Katherine Hepburn

Without discipline, there’s no life at all.

Profile / biography
Considered one of the greatest actresses of our age, Katharine Houghton Hepburn was the daughter of a prominent, liberal doctor and a suffragette born on May 12, 1907.  An intellectual upbringing and athletics both contributed to her independent nature.  Her brother’s apparent suicide when she was fourteen affected her deeply.

A graduate of Bryn Mawr, she had a brief, unsuccessful marriage to Ludlow Smith before she went on to perform on Broadway, where she was soon discovered by Hollywood.  After the success of 1932’s “A Bill of Divorcement,” RKO signed her to a generous contract.  A string of successes, including “Little Women,” followed.  Hepburn continued acting for the big screen as well as made-for-television movies well into the 1980’s.

Hepburn made her mark playing strong, confident women with minds of their own.  During filming of “The Philadelphia Story,” she met Spencer Tracy.  They starred in numerous films together and carried on an affair that lasted twenty-five years despite his marriage to another woman.

In an era when actresses were expected to exude glamour, Hepburn wore slacks and no makeup and seldom gave interviews.  Some co-stars considered her abrasive, but all respected her talent and dedication to her craft.  She was awarded four Oscars as well as a Tony and Emmys.

Hepburn was known for her honesty and always spoke her mind (“If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.”).  She was a profoundly private woman who mellowed in her later years, granting occasional interviews.  Hepburn died quietly in June 29 of 2003, independent to the end.