Times files (1941)
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1913-2003
“I’m a personality as well as an actress. Show me an actress who isn’t a personality, and you’ll show me a woman who isn’t a star.”
Born Katharine Houghton Hepburn on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Conn., she was the daughter of a doctor and a suffragette, both of whom always encouraged her to speak her mind, develop it fully and exercise her body to its full potential. It was at Bryn Mawr College that she decided to become an actress, appearing in many of their productions. After graduating, she began getting small roles in plays on Broadway and elsewhere. By 1981, she had been nominated for 12 Oscars and won four.
June 30, 2003 coverage:
The queen of Hollywood
Ms. Hepburn has long been immortal
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Hollywood co-stars Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart are shown on location in Africa in this handout photo from Horizon Pictures for John Huston's 1951 film, "The African Queen."
(AP file photo)
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Onscreen/offscreen sweethearts Spencer Tracy and Hepburn pose on the set of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. It was billed as Tracy’s swan song as a film actor. But Hepburn never watched it. Tracy died weeks after finishing it. For her performance, Hepburn garnered her 10th Oscar nomination and her second win.
Times files (1967)
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Hepburn received her 11th Oscar nomination and third win for her 1968 performance with Peter O’Toole in The Lion In Winter, a compassionate comedy about the public and private marriage of King Henry II and Eleanor Aquitaine. Hepburn’s own thoughts on marriage: “It’s bloody impractical. To love, honor and obey. If it weren’t, you wouldn’t have to sign a contract.
Times files (1968)
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At 65, Hepburn was still slender as a reed, strong as a lumberjack and preferred exercising outdoors. While taking her regular morning bicycle ride, she hitches onto a 1907 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce. The car was used during filming of her TV movie Love Among Ruins in which she co-starred with Laurence Olivier. The hat was one she wore in the movie.
Times files (1975)
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Hepburn starred with Henry and Jane Fonda in the 1981 film On Golden Pond. For it, Hepburn earned her twelfth Oscar nomination and her fourth win. Several made for TV specials followed with her last big screen appearance in Love Affair in 1994.
Times files (1981)
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Katharine Hepburn died Sunday, June 30, 2003, at her home in Old Saybrook, Conn. She was 96.
AP file photo (1988)
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Related links
Internet Movie Database: Katharine Hepburn
The Katharine Hepburn WebRing
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Films
A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
Christopher Strong (1933)
Morning Glory (1933)**
Little Women (1933)
Spitfire (1934)
The Little Minister (1934)
Break of Hearts (1935)
Alice Adams (1935)*
Sylvia Scarlett (1935)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
A Woman Rebels (1936)
Quality Street (1937)
Stage Door (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Holiday (1938)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)*
Women in Defense (1941)
Woman of the Year (1942)*
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Dragon Seed (1944)
Without Love (1945)
Undercurrent (1946)
The Sea of Grass (1947)
Song of Love (1947)
State of the Union (1948)
Adam’s Rib (1949)
The African Queen (1951)*
Pat and Mike (1952)
Summertime (1955)*
The Rainmaker (1956)*
The Iron Petticoat (1956)
Desk Set (1957)
Suddenly Last Summer (1959)*
Long Day’s Journey Into Night* (1962)
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner** (1967)
The Lion in Winter (1968)**
The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
The Trojan Women (1971)
A Delicate Balance (1973)
Rooster Cogburn (1975)
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)
On Golden Pond (1981)**
Storytime Classics -- Katharine
George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s
Journey (1984)
The Ultimate Solution of Grace
Quigley (1985)
Love Affair (1994)
* Academy Award-nominated
performance
** Academy Award-winning
performance
Sources: Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide, Internet Movie Database, Washington Post, E! online, Katherine Hepburn Web ring |
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