caption death_date death_place years_active birth_place birth_name awards relatives birth_date alt spouse image article_title name partner occupation alma_mater
studio publicity photograph , c. 1941 29 june 2003 fenwick , connecticut , u.s. 1928 -- 1994 hartford , connecticut , u.s. katharine houghton hepburn full list see houghton family 12 may 1907 portrait of hepburn , aged 33 ludlow ogden smith 1928 1934 divorced katharine_hepburn_promo_pic . jpg katharine hepburn
 katharine hepburn spencer -rrb- tracy -lrb- 1941 -- 1967 , his death actress bryn mawr college
katharine hepburn

katharine houghton hepburn -lrb- may 12 , 1907 -- june 29 , 2003 -rrb- was an american actress .
known for her fierce independence and spirited personality , hepburn was a leading lady in hollywood for more than 60 years .
she appeared in a range of genres , from screwball comedy to literary drama , and received four academy awards for best actress -- a record for any performer .
in 1999 , hepburn was named by the american film institute as the greatest female star in hollywood history .
raised in connecticut by wealthy , progressive parents , hepburn began to act while studying at bryn mawr college .
after four years in the theatre , favorable reviews of her work on broadway brought her to the attention of hollywood .
her early years in the film industry were marked with success , including an academy award for her third picture , `` morning glory '' -lrb- 1933 -rrb- , but this was followed by a series of commercial failures which led her to be labeled `` box office poison '' in 1938 .
hepburn masterminded her own comeback , buying out her contract with rko radio pictures and acquiring the film rights to `` the philadelphia story '' , which she sold on the condition that she be the star .
in the 1940s she was contracted to metro-goldwyn-mayer , where her career focused on an alliance with spencer tracy .
the screen-partnership spanned 25 years , and produced nine movies .
hepburn challenged herself in the latter half of her life , as she regularly appeared in shakespearean stage productions and tackled a range of literary roles .
she found a niche playing middle-aged spinsters , such as in `` the african queen '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- , a persona the public embraced .
three more oscars came for her work in `` guess who 's coming to dinner '' -lrb- 1967 -rrb- , `` the lion in winter '' -lrb- 1968 -rrb- and `` on golden pond '' -lrb- 1981 -rrb- .
in the 1970s she began appearing in television films , which became the focus of her career in later life .
she remained active into old age , making her final screen appearance in 1994 at the age of 87 .
after a period of inactivity and ill health , hepburn died in 2003 at the age of 96 .
hepburn famously shunned the hollywood publicity machine , and refused to conform to society 's expectations of women .
she was outspoken , assertive , athletic , and wore trousers before it was fashionable for women to do so .
she married once , as a young woman , but thereafter lived independently .
a 26-year affair with her co-star spencer tracy was hidden from the public .
with her unconventional lifestyle and the independent characters she brought to the screen , hepburn epitomized the `` modern woman '' in 20th century america and is remembered as an important cultural figure .
