Katherine Hepburn
By
Dominic Nicosia
The life of the legendary actress to whom many refer as the "First
lady of cinema" began in 1907 in Hartford Connecticut. Born to
a doctor and a suffragette, Hepburn lived out the larger portion of
her child hood as a tomboy and introvert. After overcoming a shyness
which many speculate was brought about by home schooling and the untimely
death of her brother with whom she was very close, she attended Bryn
Mawr College where she made the choice for which we are all grateful,
the choice to become an actress.
After appearing in many school productions, Hepburn was lucky enough
to get small roles on Broadway, fresh off graduation. Her performance
in the 1931 play, "Art and Mrs. Bottle" garnered her favorable
recognition and the following year she took the role of Princess Antiope
in "A Warrior's Husband", the role that made her a star.
The year rounded out nicely for Hepburn as she managed to hit another
home run in "A bill of divorcement" opposite John Barrymore
which landed a contract with RKO pictures, enabling Hepburn to make
three more movies between 1932 and 1934. One, "Morning Glory"
(1933), was the film for which she won her first academy award.
However, rumors of unconventional behavior began to threaten Hepburn's
budding career. Refusal to give interviews and pose for photos left
her with a tainted reputation, a few poorly grossing films and little
choice but to return to Broadway. Finding little success in the medium
in which she made her bones, Hepburn went back to film to enter what
would be the darkest period of her career. The years between 1935
and 1938 were marked by flop after flop with only two hits, one for
which she received a second Oscar nomination, "Alice Adams".
She continued to move through the revolving door of theatre and go
back once more to Broadway. This is where she began to make her comeback.
After an unforgettable performance in " The Philadelphia Story",
she quickly bought the film rights and squeezed her way back into
Hollywood with a smash hit which landed her yet another Oscar nomination.
From this point on, the newly bankable Hepburn enjoyed a long and
illustrious film career in which some of her best movies were made
including; "The African Queen" (1951), "Guess whose
coming to dinner" (1967), "The Glass Menagerie" (1973)
and "On Golden Pond" (1981). Among her many theatrical achievements
are eleven Oscar nominations and three victories.
In 2003, nine years after her last feature "Love Affair",
Hepburn died at the of 96 in Saybrook, Connecticut, laying to rest
one of the most remarkable careers and personalities in cinematic
history.