Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. A recipient of a record four Academy Awards and an Emmy Award, she was ranked as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute. She was best known for her sophisticated, headstrong and outspoken screen persona that she cultivated through roles in a variety of film genres — from screwball comedies to literary dramas. Apart from her acclaimed acting and distinctive voice, her impact extended to fashion as well as she helped make wearing pants more socially acceptable for women. Throughout her six-decade career, Hepburn's work in stage, film, and television brought her much acclaim — including twelve Academy Award nominations, six Emmy Award nominations, eight Golden Globe Award nominations, and two Tony Award nominations. She co-starred with screen legends like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier and Henry Fonda and performed in plays written and directed by notable playwrights and directors. Her most successful film pairing was with Spencer Tracy, with whom she made multiple hit pictures. The last of their 9 films together was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), which was completed shortly before Tracy's death. Her many performances on the stage included plays by Shakespeare and Shaw, and a Broadway musical. She passed away from cardiac arrest on 29 June 2003 at her family home in Connecticut and since then, has been honored with several memorials.

Filmography

• 2024True Blue — (Archive Footage)
• 2019Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood — (archive footage)
• 2004Broadway's Lost Treasures II — Coco Chanel (segment "Coco")
• 1994Love Affair — Ginny
• 1994One Christmas — Cornelia Beaumont
• 1994Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage — Mrs. Venable (archive footage)
• 1994That's Entertainment! III — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1994This Can't Be Love — Marion Bennett
• 1993Katharine Hepburn: All About Me — Self, Cinematography, Writer
• 1993Roots of Roe — Kit Hepburn (voice)
• 1992The Man Upstairs — Victoria Brown
• 1988Laura Lansing Slept Here — Laura Lansing
• 1986Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry — Margaret Delafield
• 1985Grace Quigley — Grace Quigley
• 1981On Golden Pond — Ethel Thayer
• 1979The Corn Is Green — Miss Lilly Moffat
• 1978Olly Olly Oxen Free — Miss Pudd
• 1976Love Among the Ruins — Jessica Medlicott
• 1976That's Entertainment, Part II — (archive footage)
• 1975Rooster Cogburn — Eula Goodnight
• 1974That's Entertainment! — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1973A Delicate Balance — Agnes
• 1973The Glass Menagerie — Amanda Wingfield
• 1971The Trojan Women — Hecuba
• 1969The Madwoman of Chaillot — Contessa Aurelia
• 1968The Lion in Winter — Eleanor of Aquitaine
• 1967Guess Who's Coming to Dinner — Christina Drayton
• 1964The Big Parade of Comedy — Tracy Lord (archive footage)
• 1962Long Day's Journey Into Night — Mary Tyrone
• 1959Suddenly, Last Summer — Violet Venable
• 1957Desk Set — Bunny Watson
• 1956The Iron Petticoat — Captain Vinka Kovalenko
• 1956The Rainmaker — Lizzie Curry
• MGM Parade
• 1955Summertime — Jane Hudson
• 1952Pat and Mike — Patricia "Pat" Pemberton
• 1952The African Queen — Rose Sayer
• 1949Adam's Rib — Amanda Bonner
• 1948State of the Union — Mary Matthews
• 1947Song of Love — Clara Wieck Schumann
• 1947The Sea of Grass — Lutie Cameron Brewton
• 1946Undercurrent — Ann Hamilton
• 1945Without Love — Jamie Rowan
• 1944Dragon Seed — Jade Tan
• 1944Twenty Years After — (archive footage)
• 1943Keeper of the Flame — Christine Forrest
• 1943Stage Door Canteen — Katharine Hepburn
• 1942Woman of the Year — Tess Harding
• 1941Women in Defense — Narrator (voice)
• 1940The Philadelphia Story — Tracy Lord
• 1938Bringing Up Baby — Susan
• 1938Holiday — Linda Seton
• 1937Quality Street — Phoebe Throssel
• 1937Stage Door — Terry Randall
• 1936A Woman Rebels — Pamela 'Pam' Thistlewaite
• 1936Mary of Scotland — Mary Stuart
• 1935Alice Adams — Alice Adams
• 1935Break of Hearts — Constance Dane Roberti
• 1935Sylvia Scarlett — Sylvia Scarlett
• 1934Spitfire — Trigger Hicks
• 1934The Little Minister — Barbara 'Babbie'
• 1933Christopher Strong — Lady Cynthia Darrington
• 1933Little Women — Jo
• 1933Morning Glory — Eva Lovelace
• 1932A Bill of Divorcement — Sydney Fairfield
• Loving Against Time: the Making of On Golden Pond — (archive footage)

Appearances as themselves (48)

• 2023Call Me Kate — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony — Self (archive footage)
• 2018Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
• 2017Becoming Cary Grant — Self (archive footage)
• 2017In Search of Tracy Lord — Self (archive footage)
• 2014Katharine Hepburn: The Great Kate — Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
• 2010Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff — Self (archive footage)
• 2010Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen — Self / Rose Sayer (archive footage)
• 2009Early Directors on Directing — Self
• 2004Cary Grant: A Class Apart — Self (archive footage)
• 2003Cole Porter in Hollywood: True Love — Self (Archive Footage)
• 2003Complicated Women — Self (archive footage)
• 1997Bogart: The Untold Story — Self (archive footage)
• 1997Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults — Self (Archival Footage)
• 1996Katharine Hepburn: On Her Own Terms — Self
• 1996The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful — Self (archive footage)
• 1996The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story — Self (voice) (uncredited)
• 1995Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell — Self
• 1995The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies — Self (archive footage)
• Intimate Portrait — Self
• 1992Fonda on Fonda — Self (voice)
• 1990Night of 100 Stars III — Self
• 1989Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre — Self
• 1988All-Time Movie Greats — Self (archive footage)
• 1988Bacall on Bogart — Self
• 1988Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man — Self (archive footage)
• 1988Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues — Self
• 1988The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind — Self (archive footage)
• 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
• 1987James Stewart: A Wonderful Life — Self
• The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood — Self
• 1986The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn — Self – Host
• 1985George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey — Self
• The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
• 1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)
• Spécial cinéma — Self
• 1972Hollywood: The Dream Factory — Self (archive footage)
• 1971Directed by John Ford — Self
• Great Performances — Self
• The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
• aspekte — Self
• 1961Hollywood: The Selznick Years — Self (voice) (uncredited)
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Taped Tribute
• Tony Awards — Self - Nominee / Performer
• The Oscars — Self
• 1950The Costume Designer — Self (archive footage)
• 1940A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound — Self
• 1940Cavalcade of the Academy Awards — Self (archive footage)