Katharine Hepburn was probably the greatest actress in the history of American cinema. She was also one of the longest lasting from the early Thirties to the Eighties. In her early films she was ahead of her time in her support of women's liberation but she was canny enough to periodically change her image in subtle ways to fit the times. Her love affair with Spencer Tracy softened her in middle age and was interestingly never scandalous even though Tracy was married, together they were one of the greatest Hollywood couples.

Hepburn made an impact right away when she made her screen debut opposite matinee idol John Barrymore in A Bill of Divorcement (1932). Her early success was confirmed by her first of four Oscars for Best Actress for Morning Glory (1933). She continued appearing in good films including Little Women (1933) and Alice Adams (1934) but in the mid Thirties a series of poorer films turned her into box office poison even good performances in Holiday (1938) and Bringing Up Baby (1938) both with Cary Grant couldn't reverse this.




Appearing in The Philadephia Story onstage Hepburn cannily got control of the property and sold it to MGM with the proviso that she starred in the movie with Cary Grant and James Stewart. The film's success reversed Hepburn's career decline and re-established her power in Hollywood. She asked for Spencer Tracy to co-star in her next film Woman of the Year (1942), it was the beginning of one of the great Hollywood love affairs both on and offscreen. They starred together in two excellent comedies : Adam's Rib (1949) and Pat and Mike (1952).

In the Fifties and Sixties Hepburn worked less as she nursed the ailing Tracy, her most memorable performances during this period were with Bogart in The African Queen (1951) and in David Lean's Summertime (1955).

Hepburn made one last film with Tracy : Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) and won another Oscar for Best Actress as if to console her after his death. The following year she won again for her performance as Eleanor of Acquataine opposite Peter O' Toole's Henry II in The Lion In Winter (1968). She won her fourth and final acting Oscar for On Golden Pond (1982), her co-star was Henry Fonda in his last film.

 
FILMOGRAPHY

1932    A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT    performer
1933    CHRISTOPHER STRONG    performer
1933    LITTLE WOMEN    performer
1933    MORNING GLORY    performer
1934    THE LITTLE MINISTER    performer
1934    SPITFIRE    performer
1935    ALICE ADAMS    performer
1935    BREAK OF HEARTS    performer
1935    SYLVIA SCARLETT    performer
1936    MARY OF SCOTLAND    performer
1936    A WOMAN REBELS    performer
1937    QUALITY STREET    performer
1937    STAGE DOOR    performer
1938    BRINGING UP BABY    performer
1938    HOLIDAY    performer
1940    THE PHILADELPHIA STORY    performer
1942    KEEPER OF THE FLAME    performer
1942    WOMAN OF THE YEAR    performer
1943    STAGE DOOR CANTEEN    performer
1944    DRAGON SEED    performer
1945    WITHOUT LOVE    performer
1946    UNDERCURRENT    performer
1947    THE SEA OF GRASS    performer
1947    SONG OF LOVE    performer
1948    STATE OF THE UNION    performer
1949    ADAM'S RIB    performer
1951    THE AFRICAN QUEEN    performer
1952    PAT AND MIKE    performer
1955    SUMMERTIME/ SUMMER MADNESS    performer
1956    THE IRON PETTICOAT    performer
1956    THE RAINMAKER    performer
1957    DESK SET    performer
1959    SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER    performer
1962    LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT    performer
1967    GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER    performer
1968    THE LION IN WINTER    performer
1969    THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT    performer
1972    THE TROJAN WOMEN    performer
1973    A DELICATE BALANCE    performer
1975    ROOSTER COGBURN    performer
1978    OLLY, OLLY, OXEN FREE/ THE GREAT BALLOON ADVENTURE    performer
1981    ON GOLDEN POND    performer
1985    GRACE QUIGLEY/ ULTIMATE SOLUTION OF GRACE QUIGLEY    performer
1994    LOVE AFFAIR    performer