Katharine Hepburn

She married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a businessman in 1928. However she never committed to the relationship fully and divorced him in 1934. She never married again.

She had a long relationship with her co-star, actor Spencer Tracy. Their relationship is often cited to be among Hollywood’s legendary love affairs. Tracy was already married, but estranged from his wife. Hepburn took a break from her career to take care of Tracy during his final years.

She lived a long and fruitful life. She suffered several health problems during the final years of her life and died at the age of 96 in 2003.

Hepburn was born as one of the six children of her parents Thomas Hepburn and Katharine Martha. Her father was an urologist at Hartford Hospital while her mother was a feminist campaigner.

Her father helped to establish the New England Social Hygiene Association while her mother was an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement and also campaigned for birth control.

Her parents were very progressive people who encouraged their children to think independently.

As a child she learned to swim, run, dive, wrestle and play tennis and golf. She was a tomboy who kept her hair short like boys.

Tragedy struck the happy family when her older brother Tom died from an apparent suicide in 1921. Katharine who was very close to her brother became very nervous and upset after the incident and even dropped out of school.

In 1928, she went to Baltimore to pursue a career in acting and was cast in a small role in Edwin H. Knopf’s stage production ‘The Czarina’. Her role, albeit minor, was appreciated.

Knopf made her the leading lady in his production ‘The Big Pond’. However, she mixed up her lines and acted clumsy on the opening night and was fired. She kept trying and was soon hired as an understudy in Philip Barry’s play ‘Holiday’, a role which she held for six months.

The first few years of her acting career were very difficult and she was not able to find good roles. Nonetheless the self-assured lady never thought of giving up. Her perseverance paid off when she was chosen to play the lead role in the Greek fable, ‘The Warrior’s Husband’.

‘The Warrior’s Husband’ opened in March 1932 and gave her the big breakthrough she craved for. The play ran for three months and her role was positively reviewed.

She was offered a role in the 1932 film ‘A Bill of Divorcement’ opposite John Barrymore. The movie was a hit and she got noticed for her performance. She appeared in ‘Christopher Strong’ the very next year.

She portrayed an aspiring actress in the drama film ‘Morning Glory’. This role was critically acclaimed and helped her win her first Academy Award.

She appeared in ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ along with Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier. The film dealt with the topic of interracial marriages—a sensitive issue at that time and era.

The film ‘The Philadelphia Story’ helped her resurrect her declining career. It was a romantic comedy that was based on a Broadway play of the same name by Philip Barry. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards.