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
editFeature films
edit| 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 | |
| 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 |
| One Christmas | Cornelia Beaumont | Tony Bill |
Short subjects
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Women in Defense | Narrator | Documentary | John Ford |
| 1946 | American Creed | Robert Stevenson |
Box Office Ranking
edit- 1934 – 11th
- 1935 – 23rd
- 1968 – 18th
- 1969 – 9th
- 1970 – 20th
- 1982 – 12th
Theatre
edit
| 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 | ||||
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Beatrice | |||
| 1960 | Twelfth Night | Viola | ||
| 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 |
See also
editReferences
edit- 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.