Katharine Hepburn, in full Katharine Houghton Hepburn, (born May 12, 1907, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.died June 29, 2003, Old Saybrook, Connecticut), indomitable American stage and film actress, known as a spirited performer with a touch of eccentricity. Corrections? Hepburn won a second Academy Award for Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967), a dramedy about interracial marriage; a third for The Lion in Winter (1968), in which she played Eleanor of Aquitaine; and an unprecedented fourth Oscar for On Golden Pond (1981), about long-married New Englanders (Hepburn and Henry Fonda). "He's meat and potatoes, meat and potatoes," she would say. This time she got him. It was a huge hit, and she purchased the motion picture rights to the play. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Shortly after her death, Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton revealed that the star's head shake was due to a specific type of essential tremor known as a familial tremor, which is inherited from an individual's parents. I think I'm a success, but I had every advantage; I should have been.". But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.". Hepburn was once asked why she stayed with Tracy for so long under the circumstances. she asked. The star, who died last week at the age of 96, told of the strange experience of living a quarter of a century beyond her long-time lover, Spencer Tracy, and more than 40 years beyond Humphrey Bogart, her co-star in The African Queen. Many of her early films are now regarded as classics. When she was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 1992, Audrey Hepburn showed true grace. He became the love of her life. In a sad turn, Tracy died on June 10, 1967, six months before the movie's release and just two days before the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the landmark Loving v. Virginia. They starred in nine films together, and had an affairan open secret in Hollywoodthat lasted 26 years, ending only with Tracy's death. When it was fashionable for women to wear trousers, Katherine Hepburn was the first to do so. Hepburn was with Tracy when passed away in 1967, though she did not attend the funeral out of respect for his family and never publicly spoke of their relationship until after the death of Tracys wife Louise in 1983. I liked to wait on him, listen to him, feed him, work for him. Researchers remain uncertain as to what causes the condition in the first place, but one theory suggests that it is due to the part of the brain known as the cerebellum being unable to communicate correctly with other parts of the brain. After a five-year absence from films, she then made Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), her last film with Tracy and the last film Tracy ever made; he died just weeks after finishing it. "Dick" Hepburn . Of Tracy, with whom she had a 25-year affair, she wrote: "I would have done anything for him. During that time, hed fly in (he was an aviator) for visits or let her stay at his sprawling mansion when she traveled to Hollywood for filming. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn had a love that was considered legendary, but Tracy was married to someone else the entire time they were together. The most common procedure is deep brain stimulation, where a doctor inserts a device into the brain that transmits painless electrical pulses to interrupt signals from your thalamus that may be causing your tremors. Katharine Hepburn's death was caused by cardiac arrest. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In 1993 she appeared in an autobiographical television documentary, "Katharine Hepburn: All About Me," made for the TNT cable network. Also the tremor can vary in . She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. It is important to note that many suffer from a trembling disorder where movements are so small they cannot be seen or felt. In old age she was a familiar figure with her hair, gradually changing from auburn to gray, always in a topknot and her boyish figure always in the trousers that she helped to make fashionable. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited personality, and outspokenness, cultivating a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. She appeared in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and she received a record of four Academy Awards for Best . Rather, he added, it was "a matter of understanding and acknowledging each other's boundaries.". JULY 28--Katharine Hepburn left the bulk of her estate to family members, bequeathed her Oscars and other memorabilia to charity, asked that part of her Connecticut estate be preserved for public use, and gave ABC News correspondent Cynthia McFadden furniture and paintings from her New York townhouse, according to court records obtained by The Smoking Gun. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Though an open secret in and around Hollywood, the relationship was kept under wraps by the studio system. A forthright woman in Hollywood who appeared to require nothing from men, Hepburn was often labeled a lesbian; while Tracys alleged yet hidden homosexuality was presented as another factor contributing to his depression and alcoholism. Hepburn would eventually meet and fall in love with Spencer Tracy on the set of Woman of the Year. However, it was too late: a group of leading film exhibitors had already written off Hepburn as box office poison.. She never lost control of her career again. A long-running classic Katharine Hepburn died of natural causes on June 29, 2003, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. | Source: Getty Images Soon after dipping her foot in the acting world, she met Spencer Tracy. They never got married, but the ring and her love letters to him sold at auction in 2020, per Reuters. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Katharine Hepburn made over 40 films and 16 plays, and received 12 Academy Award nominations, a record that stood until 2002. Audrey Hepburn divorced her first husband, Mel Ferrer, in 1968 after 14 years of marriage. Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy 'Keeper of the Flame' 1942 directed by George Cukor. She wanted to keep a low profile. The frisson of their off-screen romance, always hinted at but never acknowledged during his lifetime, followed them on screen and became especially poignant when they played a married couple in their last movie together, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Known for her fierce independence and spirited personality, Hepburn was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years. After all, it kills you. (Katharine Hepburn), My greatest strength is common sense. According to Katharine, on the night Spencer Tracy died, he had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a glass of milk. In her youth she did not have classical leading-lady looks, but a handsome beauty. That year she made her Broadway debut in Night Hostess, appearing under the alias Katharine Burns. She continued to make periodic returns to the stage (notably as the title character in the 1969 Broadway musical Coco), but Hepburn remained essentially a film actor for the remainder of her career. Named the greatest actress in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute in 1999, she set a record by winning four Academy Awards for Best Actress for the films The African Queen (1951), Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981). Unlike other children at the time, she was brought up to be outspoken and open-minded. On June 29, 2003, Katharine Hepburna four-time Academy Award winner for Best Actress and one of the greatest screen legends of Hollywood's golden eradies of natural causes at the age of 96, at her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. I tried not to disturb him I was happy to do this., Though devoted to Tracy, Hepburn continued to act, choosing roles that interested her more than fare guaranteed to be box office hits. Her versatility lasted well into her career. . Life magazine said that "Stage Door" proved that she was "potentially, the screen's greatest actress.". Katharine Hepburn, the actress whose independent life and strong-willed movie characters made her a role model for generations of women and a beloved heroine to filmgoers for more than 60. In later years she spoke openly about her life and career, especially in her 1991 autobiography, "Me: Stories of My Life" (Alfred A. Knopf). Miss Hepburn became a movie star quickly. She was dismissed from more than one play when she was starting out, but she retained supreme self-confidence. For years she had said she was two years younger and had given her birthday as Nov. 8. Published on August 17, 2017 08:00 AM. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Her personal belongings--furniture, jewelry, clothing, cars, artwork, etc.--will be distributed to family, friends, and charitable organizations (or possibly sold) at the discretion of her executors, though Hepburn's will requests that they "be guided by my wishes which I may have made known to them from time to time." I reached out to Stephen Jacobs, author of Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, the biography authorized by the Karloff estate, and Mr. Jacobs was gracious enough to confirm that Karloff purchased the house at 2320 Bowmont Drive from . ", While Hepburn had a number of lovers she always steered clear of marriage or children. From early childhood, Hepburn was continually encouraged to expand her intellectual horizons, speak nothing but the truth, and keep herself in top physical condition at all times. They lived together in a cottage owned by a director friend but kept separate addresses on paper so the public wouldnt find out. Tracy died just 17 days after they had finished filming it. Katherine Hepburn holds the record for most Academy Awards (Oscars) won (4), having been nominated for 12 (a record until 2003, broken by Meryl Streep). And in "On Golden Pond" (1981) she starred opposite Henry Fonda as a feisty older woman coping with her husband's failing memory and insisting that they should go on and live life to the fullest. The Smoking Gun explains that in a will signed in 1992, Hepburn bequeathed her fortune and assets to her employees, her family, and charity. "I'm more like a fancy French dessert, I'm a little bit fancy, aren't I? The actor explained it didnt feel appropriate for her to attend Tracys funeral as she wasnt his wife. View Complete Answer Who inherited Audrey Hepburn's wealth? She played the distraught, drug-addicted Mary Tyrone in the 1962 film of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night." They fell in love, despite the fact that Tracy was married, and they remained together until Tracy's death in 1967. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was an American actress. They were merely friends. But let's face it: it's how you live that really counts. Hepburn visited the mortuary after hours to see Tracy one last time before the funeral. Also perBiography, they fell in love and made a total of nine films together. Published on August 16, 2017 08:00 AM. She was first noticed professionally in her role as Antiope in the play "The Warrior's Husband," a Greek fable in which she entered by descending a narrow staircase, carrying a stag over her shoulder. Anyone can read what you share. That was the birthday of her older brother, Tom, who died at 16. This beta blocker is effective in 40 percent to 50 percent of patients but is less useful in reducing head and voice tremor. Though he was devoted to his son and daughter, Tracy and his wife lived separately. Here is all you want to know, and more! Katharine Hepburn, who was one of the most well-known and beloved actresses of all time, died at the age of 63 on May 6, 1993, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. In actuality the star suffered from an essential tremor which is defined by Johns Hopkins Medicine as a neurological condition that causes your hands to shake rhythmically.. However, Katharine's open-minded approach to human sexuality also came with many caveats. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Ha! Therapy such as occupational or physical therapy aims to help individuals adapt to living life with a tremor and improve their muscle strength, control and coordination. She wore pants, sure, but almost every woman does that nowadays, at least once in a while. In typical Katharine Hepburn style, she faced the camera and, at the age of 85, tacitly acknowledged how close she had to be to the end. Edit. Over the years she was nominated for a dozen Oscars, more than any other actress, a record unbeaten until Meryl Streep received her 13th this year. Katharine Hepburn was an American actress who won a record four Oscars for Best Actress during her illustrious career. She and Hughes began dating in 1936 and it lasted almost two years. Katharine Hepburn, the famously gravel voiced, feisty and stylish actress, died last night at the age of 96. In fact, in 1928 she married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a member of a wealthy Pennsylvania family. For an individual who has a close relative that suffers from an essential tremor, there is a 50 percent likelihood that a child will inherit the gene responsible for the condition. Playing a tough, determined actress in "Stage Door" (1937), she read a line from a play "The calla lilies are in bloom again" that became the all-time favorite of Hepburn impersonators. 42309. (Hepburn had divorced her husband of six years, Ludlow Ogden Smith, in 1934.)
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