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.

Film	44
Telemovies	8
Theatre	33
TV documentaries	2
Narration	2 shorts

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
	Morning Glory	Eva Lovelace	Lowell Sherman	Academy Award for Best Actress
	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
	Alice Adams	Alice Adams	George Stevens	Nomination—Academy Award for Best Actress
	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

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
	The Cradle Snatchers	A flapper	Baltimore
	The Big Pond	Barbara	New York City, New York	Released after one performance
	These Days	Veronica Sims	Cort Theatre, New York City
	Holiday	Linda Seton	Plymouth Theatre, New York City	Understudy
1930	A Month in the Country	Grazia	Guild Theatre, New York City	Understudy
	A Romantic Young Lady	Katia; Viera Alexandrovna	The Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge
	The Admirable Crichton		The Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge
	Art and Mrs. Bottle	Judy Bottle	Maxine Elliott Theatre, New York City
1931	Just Married		Ivoryton
	It's a Wise Child
	Alias the Deacon
	The Cat and the Canary
	Let Us Be Gay
	The Man Who Came Back
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
	Measure for Measure	Isabella
	The Merchant of Venice	Portia
1957	The Merchant of Venice	Portia	American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford
1957	Much Ado About Nothing	Beatrice
1960	Twelfth Night	Viola
1960	Antony and Cleopatra	Cleopatra
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

References

Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage at IMDb
Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage at the Internet Broadway Database
Dickens, Homer (1990). The Films of Katharine Hepburn. Citadel Pr; 1st Carol Pub. ISBN 0-8065-1175-3.
Edwards, Anne (1985). A Remarkable Woman: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-688-04528-6.
Hepburn, Katharine (1991). Me: Stories of My Life. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-40051-6.

v t e Katharine Hepburn
Performances Awards and nominations
Family	Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn (mother) Edith Houghton Hooker (aunt)
Related	Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Kate Remembered (2003 book) Tea at Five (2002 play) The Aviator (2004 film)