Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907. She was born in Harford, Connecticut to a doctor; her father Thomas, and a women's suffrage leader; her mother Katharine. Kate, as she was called, was an athletic tomboy while growing up. She has three brothers and three sisters. Tom, one of her brothers committed suicide at age 14. After high school, Kate attended Bryn Mawr College, where she decided to be an actress. Her first jobs after graduating college were small Broadway roles. Kate met and married Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928. Her first major appearance was in 1931, in her part in "Art and Mrs. Bottle." After many play performances, she began creating movies. Kate starred in five movies from 1932 to 1934. She won her first Academy Award in 1933 for "Morning Glory." With her move to California, she and Ludlow divorced in 1934. Kate was not the stereotypical stardom beauty of her age. She continuously arrived late wearing men's slacks and no makeup. She was not a very easy person to work with; always indecisive, unpredictable, and avoiding interviews. In 1934, when she went back to Broadway, she appeared in a show and shocked the audience so much they didn't clap. Things weren't better in Hollywood. She was old part of two hits for three years; "Alice Adams" and "Stage Door". Kate also had a 3-year secret relationship with Howard Hughes, and a known relationship with her agent Leland Hayward. Another successful movie was "Stage Door," produced in 1937. It was Hepburn's turn for comedies. She starred in "Bringing up Baby" and "Holiday" in 1938. Kate again returned to Broadway after these productions and was spoiled by a huge salary for creating "The Philadelphia Story." In 1940, she managed to star in Hollywood's film version of "The Philadelphia Story," when she earned another Oscar nomination. The New York Film Critics Circle named her Best Actress for this film. She received an additional Oscar nomination for "Woman of the Year" in 1942.
