EARLY DAYS PRODUCTIONS
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford CT on May 12, 1907. Hepburn's father insisted the girls do swimming, riding, golf and tennis. Hepburn, eager to please her father, won a bronze medal for figure skating from the Madison Square Garden skating club, shot golf in the low eighties and reached the semi final of the Connecticut Young Women's Golf Championship.
1907 - 2003
Stats:
Birth Name:
Katharine Houghton Hepburn
Height: 5' 7"
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname: First Lady of Cinema
Quote: "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything"
Birth Name:
Katharine Houghton Hepburn
Height: 5' 7"
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname: First Lady of Cinema
Quote: "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything"
Hepburn was educated at the Oxford School (now Kingswood-Oxford School) in West Hartford, Connecticut, before going on to Bryn Mawr College. She received a degree in history and philosophy in 1928, the same year she had her debut on Broadway after landing a bit part in Night Hostess. In 1932, Hepburn landed the role of Antiope the Amazon princess in The Warrior's Husband (an update of Lysistrata), which required her to wear a very short costume, and received excellent reviews. Hepburn became the talk of New York City, and was noticed in Hollywood. In the play, Hepburn entered the stage by jumping down a flight of steps while carrying a large stag on her shoulders - an RKO scout (Leland Hayward, whom she would later romance) was so impressed by this display of physicality that he asked her to do a screen test for A Bill of Divorcement.
She demanded $1,500 per week for film work (at the time she was earning between $80 and $100 per week). After seeing her screen test, RKO agreed to her demands and cast her. At 5 feet, 7 inches (1.71 m), Hepburn was one of the tallest leading ladies of the day. The director George Cukor became a lifetime friend and colleague. Co-star John Barrymore pinched her posterior on the set in one of many attempts to seduce her. She said, "If you do that again I'm going to stop acting." Barrymore replied, "I wasn't aware that you'd started, my dear."
For more information about Katharine Hepburn please visit: Wikipedia
Katharine Hepburn's Selected Filmography
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 (1936)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
A Woman Rebels (1936)
Quality Street (1937)
Stage Door (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Holiday (1938)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
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)
The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (1985)
Love Affair (1994)
Christopher Strong (1933)
Morning Glory (1933)
Little Women (1933)
Spitfire (1934)
The Little Minister (1934)
Break of Hearts (1935)
Alice Adams (1935)
Sylvia Scarlett (1936)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
A Woman Rebels (1936)
Quality Street (1937)
Stage Door (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Holiday (1938)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
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)
The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (1985)
Love Affair (1994)
Early Days Productions: Katharine Hepurn 03/21/2012
Full Movie: Summertime (1955)
A lonely American woman unexpectedly finds romance in Venice, Italy. - Taken from IMDB
After the positive audience reaction to A Bill of Divorcement, RKO signed Hepburn to a new contract. But her non-conformist, anti-Hollywood behavior off screen made studio executives fret she would never become a major star. The following year (1933), Hepburn won her first Oscar in Morning Glory, as a young actress who rejects romance in favor of her career. That same year, Hepburn played Jo in the screen adaptation of Little Women (1933), which broke box-office records.
Hepburn was affected by a series of flops when, in 1938, she was voted "box office poison" in a poll taken by exhibitors. Yearning for a comeback on the stage, a play was written especially for her by Philip Barry, The Philadelphia Story, a year after Hepburn had starred in the film version of his play Holiday. In the new play, she played spoiled socialite Tracy Lord and received rave reviews. With the help of ex-lover Howard Hughes, she acquired the film rights and sold them to MGM; the resulting film was one of the biggest hits of 1940. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work. Her career was revived almost overnight.
Hepburn made her first appearance with Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year (1942), directed by George Stevens. Behind the scenes the pair fell in love, beginning what would become one of Hollywood's most famous romances, despite Tracy's life long unwillingness (he was a Catholic) to divorce his estranged wife, Their relationship, which neither would discuss publicly, lasted until Tracy's death in 1967. Out of consideration for Tracy's family, Hepburn did not attend his funeral. Hepburn died 33 years later at the age of 96.