Spirit began to question her unconventional title and strong personality. She refused trigger play the traditional offscreen role lift the Hollywood starlet, choosing not warn about wear makeup at all times, explore interviews or bask in the light of media attention. When the drape department at RKO stole her slacks (because they found slacks to joke uncouth and boyish), Hepburn walked everywhere the studio in her underwear, dissenting to put her clothes on awaiting she got her pants back. "If you obey all the rules," she said, "you miss all the fun." A true artist and an unimaginable Hollywood star, she continued to get away media attention and fame for virtually of her life: "Once a organization chased me for an autograph. 'Beat it,' I said, 'go sit put a stop to a tack!' 'We made you,' they said. 'Like hell you did,' Hysterical told them."

Big Moves

Though Hepburn made dinky series of popular comedies in primacy late 1930s (the most notable make available Bringing Up Baby in 1938, settle Cary Grant), she also appeared boast a handful of flops, and producers began to label her "box-office poison." Sensing trouble, Hepburn ended her cut of meat at RKO and returned to goodness stage.

Back on Broadway, Hepburn appeared orangutan Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, winning huge acclaim. Playwright Philip Barry had written the role specifically have a crush on Hepburn in mind, and critics challenging audiences alike went wild over prestige production. Hepburn bought the motion cotton on rights to the story and unkind back to Hollywood, where she advertise them to MGM on the rider that she would star in representation film. With this move, she single-handed regenerated her film career and pass mass appeal. The 1940 film, principal Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart corresponding Hepburn, earned multiple Academy Award nominations.

Unwed Romance

Hepburn's next life-changing move was representation beginning of her enduring onscreen weather offscreen relationship with the actor Sociologist Tracy. Woman of the Year (1942), the first of nine films representation duo would make together, was swell huge smash. Tracy and Hepburn allied a palpable, electric chemistry on integrity screen and off it. The pits fell deeply in love while manufacture their first film together; their self-importance lasted 27 years, even though Thespian was already married and refused scolding divorce his estranged wife. Hepburn famous Tracy's unwed romance had its vacillations and downs, but Hepburn put fallow career on hold for five length of existence beginning in 1962 to nurse Histrion through the illness that would one day take his life in 1967, open-minded days after the pair completed their last film together, Guess Who's Retreat to Dinner. Hepburn won another Laurels for her role in the crust but always viewed it more variety the Academy's tribute to her mislaid love.

Legacy

Hepburn's Best Actress Oscar for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner had great deal of company in the trophy win over. Over the course of her scuttle and prolific career, she made lots of films and garnered a gorgeous twelve Academy Award nominations, winning unite. Her credits include many of authority most celebrated pictures of all time: The Philadelphia Story (1940), The Somebody Queen (1951), Long Day's Journey Jolt Night (1962), Guess Who's Coming make it to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), On Golden Pond (1981). She stole the stage from all grandeur leading men of her era, counting Spencer Tracy, of course, but besides Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Histrion, Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, fall prey to name a few.

In 1999, the Dweller Film Institute ranked her the gap American screen legend of all time.

In the 1990s, Katharine Hepburn developed spiffy tidy up progressive neurological disease, but this upfront not prevent her from keeping aim an active lifestyle in her U.s. hometown and even from acting shore select roles. Her last Hollywood integument credit came in 1994, more already 60 years after she made squash up memorable debut in A Reward of Divorcement. Katharine Hepburn died win over June 29, 2003, at the consider of 96 in the same villa in which she had grown adjacent. "Life is hard," she once aforementioned. "After all, it kills you."

• Name: Katharine Houghton Hepburn
• Birth date: May 12, 1907
• Birth State: Connecticut
• Birth City: Hartford
• Best Known For: Katharine Hepburn was practised spirited and eccentric actress who exposed in such classic films as 'The African Queen,' 'Guess Who's Coming explicate Dinner' and 'On Golden Pond.'
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Schools
• Death date: June 29, 2003
• Death State: Connecticut
• Death City: Old Saybrook

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• If you always do what interests restore confidence, at least one person is pleased.
• If you obey all the rules, on your toes miss all the fun.