Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Ludlow Ogden Smith (12 December 1928 - 18 September 1941) ( divorced)

Trade Mark (6)

Playing strong independent women with minds of their own



Often wore slacks instead of dresses, decades before it became fashionable for women to do so



Distinctive way of speaking, with what many say is a "Bryn Mawr" accent



Her recognizable angular features



Her strong outspoken personality



Trivia (115)

Graduated from Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1928, with a degree in history and philosophy.





Was named Best Classic Actress of the 20th Century in an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, just barely (21.5% to 20.6%) beating out runner-up Audrey Hepburn . [September 1999]

Ranked #1 woman in the AFI's "50 Greatest Movie Legends." [June 1999]



Walked around the studio in her underwear in the early 1930s when the costume department stole her slacks from her dressing room. She refused to put anything else on until they were returned.



She was nearly decapitated by an aeroplane propeller when she was rushing about an airport, avoiding the press.





Had a relationship with Spencer Tracy from 1943 until his death in 1967.

Ranked #68 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]



Born at 3:47pm-EST.



Admitted to using her brother's birthdate as her own for years.





Did not suffer from Parkinson's disease. She set the record straight in the 1993 TV documentary Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (1993), which she narrated herself. Quote: "Now to squash a rumor. No, I don't have Parkinson's. I inherited my shaking head from my grandfather Hepburn. I discovered that whiskey helps stop the shaking. Problem is, if you're not careful, it stops the rest of you too. My head just shakes, but I promise you, it ain't gonna fall off!".



Was a direct descendant of England's King John through one of his illegitimate children. Hepburn played King John's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in Der Löwe im Winter (1968).



Turned down the role of Marilla in Anne auf Green Gables (1985), but recommended her great-niece, Schuyler Grant for the role of Anne. Schuyler ended up playing Diana instead.



Meryl Streep beat her in the number of Oscar nominations, when she received her 13th Oscar nod for Adaption: Der Orchideen-Dieb (2002). However, Hepburn still reigns as the only 4-time Oscar recipient for acting.

Her father's name was Thomas Hepburn and her mother's name was Katharine Houghton. Each of their six children were given Mrs. Hepburn's maiden name for their middle names.





Was nominated for two Tony Awards: in 1970 as Best Actress (Musical), for playing the title character, Coco Chanel in "Coco," and in 1982 as Best Actress (Play), for "The West Side Waltz." She lost both times.

Her maternal grandfather; her father's brother, Charlie; and her older brother, Tom, all committed suicide. These tragedies were never talked about in her family. Ms. Hepburn said of her parents, "There was nothing to be done about these matters and [my parents] simply did not believe in moaning about anything."





Admitted that she was menstruating while making African Queen (1951), which resulted in giving her fellow crew members the impression that she was moody and difficult.



On June 2004 Sotheby's auction house hosted a two-day estate sale auctioning personal belongings of the legendary actress to collectors. The 700-plus items included Hepburn's furniture, jewelry (which included the platinum, diamond and sapphire brooch from one-time lover Howard Hughes which fetched $120,000, six times its estimated price); paperwork (such as personal checks, telegrams, birth certificates, letters, film contracts, movie scripts), and nomination certificates from the Academy Awards. Among other items were casual clothes, and gowns that included her unusual wedding dress to Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928, made of crushed white velvet with antiqued gold embroidery, which sold for $27,000. Also in the lot were house decorations drawings and paintings done by the actress herself, glamour portraits, and a glass bronze sculpture entitled "Angel on a Wave", which sold for $90,000; while a self-portrait entitled "Breakfast in Bed and a Self-Portrait in Brisbane, Australia", fetched $33,000, some 40 times the estimated price. Movie memorabilia included a ring from 1968's Der Löwe im Winter (1968), and Gertrude, the canoe from the film Am goldenen See (1981) which was bought for $19,200 by entertainer Wayne Newton . The most sought-after piece and the most expensive item was the bronze bust of Spencer Tracy that Hepburn created herself and that was also featured in their Rat mal, wer zum Essen kommt (1967). The audience cheered when the three-inch sculpture sold for $316,000, compared to the estimated $3,000-$5,000. The only awards won by the actress that were auctioned were her 1958 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, the annual Shakespeare Club of New York City award, the Fashion Desinger Lifetime Achievement, a few Box Office Blue Ribbons, her Hollywood Walk of Fame plaque and the 1990 Kennedy Center Honor. Hepburn's four Oscars were not included due to contract reasons.

She was one of the few great stars in Hollywood who made no attempt to sugarcoat her true personality for anyone, a personality that was blunt and feisty.



Was a natural red head.



She was voted the "2nd Greatest Movie Star of All Time" by Entertainment Weekly.





In Der Löwe im Winter (1968) she plays the mother of Richard the Lionheart, who is played by Anthony Hopkins . Hopkins later said that Hepburn's voice was, in part, the basis for Hannibal Lecter's voice.

She was of mostly English, with distant Scottish, ancestry.





In a letter to Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences President Gregory Peck , she claimed that sentiment for the death of her long-time lover and co-star, Spencer Tracy , had been part of the reason she won her second Oscar for Rat mal, wer zum Essen kommt (1967). She told also Peck that she modeled her award-winning characterization of "Christina Drayton" on her mother.



When Cate Blanchett won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Aviator (2004), Hepburn became the first previous Oscar winner to become an Oscar-winning movie role.

She was voted the 14th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.





Became very fond of Christopher Reeve , both as an actor and as a person, when he made his Broadway debut opposite her in the 1978 production of "A Matter of Gravity". She became so fond of him that she used to tease him that she wanted him to take care of her when she retired. Ironically, his reply was "Miss Hepburn, I don't think I'll live that long".



Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna 's song "Vogue"

After marrying Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928, she forced him to change his name to S. Ogden Ludlow. She objected to her married name being "Katharine Smith" because there was already a well-known, and very portly radio singer named 'Kate Smith'.



One of Hollywood's early tall leading ladies, standing over 5' 7" in an era when most actresses were only a little over 5' 0".





She thought Melanie Griffith was a good actress, but would fade away quickly. She also saw Julia Roberts as the next big thing. But the actress she loved above all was Vanessa Redgrave . She adored every performance Ms Redgrave has ever given and would tell people that she was, "A thrill to look at and to listen to".

Stephen Sondheim,

A resident for most of her life of Manhattan's row of brownstone dwellings renowned as Turtle Bay Gardens, Hepburn lived in the four-story building at 244 East 49th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues). Famous neighbors over the years included, Robert Benton Garson Kanin and wife Ruth Gordon

Did all her own stunts because the stunt woman never stood up straight enough.



Was known for being an avid golfer, tennis player, and swimmer. She was also known for taking cold showers and for riding her bicycle around Manhattan.



Is in the Guinness World Records-book for "Most 'Best Actress' Oscars Won".





She is a descendant of "Eleanor of Aquitaine", whom she portrayed in Der Löwe im Winter (1968).



Was nominated 12 times for the Academy Award, all as Best Actress, and won four times. Jack Nicholson also has 12 nominations (8 as Best Actor and 4 Best Supporting Actor nominations) and three wins (two Best Actor trophies and one Best Supporting Actor gong). Hepburn beat out previous acting nomination record holder Bette Davis (a double winner who was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award, all of them Best Actress nods, and who had also received a write-in nomination in 1934, which was unofficial) with her 11th nod and 3rd win for Der Löwe im Winter (1968) (a record she extended with her 12 nomination and fourth win for Am goldenen See (1981). Hepburn herself was surpassed by Meryl Streep , with 21 nods (17 in the Best Actress category, 4 in the Best Supporting Actress category) and three wins (two in the Best Actress category and one Best supporting actress award). While it is possible that Nicholson and Streep might equal her four Oscar acting wins, it is improbable that her record of four wins in the top category will ever be surpassed.



Her performance as "Eleanor of Aquitaine" in Der Löwe im Winter (1968) is ranked #13 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).



Her performance as "Tracy Lord" in Die Nacht vor der Hochzeit (1940) is ranked #54 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).



Her performance as "Rose Sayer" in African Queen (1951) is ranked #94 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.



Her performance as "Susan Vance" in Leoparden küßt man nicht (1938) is ranked #21 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.



Spoofed in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon Rotkäppchen - Total verrückt (1937), in which Little Red Riding Hood speaks exactly like her.



Despite her success at the Oscars, she never attended an Academy Awards ceremony as a nominee. Her only appearance was at The 46th Annual Academy Awards (1974) to present the Irving Thalberg Award to her friend Lawrence Weingarten . When she went onstage to a standing ovation, she said "I'm living proof that a person can wait forty-one years to be unselfish.".



Thanked by Natalie Merchant in the liner notes of her album "Motherland".

Her former maid, Emma Faust Tillman, held the title of "World's Oldest Person" for only four days (January 24-28, 2007). Her four-day reign, which was certified by the Guinness World Records committee was also the shortest one on record.





Was a close friend of actor Peter O'Toole , and it is commonly believed that his daughter, Kate O'Toole , was named after her. However, 'Siân Phillips' stated in her autobiography that their daughter was named after the title character in Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', inspired by the line 'Kate, Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom'.



One of her closest friends, Canadian portrait artist Myfanwy Pavelic died on May 11, 2007, one day short of Hepburn's 100th birthday anniversary.



Thought very highly of the acting talents of Jeremy Irons and John Lithgow . She particularly disliked Meryl Streep , claiming she could recognize Streep's constant search for tactics during a performance. Hepburn also thought Glenn Close talented, but said openly Close's feet were too big for audiences to take her seriously as an actress.

The intersection of East 49th Street and Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City was renamed "Katharine Hepburn Place" shortly after her passing. Hepburn lived in a brownstone (244 East 49th Street) which is close to the intersection.





Dropped out of the Der blaue Vogel (1976) before shooting began.



Was fired by the producer of Reisen mit meiner Tante (1972) early in the filming for demanding too many script changes. Was replaced by Maggie Smith.



Her accumulation of 12 Oscar nominations (4 wins) was accomplished over a period of 48 years. Meryl Streep had 12 nominations (2 wins) after only 21 years (with an additional 9 nominations and another Oscar in 2012). Bette Davis scored 10 nominations (2 wins) over 28 years. As of 2018, Streep holds the record for nominations, with 21.



According to Anthony Harvey - the director of Der Löwe im Winter (1968) - she kept the Oscar she received for the film in a paper bag and in a cupboard for years after he'd delivered it to her.



Appointed Cynthia McFadden Executrix of her estate.



Aunt of sculptor Mundy Hepburn

Her first name is often misspelled as Katherine, it is actually spelled Katharine with a second A. She was known for correcting those who spelled it wrong.



During what is argued by film historians to be the greatest year in classic American cinema, she was a rare star who did not appear in a film in 1939. Instead, she was on stage playing Tracy Lord in "The Philadelphia Story," which proved to be her comeback after being branded as box-office poison.





Was with Spencer Tracy the night he died. According to her, he had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a glass of milk. She followed the sickly Tracy to the kitchen but before she got there she heard a glass shatter and then a loud thud. She found Tracy dead on the floor; he had suffered a massive heart attack.



The scene in which her character falls into the canal in Traum meines Lebens (1955) left her with a permanent eye infection as the water was contaminated.



Turned down the role of Kitty Foyle in Fräulein Kitty (1940). The part was then given to Ginger Rogers , who went on to win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.



Survived the Great New England Hurricane of Sept. 21, 1938 while at her summer home in the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook, CT. Reportedly she was there considering a marriage proposal by Howard Hughes. The storm killed at least 682. Hepburn, her family and servants barely escaped with their lives: Soon after fleeing it on foot in the storm, her home was washed away along with her Oscar for her film Morgenrot des Ruhms (1933) which was later found intact. Hepburn rebuilt the home in 1939, and was locally famous for running people off "her" (public) beach in her later years.

Pictured on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 12 May 2010.



Profiled in book "Funny Ladies" by Stephen Silverman. [1999]





Desperately wanted to play the role of Alma Winemiller, which was eventually played by Geraldine Page , in Sommer und Rauch (1961).



In 2010, Jason Bateman , who was in one of Hepburn's last movies, Liebe ist nicht bloß ein Wort (1994), told New York Magazine that the legend only wore white Reebok high-top sneakers on and off the set. If a scene called for her to be wearing something fancier, she would wear black socks over the white sneakers.

In her book "Me: Stories of My Life", she admitted to posing for nude photos when she was in her 20s. The pictures were later lost.



Although she never committed to her marriage with Ludlow Ogden Smith, and she admitted to treating him poorly, they remained friends for the rest of their lives.



She was always distant and independent from her family, her younger siblings referred to her as "Aunt Kat".





She and Walter Brennan are the only actors to win 3 Oscars on 3 consecutive nominations.



Hepburn's record-setting affiliation with New York's legendary Radio City Music Hall will likely never be challenged. Beginning with Christopher Strong (1933) in 1933, seventeen consecutive films of hers played in the huge theater.

Release of the book, "At Home with Kate: Growing Up in Katharine Hepburn's Household" by Eileen Considine-Meara, daughter of Norah Considine (Kate's longtime cook and housekeeper). [2007]



Release of the book, "Kate: The Woman who was Hepburn" by William J. Mann. [2006]





Was the 6th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Morgenrot des Ruhms (1933) at The 6th Academy Awards on March 16, 1934.



Katharine Hepburn and Joan Fontaine both appeared in productions of The Lion in Winter (Hepburn in the 1968 film version, Fontaine in a 1979 Austrian stage production) and both passed away at the age of 96. Hepburn had appeared with Fontaine in Quality Street (1937).

Received academy awards for her first as well as her final three nominations, with 34 years between her first and second win.





Her favorite actress was Bette Davis



Her final screen appearance was Truman Capote 's Eine Weihnacht (1994) which John Philip Dayton produced/executive produced for her - their fourth film together - her final line was, 'I can sit back in my old age and not regret a single moment, not wish to change a single thing. It's what I wish for you...a life with no regrets'.

Of Jewish descent, she was a paternal great-granddaughter of a Jewish Christian whose name was Sewell Hepbron. Sewell Hepbron may have been a Levite, given that one of Katherine's uncles was named Charles Levin Hepburn; and he seems to have changed the name "Hebron" to "Hepbron", which Katherine's grandfather (Sewell's child) Samuel, an Episcopalian priest, changed to the Anglophonic "Hepburn".





Garson Kanin tells in his biography that she once tried to surf. Although she had not the skills to practice, she tried very hard and was very proud of herself.

Inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.



Modeled for Physical Culture magazine before becoming an actress.



On August 5, 2018, she was honored with a day of her film work during the TCM Summer Under The Stars.





The "Hepburn trousers" shown in the fashion sequence of Hollywood Mouth 3 (2018) refer to the style of the pants she often wore. The home Hepburn rented from George Cukor on St. Ives Dr. in the Hollywood Hills is also shown in that film.

She is not related to Audrey Hepburn.



Personal Quotes (78)

People have grown fond of me, like some old building.



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.



Wouldn't it be great if people could get to live suddenly as often as they die suddenly?



I don't regret anything I've ever done; As long as I enjoyed it at the time.



Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.



I often wonder whether men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.



Not everyone is lucky enough to understand how delicious it is to suffer.



There are no laurels in life . . . just new challenges.



[on Hollywood] They didn't like me until I got into a leg show.



I can't say I believe in prizes. I was a whiz in the three-legged race - that's something you CAN win.



Afraid of death? Not at all. Be a great relief. Then I wouldn't have to talk to you.



Once a crowd chased me for an autograph. "Beat it", I said, "go sit on a tack!" "We made you", they said. "Like hell you did", I told them.



[on fashion] I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding which clothes to wear.



My father, a surgeon and urologist, studied sex professionally all his life. Before he died at 82, he told me he hadn't come to any conclusions about it at all.



[on marriage] It's bloody impractical. "To love, honor, and obey". If it weren't, you wouldn't have to sign a contract.



At my age, you don't get much variety - usually some old nut who's off her track.



With all the opportunities I had, I could have done more. And if I'd done more, I could have been quite remarkable.



I find a woman's point of view much grander and finer than a man's.



I remember as a child going around with "Votes For Women" balloons. I learnt early what it is to be snubbed for a good cause.



Life is full of censorship. I can't spit in your eye.



Only when a woman decides not to have children, can a woman live like a man. That's what I've done.



Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and at the same time selling yourself.



It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.



Plain women know more about men than beautiful ones do.



Life is hard. After all, it kills you.



I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're good - or because they're lucky.



I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be inferior.



Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around wondering about yourself.



If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.



Life's what's important. Walking, houses, family. Birth and pain and joy. Acting's just waiting for a custard pie. That's all.



Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh.



If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.



It's life isn't it? You plow ahead and make a hit. And you plow on and someone passes you. Then someone passes them. Time levels.



If you survive long enough, you're revered - rather like an old building.



Enemies are so stimulating.



I can remember walking as a child. It was not customary to say you were fatigued. It was customary to complete the goal of the expedition.



I have many regrets, and I'm sure everyone does. The stupid things you do, you regret if you have any sense, and if you don't regret them, maybe you're stupid.



I welcome death. In death there are no interviews!



I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for each other.



I'm what is known as gradually disintegrating. I don't fear the next world, or anything. I don't fear hell, and I don't look forward to heaven.



Listen to the song of life.



Who is Katharine Hepburn? It took me a long time to create that creature.



I don't fear death, it must be like a long sleep.



I always wanted to be a movie actress. I thought it was very romantic. And it was.



"Isn't it fun getting older?" is really a terrible fallacy. That's like saying I prefer driving an old car with a flat tire.



1993] I have loved and been in love. There's a big difference.



[1993] In some ways I've lived my life like a man, made my own decisions, etc. I've been as terrified as the next person, but you've got to keep going.



[1993] The lack of work destroys people.





[Describing Cary Grant ] He is personality functioning.

[asked what star quality is] It's either some kind of electricity or some kind of energy. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, I've got it.





[When Barbara Walters asked her if she owned a skirt] I have one, Ms. Walters. I'll wear it to your funeral.



[pn Marlon Brando ] I don't think he's a limited actor at all - I think he's a very gifted actor. Although I'm afraid he may be a limited person.



[on director George Cukor ] He has the ability to make me trust myself.



[on Humphrey Bogart ] Bogart was like Henry Fonda -- proud and happy to be an actor.



[on Humphrey Bogart ] He was a real man -- nothing feminine about him. He knew he was a natural aristocrat -- better than anybody.



[on Peter O'Toole ] He can do anything. A bit cuckoo, but sweet and terribly funny.



[1954 comment on Judy Holliday ] My, I like Judy Holliday! She looks like a Monet model. And she's so -- so defenseless. I like defenseless people. They're the best.

[on good parts] If it interests you, they don't have to pay you. It's a fascinating business anyway--it's very nice to be paid--but when you do *thrilling* material, it's like buying a piece of furniture that's really good. When you buy it, and it's great, you get *enormous* pleasure out of seeing it, and you never remember how much it cost.



If you have fame, you never feel that you have fame, if you have the brains of a flea. Because fame is something that's over back of you. It ain't ahead.... Not ahead at all. I mean, if you've done it that's great, but "what are you going to do now?" is the *only* thing that matters.



Cold sober, I find myself absolutely fascinating.



Most people, I figure, have a reservoir that you walk into town with your little box of goodies, you know. And this is me, and this is what I have to offer. Then, after a while, you've *sold* all those goodies, and if you don't go away and fill up another box ... you're just repeating. Then you're just growing *old*, and then, for a you know, certain people, there's a time when you're switching from, uh, uh, you're too old to do this, and you're too young to do that, and you have to figure out: what are you? And what really interests you? You see, we're *all* creatures of habit, and we get in a rut, and we run down that rut, happy as bugs. Well, sometimes you're bloody sick of what you're doing. And you haven't got the brains to stop. You know. And you could change, change.



[about her first TV interview, in 1973] I thought, can you think of any really *good* reason not to do it? Except that, oh, I'm so shy, or oh, my private life, or oh, are they going to find out how boring I am? You know? And that was the only reason *now*, in a sense, *not* to do television. Because it certainly is a method of expression, which has to be accepted as these things come along.



On personal power: As one goes through life one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move.



On work: Without discipline, there's no life at all.



On art: I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're good or they're because they're lucky. If they have time to think.



What makes you a star is horsepower.



[1991] I've made forty-three pictures. Naturally I'm adorable in all of them.



When I tested for the movies, it was immediately a warm experience. Exciting but not scary. Why this is I do not know. I just find this medium sympathetic, friendly. It must be that there is no audience, and no critics, in the immediate situation. And the camera never talks back to you. It was fun.



If you can live for other people away from yourself you will be happy and if you live for yourself then you will not be happy and you won't be able to sleep or do anything else.



[Observation, 1967] I think they're beginning to think I'm not going to be around much longer. And what do you know. They'll miss me like an old monument. Like the Flatiron Building.





[on selecting Virginia Weidler to play her sister in Die Nacht vor der Hochzeit (1940)] We got lucky again with the girl-this time little Virginia Weidler, who had me in stitches. She was so terrifyingly funny I truly had a difficult time doing scenes with her. Honestly, I couldn't look at her, she was so funny.

[on remaining childless] I had such a wonderful upbringing that I had a very high standard of how a father and mother should behave. I couldn't be that way and carry on a movie career.



I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.



[speaking in 1979] We must reform. We must reform. And I don't know how we're going to reform. We're sitting looking at a lot of filth. And I'm disgusted with the movies. Disgusted. Because they're kidding themselves into saying its a sort of intellectual past time. Bunk. Its 42nd street filth. Filth being sold for too much. And now its respectable to go and see them. And the critics I think have lost their minds.



[reflecting on her performances] I think I'm always the same.



I never played with a sort of fancy accent of any kind. So, was I an actor? I don't know.





Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living. After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four.

Salary (11)