She became known all over the world for her independence, sharp intelligence, and acting ability. Their last film together, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" "I thought being a girl was really the bunk," she said in an interview. "He's meat and potatoes, meat and potatoes," she would say. There was still something of the typical Hepburn persona in the steely manipulation and breaking heart of the aging, dismissed queen, but none of the actress's contemporary mannerisms. The town house they bought together in the Turtle Bay section of Manhattan was Miss Hepburn's home until the end of her life (along with the family home on the Connecticut River, to which she returned often). The film was devised to show off Miss Hepburn's well-cultivated athletic ability. He and Louise Treadwell married in 1923 and had two children, one of whom was deaf. Katharine Hepburn did not attend his funeral out of respect for his family. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. She was quoted as saying in her final days, "It's amazing that they all died - they are all dead." She would apply all of these ingrained values to her acting career, which began in earnest after her graduation from Bryn Mawr College in 1928. And while moviegoers enjoyed her performances in homespun entertainments such as Little Women (1933) and Alice Adams (1935), they were largely resistant to historical vehicles such as Mary of Scotland (1936), A Woman Rebels (1936), and Quality Street (1937). Katharine Hepburn was born in Connecticut in 1907 to a doctor father and a feminist mother. Hepburn claimed to have inherited her head tremor from her grandfather. She was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College. Katharine Hepburn strikes a pose in 1933, shortly after escaping from The Lake. He and Miss Hepburn lived together for 27 years, until his death in 1967, and made nine films together. In her 1993 television autobiography, she recalled: "I realized long ago that skirts are hopeless. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. "What was it, Spense?" 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. She also had relationships with actor Spencer Tracy and entrepreneur and filmmaker Howard Hughes. Her father, who was a businessman and son of the founders of the Corning Glass Works, committed suicide in 1892 and her mother died two years later due to stomach cancer, so teenage Katharine was sent to live with her mother's cousin. Man struck in head with "large amount of rolled up money". She played sharp-witted, sophisticated women with an ease that suggested that there was a thin line between the movie role and the off-screen personality. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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). View Complete Answer Who inherited Audrey Hepburn's wealth? "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 was born into a close family whose comfortable social status and unconventional opinions fostered self-confidence and independence. "We bought this house in '31, and then the minute I won the Academy Award, I got rid of Luddy." He died 17 days after filming his . 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. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) explains that Hepburn managed to convince MGM to make the movie with her and to allow her to pick the film's director as well as her co-stars. Rather than appear in a film called "Mother Carey's Chickens," she bought out her contract with R.K.O. He became the love of her life. Audrey Hepburn married twice. And my head shakes. In 1994 she appeared in a few scenes in the television movie "One Christmas," as yet another wise old aunt. Try a skirt.' However, most patients are able to tolerate the side effects, and studies have shown that 60 percent to 100 percent of patients respond positively. Hepburn quickly became a full-fledged star and by 1933, she had won her first Academy Award for her role in "Morning Glory." I thought of myself first, and that's a pig, isn't it? She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. In a sad turn, Tracy died on June 10, 1967, six months before the movie's release and just two days before the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the landmark Loving v. Virginia. Despite her early success, reviewers in those days sometimes found her strident and mannered. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Katharine Hepburn's last words: 'They're all dead - it's amazing', Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. "They did a lot for the general public," she said, "to make the world an easier place to live in. She added, laughing, "Sometimes I wonder myself.". Her versatility lasted well into her career. In an interview that echoed what she wrote in "Me," she assumed a self-chastising, no-nonsense tone and said she had been "an absolute pig with Luddy, absolute pig." Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Almost to the end of her life she played tennis and swam, and in earlier years she golfed. She became an outspoken proponent of liberated women's fashions and. Although the family always called her Kathy or Kath, one summer Miss Hepburn so hated being a little girl that she cut her hair and called herself Jimmy. "I have no fear of death," she said. "I was born May 12, 1907," she wrote, "despite everything I may have said to the contrary." After a five-year absence from films, she then made Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), her last film with Tracy and the last film Tracy ever made; he died just weeks after finishing it. A long-running classic Katharine Hepburn died of natural causes on June 29, 2003, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. She came from a wealthy and highly educated family. 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). As an actress, she was noted for her brisk upper-class New England accent and tomboyish beauty. But Parkinsons is a devastating disease, mine is just an irritation.. They were not in the bed department at all, according to Scotty Bowers, an ex-hustler and male madam to the stars of old Hollywood. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her memorable portrayal of Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williamss The Glass Menagerie (1973), and she won the award for her performance opposite Laurence Olivier in Love Among the Ruins (1975), which reunited her with her favourite director, Cukor. Were Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn Related? An encouraged scholar and fiercely independent free-thinker from an early age, one childhood summer she cut her hair short and insisted on being called Jimmy. Tracy was born into a devout Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his father a truck salesman. The actress signed a six-page codicil, or amendment, in March 1994 (click here to view that document). He just considered it a kid who was wildly ambitious or something.". She won her fourth Oscar at the age of 74 for her role in the film "The Four Seasons." She was dismissed from more than one play when she was starting out, but she retained supreme self-confidence. She and Spencer Tracy had a decades-long romance that ended when he died. She found the legendary actor (and great love of her life) dead on the floor, having suffered a massive heart attack. READ MORE: Peter Kay: Comic's 'first hand experience' of 'complex' disease - condition explained. A portrait of the actress was also bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art. She wore pants, sure, but almost every woman does that nowadays, at least once in a while. Corrections? . In her youth she did not have classical leading-lady looks, but a handsome beauty. Her personal belongings--furniture, jewelry, clothing, cars, artwork, etc.--will be distributed to family, friends, and charitable organizations (or possibly sold) at the discretion of her executors, though Hepburn's will requests that they "be guided by my wishes which I may have made known to them from time to time." In fact, in 1928 she married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a member of a wealthy Pennsylvania family. 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. I think I'm a success, but I had every advantage; I should have been.". she asked. She was extremely thin all her life. Ha! After calling his brother with the news, Hepburn called his wife. For those whose tremor is making it difficult to work or perform daily activities, they may be offered a range of different treatments including medication, therapy or surgery. For years she had said she was two years younger and had given her birthday as Nov. 8. Her life and career were dominated by her love affair with Spencer Tracy, which created one of the great romantic legends and brilliant movie pairings of their day. Information about the death of Katharine Hepburn; Cause of death: Cardiac Arrest: Age of death: 96 years: Profession: Movie Actress: Birthday: May 12, 1907: Death date: June 29, 2003: Place of death: N/A: Place of burial: N/A: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn had a love that was considered legendary, but Tracy was married to someone else the entire time they were together. And in later years she kept busy with minor television movies. The disease progresses over time which can lead to more and more disability. She received 4 Oscars for Best Actress, an Emmy Award in 1976 for her lead role in Love Among the Ruins, and was nominated for four other Emmys, two Tony Awards and eight Golden Globes. In "Me," Miss Hepburn finally revealed her age. Published on August 17, 2017 08:00 AM. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited personality, and outspokenness, cultivating a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. It's amazing how many of them have died, isn't it?" 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. Surgery is usually only given to those whose tremor is severely disability and other treatment methods have failed to work. For a church of only 30 parishioners, the . Speaking openly about their relationship at last, she read a letter she had written to him, which she later included in her autobiography. Rumors about Hepburns and Tracys sexual orientation would circulate during their lives and continue to fuel media reports long after their deaths. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis. Her mother was a well-known and passionate suffragette (supporter of women's right to vote); her physician father was a creative pioneer in the field of sexual hygiene. In the late 1950's she also appeared in several Shakespeare plays in Stratford, Conn. And in 1969, when she was 62, she made her singing debut on Broadway in the Alan Jay Lerner musical "Coco," based on the life of the fashion designer Coco Chanel. Theyd hold hands and talk and everybody left them alone in their little private world.. Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy 'Keeper of the Flame' 1942 directed by George Cukor. According to the book, I Know Where Im Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler, Hepburn and Hughes were very sweet on each other. She continued to make periodic returns to the stage (notably as the title character in the 1969 Broadway musical Coco), but Hepburn remained essentially a film actor for the remainder of her career. Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) were a legendary cinematic couple, both on- and off-screen. In 1938 she appeared on a list of actors labeled "box-office poison" in a poll of movie exhibitors. 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.. 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. After her 1934 divorce, she never married again. 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. Shortly after her death, Hepburns niece Katharine Houghton revealed that the stars head shake was due to a specific type of essential tremor known as a familial tremor, which is inherited from an individual's parents. 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.. She also directed that her remaining property, including her Connecticut and New York homes be sold, with the proceeds of her estate to be divided equally between her sister Margaret, brother Robert, and the family members of her late siblings Richard and Marion. Nearly 25 years after her death, Audrey Hepburn is still celebrated for her classic movies, her philanthropy and her delicate, gamine glamour. I can only say that I could never have left him. In later years she spoke openly about her life and career, especially in her 1991 autobiography, "Me: Stories of My Life" (Alfred A. Knopf). "He was so generous-spirited that I don't think he considered it horror. I honestly dont know, she replied. However, Hepburn's idyllic childhood came to end when she encountered the scene of her older brother Tom's suicide. 3. She also requested that no funeral or memorial service be held. Katharine Hepburn made over 40 films and 16 plays, and received 12 Academy Award nominations, a record that stood until 2002. In 1932, she starred in her first onscreen role in "A Bill of Divorcement." That was the birthday of her older brother, Tom, who died at 16. Her tailor-made Hepburn lines included these: "I've always lived my life exactly as I wanted. Katharine Hepburn may have been a lesbian, but never a trans man. I don't know what I would have done if I'd had to come to New York and get a job as a waiter or something like that. The play was a hit, and Miss Hepburn owned the rights to it because Howard Hughes, a sometime beau, had bought them for her. He was 89. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four. (Katharine Hepburn), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. Katharine Hepburn, the famously gravel voiced, feisty and stylish actress, died last night at the age of 96. 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 . Additionally, McFadden was bequeathed furniture and art from Hepburn. Therapy such as occupational or physical therapy aims to help individuals adapt to living life with a tremor and improve their muscle strength, control and coordination. ". Hepburn had been married previously to Pennsylvania businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith but had divorced in 1934. 1924), and a daughter Susie (b. Per Britannica, she was on a Hollywood hot streak but that quickly changed in the mid- to late-1930s. Katharine Hepburn, who was one of the most well-known and beloved actresses of all time, died at the age of 63 on May 6, 1993, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. How tall was Katharine Hepburn? 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). Hepburn was an unlikely Hollywood star. When she was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 1992, Audrey Hepburn showed true grace. Hepburn recovered some lost ground with her sparkling performances in the screwball comedies Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Holiday (1938), both of which also starred Cary Grant. For her third film, Morning Glory (1933), Hepburn won an Academy Award for her portrayal of an aspiring actress. However, Katharine's open-minded approach to human sexuality also came with many caveats. Hepburn, 96, died last month of cardiac arrest at her waterfront home in Old Saybrook. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. 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. Live About states that this was partly due to her introverted and tomboyish nature. Spender Tracy died in 1967, and Katharine survived him for several decades before her own death in 1996. On the day of the service, she followed the procession in her car but turned around right before arriving at the church. (Hepburn had divorced her husband of six years, Ludlow Ogden Smith, in 1934.) It was an eloquent and sentimental performance that distilled the way her public and private lives blended. Hepburn, 96, died last month of cardiac arrest at her waterfront home in Old Saybrook. View history. Here's Who Inherited Katharine Hepburn's Money After She Died. He died from a heart attack in 1967, aged 66 years. A lot of people think that she died of colon cancer as it is often mistakenly called. Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in nineteen-oh-seven. Through most of her career, Miss Hepburn had a reputation for being private and elusive with the press. They never got married, but the ring and her love letters to him sold at auction in 2020, per Reuters. The movie actress Katharine Hepburn died at the age of 96. Biography explains that she stepped away from the silver screen and returned to her Broadway roots, where she starred in "The Philadelphia Story." He is commonsensical, down-to-earth and deeply decent. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. ", "I would have been terrified alone in New York City," she said. Per Chandlers book, Hepburn was asleep when she heard a cup break in the kitchen. According to her last will & testament(posted at Living Trust Network), she gave her housekeeper, Norah Considine Moore, $100,000; her accountant, Erik Hanson, $50,000; and her literary agent, Freya Manston, $5,000. 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.