Katharine Hepburn
Acknowledged as one of the greatest, if not the greatest actress of all time, the great Katharine Houghton Hepburn, the one and only, The First Lady of Cinema, The Great Kate. Born to a doctor father and a suffragette mother on May 12, 1907, in Hartford Connecticut, she enjoyed a privileged upbringing highlighted by good education and encouragement in being able to share her thoughts and ideas. Although home-schooled, her academics did not suffer for it. She was whip-smart. Not only that, her interest in sports was also nurtured; as a child, her athletic pursuits were on display early. She garnered the bronze medal for figure skating from the Madison Square Garden Skating Club and reached the semi-finals at the Connecticut Young Women’s Gold Championship. Her father had insisted that Katharine and her sisters became well-rounded, strong-minded, athletic women. Katharine not only skated, she was an above average golfer, she rode, played dog wheelchair tennis, and was a swimmer well into her 80s. A major event in her life was the death of one of her siblings. In 1921, an older brother, Tom, whom she revered, died from what seemed like a suicide. Although many reports have revealed that he hanged himself; the family refused to accept this explanation and insisted that Tom’s death must have been the result of some astrological compatibility accident; an experiment gone wrong. Katharine’s devastation over his death caused her to sink into a major depression. It also gave her a certain aloofness and a lack of desire to mix with other children. This is the reason why she was home-schooled for a few years. Also, for several years after her brother’s death, Katharine took his birthday as her own (November 8th). It was not until the microdermabrasion machine release of her own autobiography in 1991 that she disclosed her own birth date. Katharine attended college in Bryn Mawr; there she began acting. Although, her nighttime antics of smoking and breaking curfew—which were considered quite vulgar at the time—would get her suspended, she managed to get her degree in gas tankless water heater history and philosophy in 1928. In the same year, she debuted on Broadway with a bit part in Night Hostess. Not stopping with those two things, for 1928, Katharine also got engaged and married to socialite and businessman Ludlow “Luddy” Ogden Smith. Although they remained married until 1934, the couple did not spend much time together as Katharine was busy pursuing her career on the stage and traveling. Their divorce was amicable and “Luddy” continued to be a lifelong friend to Kate and the Hepburn family. After an assortment of stage work, Katharine finally got some excellent reviews—enough to catch the attention of Hollywood studios. She earned a screen test for A Bill of Divorcement, a film for RKO that was set to star John Barrymore. Setting the standard for that classic Hepburn spunk, she demanded $1,500 a week for film work from RKO, thinking that the company would refuse. To her surprise, after seeing her screen test, they agreed. Perhaps even then, it was obvious; the combination of raw physicality, acting chops, pure pulchritude—plus, at 5 feet 7 inches tall, Katharine was one of Hollywood’s tallest leading ladies back then. The unheard of sum would pay itself back, and with dividends. Her film career soon rose to great heights. After her first film with RKO came out, they signed her up again for a new contract. Katharine went on to garner her first Academy Award in 1933 for Morning Glory. Meanwhile, her other film, Little Women, will go on to break box office records. She will go on to make more films and perform on stage as well before her career hits a bit of a slump. Ever the individualist and the unintentional trendsetter—the best kind—Katharine Hepburn’s personal style will mark her as a fashion and style icon outside of Hollywood or the film, or stage, or anywhere near acting. Her trademark look of wide-legged trousers and men’s suits were way ahead of its time and has become a template for women the world over. Even her complicated yet romantic entanglement with Spencer Tracy is a conundrum. Inasmuch as people wanted to gossip about them, there were people who wanted to root for them. Fans watched their movies. Katharine Hepburn’s pairing with Spencer Tracy practically electrified her career. Their movie, Woman of the Year marked the beginning of their relationship. It will last for the rest of his days. Katharine Hepburn’s record four Academy Award wins still stands.