# Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage

Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of the 20th century, active in 44 feature films, 8 telemovies, and 33 stage plays over 66 years from 1928 and 1994.
Hepburn began her career in theatre in 1928, and later appeared on the stage in every decade up until the 1980s. Productions Hepburn played in ranged from Shakespeare, to Philip Barry comedies, work by George Bernard Shaw, and a musical.
Hepburn made her film debut in A Bill of Divorcement in 1932. Over the next six decades, she appeared in a range of genres, including screwball comedies, period dramas, and adaptations of works by notable playwrights like Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, and Edward Albee.
Her final appearance in a theatrically released film was a supporting role in Love Affair in 1994. Hepburn first appeared in a television film in 1973, and later continued to appear in the medium until she gave the final performance of her career in One Christmas in 1994. Hepburn also presented two documentaries for television, and narrated two short documentaries.

## Screen
### Feature films

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1932 | A Bill of Divorcement | Sidney Fairfield | George Cukor | |
| 1933 | Christopher Strong | Lady Cynthia Darrington | Dorothy Arzner | |
| 1933 | Morning Glory | Eva Lovelace | Lowell Sherman | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1933 | Little Women | Josephine "Jo" March | George Cukor | |
| 1934 | Spitfire | Trigger Hicks | John Cromwell | |
| 1934 | The Little Minister | Babbie | Richard Wallace | |
| 1935 | Break of Hearts | Constance Dane | Philip Moeller | |
| 1935 | Alice Adams | Alice Adams | George Stevens | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1935 | Sylvia Scarlett | Sylvia Scarlett | George Cukor | |
| 1936 | Mary of Scotland | Mary Stuart | John Ford | |
| 1936 | A Woman Rebels | Pamela Thislewaite | Mark Sandrich | |
| 1937 | Quality Street | Phoebe Throssel | George Stevens | |
| 1937 | Stage Door | Terry Randall | Gregory La Cava | |
| 1938 | Bringing Up Baby | Susan Vance | Howard Hawks | |
| 1938 | Holiday | Linda Seton | George Cukor | |
| 1940 | The Philadelphia Story | Tracy Lord | George Cukor | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress |
| 1942 | Woman of the Year | Tess Harding | George Stevens | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1943 | Keeper of the Flame | Christine Forrest | George Cukor | |
| 1943 | Stage Door Canteen | Katharine Hepburn | Frank Borzage | |
| 1944 | Dragon Seed | Jade | Jack Conway | |
| 1945 | Without Love | Jamie Rowan | Harold S. Bucquet | |
| 1946 | Undercurrent | Ann Hamilton | Vincente Minnelli | |
| 1947 | The Sea of Grass | Lutie Cameron | Elia Kazan | |
| 1947 | Song of Love | Clara Wieck Schumann | Clarence Brown | |
| 1948 | State of the Union | Mary Matthews | Frank Capra | |
| 1949 | Adam's Rib | Amanda Bonner | George Cukor | |
| 1951 | The African Queen | Rose Sayer | John Huston | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1952 | Pat and Mike | Patricia "Pat" Pemberton | George Cukor | |
| 1955 | Summertime | Jane Hudson | David Lean | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1956 | The Rainmaker | Lizzie Curry | Joseph Anthony | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1956 | The Iron Petticoat | Vinka Kovelenko | Ralph Thomas | |
| 1957 | Desk Set | Bunny Watson | Walter Lang | |
| 1959 | Suddenly, Last Summer | Violet Venable | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1962 | Long Day's Journey into Night | Mary Tyrone | Sidney Lumet | Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress |
| 1967 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Christina Drayton | Stanley Kramer | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1968 | The Lion in Winter | Eleanor of Aquitaine | Anthony Harvey | Academy Award for Best Actress (tied with Barbra Streisand) |
| 1969 | The Madwoman of Chaillot | Aurelia, The Madwoman of Chaillot | Bryan Forbes | |
| 1971 | The Trojan Women | Hecuba | Michael Cacoyannis | |
| 1973 | A Delicate Balance | Agnes | Tony Richardson | |
| 1975 | Rooster Cogburn | Eula Goodnight | Stuart Millar | |
| 1978 | Olly Olly Oxen Free | Miss Pudd | Richard A. Colla | |
| 1981 | On Golden Pond | Ethel Thayer | Mark Rydell | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1985 | Grace Quigley | Grace Quigley | Anthony Harvey | |
| 1994 | Love Affair | Ginny | Glenn Gordon Caron | |
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### Television films

| Year | Title | Role | Director |
| 1973 | The Glass Menagerie | Amanda Wingfield | Anthony Harvey |
| 1975 | Love Among the Ruins | Jessica Medlicott | George Cukor |
| 1979 | The Corn Is Green | Lily Moffat | George Cukor |
| 1986 | Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry | Margaret Delafield | George Schaefer |
| 1988 | Laura Lansing Slept Here | Laura Lansing | George Schaefer |
| 1992 | The Man Upstairs | Victoria Brown | George Schaefer |
| 1994 | This Can't Be Love | Marion Bennett | Anthony Harvey |
| 1994 | One Christmas | Cornelia Beaumont | Tony Bill |

### Short subjects

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Director |
| 1941 | Women in Defense | Narrator | Documentary | John Ford |
| 1946 | American Creed | Narrator | Documentary | Robert Stevenson |

### Box Office Ranking

* 1934 – 11th
* 1935 – 23rd
* 1968 – 18th
* 1969 – 9th
* 1970 – 20th
* 1982 – 12th

## Theatre

| Year | Play | Role | Theatre | Notes |
| 1928 | The Czarina | A Lady-in-Waiting | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| 1928 | The Cradle Snatchers | A flapper | Baltimore | |
| 1928 | The Big Pond | Barbara | New York City, New York | Released after one performance |
| 1928 | These Days | Veronica Sims | Cort Theatre, New York City | |
| 1928 | Holiday | Linda Seton | Plymouth Theatre, New York City | Understudy |
| 1930 | A Month in the Country | Grazia | Guild Theatre, New York City | Understudy |
| 1930 | A Romantic Young Lady | Katia; Viera Alexandrovna | The Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge | |
| 1930 | The Admirable Crichton | | The Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge | |
| 1930 | Art and Mrs. Bottle | Judy Bottle | Maxine Elliott Theatre, New York City | |
| 1931 | Just Married | | Ivoryton | |
| 1931 | It's a Wise Child | | Ivoryton | |
| 1931 | Alias the Deacon | | Ivoryton | |
| 1931 | The Cat and the Canary | | Ivoryton | |
| 1931 | Let Us Be Gay | | Ivoryton | |
| 1931 | The Man Who Came Back | | Ivoryton | |
| 1932 | The Warrior's Husband | Antiope | Morosco Theatre, New York City | March–May 1932 |
| 1932 | The Bride the Sun Shines On | | Ossining, New York | |
| 1934 | The Lake | Stella Surrege | Martin Beck Theatre, New York City | |
| 1936–1937 | Jane Eyre | Jane Eyre | On tour | |
| 1939–1941 | The Philadelphia Story | Tracy Lord | Schubert Theatre, New York City | Played New York March 1939 – March 1940; Toured Washington, D.C., and Chicago October 1940–1941; Revival in Washington in 1942 |
| 1942–1943 | Without Love | Jamie Coe Rowan | St. James Theatre, New York City | Toured first; New York, October 1942 – February 1943 |
| 1950 | As You Like It | Rosalind | Cort Theatre, New York City | Toured after New York |
| 1952 | The Millionairess | Epifania | New Theatre, London, UK; Schubert Theatre, New York City | Played Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Manchester before London; New York dates: 17 October – 28 December 1952 |
| 1955 | The Taming of the Shrew | Katherina | Australia tour | May - November 1955 |
| 1955 | Measure for Measure | Isabella | Australia tour | May - November 1955 |
| 1955 | The Merchant of Venice | Portia | Australia tour | May - November 1955 |
| 1957 | The Merchant of Venice | Portia | American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford | |
| 1957 | Much Ado About Nothing | Beatrice | American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford | |
| 1960 | Twelfth Night | Viola | American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford | |
| 1960 | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford | |
| 1969–1971 | Coco | Coco Chanel | Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City | Played New York 18 December 1969 – 3 August 1970; Toured in 1971 |
| 1976–1977 | A Matter of Gravity | Mrs. Basil | Broadhurst Theatre, New York City | Began with a 12-week pre-Broadway tour; After New York, toured U.S. for 6 months |
| 1981–1982 | The West Side Waltz | Margaret Mary Elderdice | On tour | Toured U.S. before ending at Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway |