Nearly a century ago, Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born to a very eccentric pair of Democrats and grew up in the company of seven brothers and sisters. Her mother, also named Katharine, was one of the earliest advocates of Family Planning and worked alongside husband Thomas to campaign for female suffrage. Kate inherited her parents’ most pronounced traits: an open and ever-expanding mind, a healthy body (maintained by constant e

Moving out of romance and into middle-aged spinster roles, Hepburn was unstoppable. African Queen, a 1951 hit, earned her yet another Oscar nomination and was followed by five more in the subsequent years. As partner Spencer Tracy began to ail, however, Kate’s film roles became fewer and farther between as she took time off to care for him. After a five-year absence, the pair returned for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, her last film with Tracy and the last film he ever made – he died just weeks after finishing it. Guess garnered Hepburn her tenth Oscar nomination and her second win. The next year, 1968, brought the release of The Lion in Winter and her third Oscar, after which she turned from the big screen to star in several made-for-TV movies in the mid-70’s.

Now the oldest child, Hepburn enrolled at Bryn Mawr College, which was a family tradition on her mother’s side, and found her interests increasingly drawn to the stage. She switched her major before her sophomore year, and eventually graduated with a B.A. in Theater. After playing bit parts on Broadway for her first year or so, Kate finally landed a lead role in 1932 and immediately began receiving offers in cinema. Not even taking a week off to spend time with husband Luddy, she plunged ahead full force leaving a trail of denial in her wake. A year later she

Some topics in this essay:
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