Nonetheless, Hepburn stood by his side until Tracy's death in 1967. Were Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn Related? Hepburn refused to work with John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn: The star suffered from a tremor most people thought was Parkinson's, Jane Fonda says 'competitive' Katharine Hepburn 'didn't like' her, Rob Mallard: The Corrie star's 'uncontrollable' health condition, Parkinsons disease symptoms: Early indications of the condition, Essential tremors cause an individuals head, hands and other body parts to shake uncontrollably, Hair loss: Three hair-care habits found to be responsible for permanent hair loss, Diabetes: The anti-diabetic supplement shown to slash blood sugar levels by 36% in minutes, Joanna Lumley health: 'I'm never ill' - star's health secret she has followed for 40-years, Stroke symptoms: Condition may trigger essential tremor, Magic three-hour treatment brings hope for tremor sufferers, Casualty actor Derek Thompson on his 'murderous' condition, Tremors occur when you move and are less noticeable when you rest, Certain medicines, caffeine or stress can make your tremors worse, Tremors may improve with ingestion of a small amount of alcohol (such as wine). I can only say that I could never have left him. Britannica writes that she was born and raised in Connecticut. 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. Here's Who Inherited Katharine Hepburn's Money After She Died. In one 2020 research paper, which compared the prevalence of essential tremors to other cerebellar degenerations, it was logically concluded that essential tremor is by far, the most common form of cerebellar degeneration, suggesting a strong link between the two. He and Louise Treadwell married in 1923 and had two children, one of whom was deaf. Tracy died just 17 days after they had finished filming it. The movie actress Katharine Hepburn passed away at age 96, astounding.. We lived a life which he liked. 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." http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/hepburn-will, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/hepburn-codicil, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/hepburn-death-certificate. He died 17 days after filming his . . But the question remains as to whether or not Katharine Hepburn did believe the house she occupied, located at 2320 Bowmont Drive not 2350was haunted. "They did a lot for the general public," she said, "to make the world an easier place to live in. Thus, he and Hepburn engaged in a love affair that was shielded from the media but known in certain celebrity circles. Her tailor-made Hepburn lines included these: "I've always lived my life exactly as I wanted. An early separation would end in reconciliation, but Tracy would continue to live much of his life in hotels and rented residences away from his wife and family. 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. Published on August 17, 2017 08:00 AM. Alongside attempts at keeping his relationship with Hepburn out of the media, Tracy was also battling inner demons. When Treadwell received the call, she said to Hepburn, I thought you were only a rumor. Treadwell came to meet the coroner and the media was told Hepburn showed up hours later, after the body was gone.. He was 94. Shortly thereafter she was invited to Hollywood by RKO Radio Pictures. Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) were a legendary cinematic couple, both on- and off-screen. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The Hepburns said they never knew whether he had committed suicide and left open the possibility that he had been practicing a magic trick. Per Celebrity Net Worth, Hepburn was reportedly worth $20 million at the time of her death, with much of that coming from the value of her waterfront home. She was 63 years old and had undergone . Late in life, she laughingly said of her younger self, "I am terribly afraid I just assumed I'd be famous.". When she was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 1992, Audrey Hepburn showed true grace. For more information about Katharine Hepburn, please see her biography in Wikipedia. As an actress, she was noted for her brisk upper-class New England accent and tomboyish beauty. Many of her early films are now regarded as classics. It was a huge hit, and she purchased the motion picture rights to the play. 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. She continued: "He was an angel. According to TCM, Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. Audrey Hepburn married twice. They first met on the set of the comedy-drama Woman of the Year (1942), playing two journalists who fall in love and try to balance their personal lives with their commitment to their careers. But I thought, `That girl is rather interesting.' However, Hepburn's idyllic childhood came to end when she encountered the scene of her older brother Tom's suicide. Advertisement They were rarely seen in public together, their separate homes helping to ensure Tracys wife would be protected, along with the interests of gossip-adverse studio heads fearful of audience backlash over the apparent infidelity that was in breach of the morality clauses big stars of the era were forced to sign. She was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College. Her physical presence was distinctive, her often-imitated voice filled with the vowels of a well-bred New Englander, and her sharp-planed face defined by remarkably high cheekbones. . what did katharine hepburn die of hollywoodsinama 6.04K subscribers 215 views 2 years ago what did katharine hepburn die of Hepburn stated in her eighties, "I have no fear of. ", Katharine Hepburn, Spirited Actress, Dies at 96, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/obituaries/katharine-hepburn-spirited-actress-dies-at-96.html. 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. In comments that, at times, tread a thin line between and morbid reflection and black humour, she adds: "I think I've lived longer so that they have had lots of time to die! The play was a hit, and Miss Hepburn owned the rights to it because Howard Hughes, a sometime beau, had bought them for her. Though hampered by a progressive neurological disease, Hepburn was nonetheless still active in the early 90s, appearing prominently in films such as Love Affair (1994), which was her last movie. 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. Alternate titles: Katharine Houghton Hepburn. Katharine Hepburn has also developed a posthumous reputation for being a bit of a forward-thinking sexual libertine. In her will, Hepburn directed that her remains be cremated and that her ashes be interred in a family plot at a Hartford cemetery. Katharine Hepburnspent six decades of her life working in entertainment and is one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood. Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey Hepburn survived an adolescence plagued by World War II to become one of the 20th century's most beloved actresses (via Biography).A performer at heart, Hepburn was first a ballet student before becoming an actress. For a church of only 30 parishioners, the . What is Katharine Hepburn best known for? Their chemistry would be captured in eight more films including Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adams Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957) and their final appearance together in Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967). The film was devised to show off Miss Hepburn's well-cultivated athletic ability. Additionally, McFadden was bequeathed furniture and art from Hepburn. Tremors dont affect both sides of your body in the same way. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" costars spent more than two decades hiding their status from the public. For years she had said she was two years younger and had given her birthday as Nov. 8. I was rather moved by the test, although the performance wasn't that good. However, The Guardian notes that Hepburn had been sick for some time and was suffering from Parkinson's disease prior to her death. For most of her life, the public thought she had never married. Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Academy Awards for Best . OLD SAYBROOK -- Katharine Hepburn's hometown became the postal capital of the nation today. Hepburn was a 1990 Kennedy Center honoree, and in 1999 the American Film Institute named her the top female American screen legend of all time. Theyd hold hands and talk and everybody left them alone in their little private world.. Hepburn, judged by many to be the greatest screen actress of all time, gave the interview in 1992, but it has never been published until now. She wanted to keep a low profile. Shortly after Tom's death in 1921, another of her father's brothers, Dr. Sewell Hepburn, closed the door of his garage, sat in the driver's seat with the engine running and died of asphyxiation. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Dotti writes: "She would spend entire days in bed with a book, thus hoping to expel from her mind obsessive thoughts about food." By the time she was 16 years old, Hepburn weighed only 88 points . Although many believed Hepburn's career was over, she had a few tricks up her sleeve (via Live About). Furthermore, her nephew and grandniece inherited $100,000. Together, Tracy and Hepburn starred in nine movies including their final one, Guess Whos Coming to Dinner before his death in 1967. She wrote several memoirs, including Me: Stories of My Life (1991). Katharine Hepburn strikes a pose in 1933, shortly after escaping from The Lake. Katharine Hepburn's lifelong Connecticut estate finally found a new owner Zillow After Katharine Hepburn died in 2003, the home was purchased by Frank Sciame, owner of Sciame Construction, for $6 million in 2004. Katharine Hepburn was an American actress who won a record four Oscars for Best Actress during her illustrious career. 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. As such, she directed the executors to "consult with publishers, editors, literary agents" to determine "the advisability of publishing such literary works.". Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that happens when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough dopamine. Hepburn then began to perform on Broadway before making the change to film. However, The Guardian notes that Hepburn had been sick for some time and was suffering from Parkinson's disease prior to her death. "What was it, Spense?" After calling his brother with the news, Hepburn called his wife. The actress also bequeathed $10,000 each to the Actors Fund of America, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, and an Episcopal church in Maryland where her grandfather was a rector. She bought out her contract for The Lake rather than finish the run. 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.. Katharine Hepburn, Me: Stories of My Life. 3. I honestly dont know, she replied. It's never your fault. It's amazing how many of them have died, isn't it?" She chose her friend George Cukor to direct. She was a fair match in toughness for John Wayne in the western "Rooster Cogburn" (1975). Her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton, was a great supporter of women's rights issues including the right to birth control. Hepburn claimed to have inherited her head tremor from her grandfather. Asked about the loss of her co-stars in the golden age of Hollywood, Hepburn says: "They're all dead. tags: change , life , self. After her 1934 divorce, she never married again. Tracy, whos health had been declining, died of a heart attack before she could reach him. 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 Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981). The romantic comedy "The Philadelphia Story" and the screwball classic "Bringing Up Baby" were among her best, most typical roles. It garnered Hepburn her tenth Oscar nomination and her second win. 42309. 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. Tracy was unhappily married and the father of two when they met, and he remained married until the end of his life. Hepburn had been married previously to Pennsylvania businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith but had divorced in 1934. They fell in love, despite the fact that Tracy was married, and they remained together until Tracy's death in 1967. She played a free-spirited heiress in "Bringing Up Baby" (1938), opposite Cary Grant and a leopard. She and Hughes began dating in 1936 and it lasted almost two years. Per Britannica, she was on a Hollywood hot streak but that quickly changed in the mid- to late-1930s. He went on to completely remodel the home in an extensive 2005 renovation (via Forbes ). 1932). He is commonsensical, down-to-earth and deeply decent. Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn was born on February 2nd, 1878, in Buffalo, New York, to Alfred Houghton and Caroline Garlinghouse. Firstly, Propanolol blocks the stimulating action of neurotransmitters to calm your trembling. And she asked for Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable as her co-stars. Ha! That was the birthday of her older brother, Tom, who died at 16. Biography - A Short Wiki Her father, Dr. Thomas Norval Hepburn, was a Hartford surgeon and a pioneer in fighting venereal disease. Rumors about Hepburns and Tracys sexual orientation would circulate during their lives and continue to fuel media reports long after their deaths. On the day of the service, she followed the procession in her car but turned around right before arriving at the church. Biography - A Short Wiki. Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford in 1907. Miss Hepburn won three more, for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter" and "On Golden Pond," but never showed up to collect any of them. Her 12 Academy Award nominations also set a record, which stood until 2003, when it was broken by Meryl Streep. They never got married, but the ring and her love letters to him sold at auction in 2020, per Reuters. Essential tremor doesn't cause associated health problems, while Parkinson's carries other symptoms, such as stooped posture and balance problems, Essential tremor may affect the voice box, but Parkinson's does not, Essential tremors are usually felt more when in motion, but Parkinson's tremors are felt more when at rest. Hepburn once again became a Hollywood darling. An essential tremor will cause an individual to shake at different times and in different situations, but some characteristics are common to everyone. "We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. Additionally, she divorced Smith in 1934 (via TCM). Unabashedly outspoken and iconoclastic, she did as she pleased, refusing to grant interviews, wearing casual clothes at a time when actresses were expected to exude glamour 24 hours a day, and openly clashing with her more-experienced coworkers whenever they failed to meet her standards. Eventually, Hepburn was accepted into Bryn Mawr College and discovered acting. ", "I would have been terrified alone in New York City," she said. "He had a big affair with Ingrid Bergman, and Hepburn told me she wasn't fond of Bergman at all," Christopher says. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was an American actress. Of course, I have an angular face, an angular body and, I suppose, an angular personality, which jabs into people.". (Hepburn had divorced her husband of six years, Ludlow Ogden Smith, in 1934.) Once Katharine Hepburn entered the film world, she was paired with a number of leading men, including Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy. She won an Academy Award for her role as Eva Lovelace, the naive aspiring actress who learns a tough lesson about survival, in the 1933 film "Morning Glory," only her third movie. "Dick" Hepburn . In fact, in 1928 she married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a member of a wealthy Pennsylvania family. His health deteriorated badly over the last few years of his life and he was nursed devotedly by Katharine Hepburn. Surgery is usually only given to those whose tremor is severely disability and other treatment methods have failed to work. When he was courting Katharine Hepburn, he landed on her movie set in his plane. I thought of myself first, and that's a pig, isn't it? Many years later, not long before he died, "I tried to make up to him for the horror I had caused him," she added. But I wish I were meat and potatoes." Tracy and Hepburn never marriedhe was Roman Catholic and would not divorce his wifebut they remained close both personally and professionally until his death in 1967, just days after completing the filming of Guess Whos Coming to Dinner. "We bought this house in '31, and then the minute I won the Academy Award, I got rid of Luddy." In "Adam's Rib" (1949), they are married, opposing lawyers, both nicknamed Pinky. Katharine Hepburn's death was caused by cardiac arrest. Speaking openly about their relationship at last, she read a letter she had written to him, which she later included in her autobiography. A strict Catholic, divorce was not and would never be an option for Tracy, who remained married to his wife throughout his life. The intensity of the shaking from essential tremor can be mild to very significant. The disease progresses over time which can lead to more and more disability. READ MORE: Peter Kay: Comic's 'first hand experience' of 'complex' disease - condition explained. In a rare 1987 interview, Hepburn herself was recorded talking about the tremor. Omissions? Hepburn was once asked why she stayed with Tracy for so long under the circumstances. Katharine Hepburn was an American actress of film, television and stage. Her final role was in 1994's "Love Affair," when Hepburn was 87 years old. According to TCM, Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. She also requested that no funeral or memorial service be held. Lastly, Hepburn requested that her homes in Connecticut and New York be sold and the profits given to her sister, Margaret, her brother, Robert, and the families of her deceased brothers Richard and Marion. Hepburn was married once, to Philadelphia broker Ludlow Ogden Smith, but the union was dissolved in 1934. She was quoted as saying in her final days, "It's amazing that they all died - they are all dead." She wrote about it in her first book, published in 1987, whose title captures the direct, colloquial style of her writing: "The Making of the African Queen: Or, How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind" (Knopf). Walter Kerr of The New York Times wrote about her performance in "The West Side Waltz" in terms that reflected the general critical opinion: "One mysterious thing she has learned to do is breathe unchallengeable life into lifeless lines.". She became an outspoken proponent of liberated womens fashions and was known to ruffle feathers with her preference to wear pants at a time when it was considered taboo for a woman to do so. Life is hard. She ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and avoided processed foods. Just because Katharine Hepburn played a young woman pretending to be a young boy in Sylvia Scarlett doesn't mean she was really a trans man. 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. She was dismissed from more than one play when she was starting out, but she retained supreme self-confidence. She was 96. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Audrey Hepburn was a movie star, ballet dancer, model and humanitarian who suffered such extreme starvation as a child during the Nazi occupation of Holland that she came out of World War II weighing only 88 pounds in a 5'6" frame. Hepburn had suspended her own career for nearly five years to nurse Tracy through what turned out to be his final illness. However, in the years leading up to her death many noticed that the stars head would continuously shake, something that was assumed to be Parkinsons disease. In her 1993 television autobiography, she recalled: "I realized long ago that skirts are hopeless. She introduced into her roles a strength of character previously considered to be undesirable in Hollywood leading ladies. Throughout her career, she returned to the stage periodically. Twice. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that the movements caused by an essential tremor can affect the head, hands, voice or legs with most individuals affected aged 65 or older. He became the love of her life. Longer Answer: Audrey Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer on November 1, 1992 in January 20, 1993, in her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. People have misunderstood it because they assume it is Parkinsons. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in a scene from "Woman Of The Year", Why Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy Kept Their Relationship a Secret, Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images, READ MORE: How Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn Inspired the Characters Sam and Diane From, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Despite her waning popularity in the late 1940s, she continued to star in critically and commercially successful films, including "The Lion in Winter," "On Golden Pond," and more. Hepburn's career spanned more than 60 years and included such classics as The African Queen, The Philadelphia Story, and On Golden Pond. Miss Hepburn is survived by a brother, Dr. Robert H. Hepburn, and a sister, Margaret H. Perry, both of Canton, Conn.; four nieces; and nine nephews. 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. The movie actress Katharine Hepburn died at the age of 96. She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. 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. Her stature increased as she chalked up such cinematic triumphs as John Hustons The African Queen (1951), in which she played a missionary who escapes German troops with the aid of a riverboat captain (Humphrey Bogart), and David Leans Summertime (1955), a love story set in Venice. But Parkinsons is a devastating disease, mine is just an irritation.. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In 1932, she starred in her first onscreen role in "A Bill of Divorcement." According to Stacker, while living in Nazi-occupied Holland, she helped the Dutch resistance by delivering messages and giving dance performances. ", Her performances in all three of these plays were received with dazzling praise; the works themselves were treated more harshly. The autobiography became a best seller, a tribute to her enduring appeal across generational lines. In her autobiography (1991) Hepburn stated her birth date as 1907. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Onscreen their chemistry was undeniable, and audiences flocked to their films to witness the staccato, quick-witted bantering and long, meaningful looks that spoke more than any lines of dialogue could represent. 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. Moreover, Hepburn never had any children (via Showbiz Cheatsheet). Critically acclaimed actress Katharine Hepburn was known for her abrasive attitude and for her classic films such as "The African Queen" (via Biography). Through most of her career, Miss Hepburn had a reputation for being private and elusive with the press. I loved [him]. Katharine Hepburn's diet was famously healthy and she was known for her love of spinach. It is important to note that many suffer from a trembling disorder where movements are so small they cannot be seen or felt. In 1938 she appeared on a list of actors labeled "box-office poison" in a poll of movie exhibitors. The actress signed a. Who then inherited her large estate? Hepburn, 96, died last month of cardiac arrest at her waterfront home in Old Saybrook. Here is all you want to know, and more! After Hughes died, 600 people made claims on his vast fortune, including one fake will which would have given most of his estate to the Mormon Church. One of her most enduring films without Tracy was "The African Queen" (1952), in which she played the straitlaced Rosie opposite Humphrey Bogart for the director John Huston. However, the condition can affect people at any age. In 1993 she appeared in an autobiographical television documentary, "Katharine Hepburn: All About Me," made for the TNT cable network. Katharine Hepburn was 13 in the spring of 1921, when her brother Tom's marked nervousness led Dr. and Mrs. Hepburn to attempt to "divert" him with a five-day trip to New York City in the. Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. She played a fictional version of the typically feisty Kate Hepburn character in "Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry" (1986), "Laura Lansing Slept Here" (1988) and "The Man Upstairs" (1992). 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. Burdened by Catholic guilt over his family circumstances, he suffered regular bouts of anxiety, depression and insomnia, and tried to overcome alcoholism throughout much of his adult life. Miss Hepburn became a movie star quickly. She never lost control of her career again. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four. (Katharine Hepburn), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Hepburn and Tracy, Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times , "so beautifully complemented each other" that their relationship "never seemed to be a matter of capitulation." Whether the relationship was a cover to hide what was then considered improper or one of the greatest romantic unions on and off the big screen, the affection between Tracy and Hepburn existed until their deaths. ", Asked if an ornamental goose on a shelf is the same one that appeared in a photograph with Tracy, she exclaims: "Yes and I gave it to him! Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. She went to Louis B. Mayer, the head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, and sold him the property on the condition that she play the lead. These can include: Individuals may first notice signs of an essential tremor in the hands, or if they find doing everyday tasks such as writing or using tools increasingly difficult for no apparent reason. Academy Award (1982): Actress in a Leading Role, Academy Award (1969): Actress in a Leading Role, Academy Award (1968): Actress in a Leading Role, Academy Award (1934): Actress in a Leading Role, Emmy Award (1975): Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katharine-Hepburn, Turner Classic Movies - Katharine Hepburn, LiveAbout - Katharine Hepburn Biography: Classic Hollywood's Independent Star, AllMovie.com - Biography of Katharine Hepburn, National Portriat Gallery - Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Katharine Hepburn in.