She became an outspoken proponent of liberated womens fashions and was known to ruffle feathers with her preference to wear pants at a time when it was considered taboo for a woman to do so. Audrey Hepburn was a movie star, ballet dancer, model and humanitarian who suffered such extreme starvation as a child during the Nazi occupation of Holland that she came out of World War II weighing only 88 pounds in a 5'6" frame. In 1932, she starred in her first onscreen role in "A Bill of Divorcement." Here's Who Inherited Katharine Hepburn's Money After She Died. She also told Walters that she never watched their final film (Guess Whos Coming to Dinner) because The memories were too painful. Hepburn also kept the cup that cracked on the kitchen floor. Hepburn, 96, died last month of cardiac arrest at her waterfront home in Old Saybrook. Cynthia McFadden, a journalist for ABC News, was given $10,000. 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. 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. I was rather moved by the test, although the performance wasn't that good. And in later years she kept busy with minor television movies. 1932). Tracy Lord is a beautiful, high-spirited rich woman, about to marry her second husband, when her first husband and a reporter who is covering the wedding arrive to create an unexpected romantic tangle. "Life is hard," she once said. Katharine Hepburn, who transcended her screen roles by showing several generations how to be a woman in a way that combined sublime beauty and sexuality with fiery intelligence, died Sunday.. All Rights Reserved. She was quoted as saying in her final days, "It's amazing that they all died - they are all dead." "But there's no bunk about Jimmy. For most of her life, the public thought she had never married. The actress also bequeathed $10,000 each to the Actors Fund of America, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, and an Episcopal church in Maryland where her grandfather was a rector. In her will, Hepburn also specified that she did not want a funeral. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Published on August 16, 2017 08:00 AM. She also authorized her executors, if they so choose, to pursue publication of her "manuscripts, letters or other personal papers or records." Asked about the loss of her co-stars in the golden age of Hollywood, Hepburn says: "They're all dead. Hepburn was an unlikely Hollywood star. Additionally, she divorced Smith in 1934 (via TCM). In "Adam's Rib" (1949), they are married, opposing lawyers, both nicknamed Pinky. Hepburn would eventually meet and fall in love with Spencer Tracy on the set of Woman of the Year. Her most striking television appearance was not in a dramatic role, but in a 1986 tribute to Spencer Tracy. However, users have reported numerous side effects when using the drug, sedation being one common side effect. "Woman of the Year," "Adam's Rib" and "Pat and Mike" are typically bright and biting Tracy-Hepburn collaborations. Hepburn was then cast as an aviator in Dorothy Arzners Christopher Strong (1933). That role led to a Hollywood screen test and her first film role, as John Barrymore's daughter in "A Bill of Divorcement" (1932). 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. Though hampered by a progressive neurological disease, Hepburn was nonetheless still active in the early 90s, appearing prominently in films such as Love Affair (1994), which was her last movie. 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." Hepburn also left $10,000 to Christ Church, I.U., a tiny brick church in eastern Maryland where her grandfather, Sewell Hepburn, served as a minister. He died from a heart attack in 1967, aged 66 years. The "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" costars spent more than two decades hiding their status from the public. She was dismissed from more than one play when she was starting out, but she retained supreme self-confidence. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. "I was born May 12, 1907," she wrote, "despite everything I may have said to the contrary." ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Eventually, Hepburn was accepted into Bryn Mawr College and discovered acting. Rumors about Hepburns and Tracys sexual orientation would circulate during their lives and continue to fuel media reports long after their deaths. However, Hepburns much-publicized return to Broadway, in The Lake (1933), proved to be a flop. Published on August 17, 2017 08:00 AM. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). 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. Tracy died just 17 days after they had finished filming it. Lastly, Hepburn requested that her homes in Connecticut and New York be sold and the profits given to her sister, Margaret, her brother, Robert, and the families of her deceased brothers Richard and Marion. Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born into a close family whose comfortable social status and unconventional opinions fostered self-confidence and independence. Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy 'Keeper of the Flame' 1942 directed by George Cukor. In 1933 she returned to Broadway in a spectacular failure, "The Lake," which inspired Dorothy Parker to write her famous aphorism, "She ran the gamut of emotion from A to B. Tracy, a devout Catholic, was married and refused to divorce his wife due to his religious beliefs. Miss Hepburn often said Tracy was the best actor she had ever known and compared him in complimentary terms to a baked potato: solid, substantial stuff. Throughout her career, she returned to the stage periodically. But the question remains as to whether or not Katharine Hepburn did believe the house she occupied, located at 2320 Bowmont Drive not 2350was haunted. Their chemistry would be captured in eight more films including Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adams Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957) and their final appearance together in Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967). 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. Of course, I have an angular face, an angular body and, I suppose, an angular personality, which jabs into people.". Audrey Hepburn, original name Audrey Kathleen Ruston (see Researcher's Note), (born May 4, 1929, Brussels, Belgiumdied January 20, 1993, Tolochenaz, Switzerland), Belgian-born British actress known for her radiant beauty and style, her ability to project an air of sophistication tempered by a charming . ", Her performances in all three of these plays were received with dazzling praise; the works themselves were treated more harshly. Dementia: Scientists identify vitamin deficiency that may cause declin, High blood pressure: The fruit and veg that can raise hypertension, Katharine Hepburn: The star passed away aged 96 back in 2003, 'You're a real b*****d!' 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. "I thought being a girl was really the bunk," she said in an interview. She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. They starred in nine films together, and had an affairan open secret in Hollywoodthat lasted 26 years, ending only with Tracy's death. Ha! 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. Although admittedly sketchy rather than a comprehensive memoir, the book captured the qualities that endeared Miss Hepburn to audiences: a conversational tone, a no-nonsense attitude and disarming candor. The Smoking Gun explains that in a will signed in 1992, Hepburn bequeathed her fortune and assets to her employees, her family, and charity. He is commonsensical, down-to-earth and deeply decent. Man struck in head with "large amount of rolled up money". Hepburn thought it was a cheap move and got angry with Cary Grant, her co-star, for inviting Hughes onto the . In fact, in 1928 she married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a member of a wealthy Pennsylvania family. Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907-June 29, 2003) was a celebrated American actress who won a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress in a career that spanned seven decades. They were rarely seen in public together, their separate homes helping to ensure Tracys wife would be protected, along with the interests of gossip-adverse studio heads fearful of audience backlash over the apparent infidelity that was in breach of the morality clauses big stars of the era were forced to sign. The star, who died last week at the age of 96, told of the strange experience of living a quarter of a century beyond her long-time lover, Spencer Tracy, and more than 40 years beyond Humphrey Bogart, her co-star in The African Queen. 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. On screen, Hepburn often portrayed headstrong, strong-willed characters who stood up for themselves, which also defined her off-screen persona. Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey Hepburn survived an adolescence plagued by World War II to become one of the 20th century's most beloved actresses (via Biography).A performer at heart, Hepburn was first a ballet student before becoming an actress. She won her fourth Oscar at the age of 74 for her role in the film "The Four Seasons." Also the tremor can vary in . She followed him to the kitchen but heard a glass shatter and then a loud thud before she got there. However, most patients are able to tolerate the side effects, and studies have shown that 60 percent to 100 percent of patients respond positively. Her father, Thomas Hepburn, was a successful doctor. Her father, Dr. Thomas Norval Hepburn, was a Hartford surgeon and a pioneer in fighting venereal disease. Shortly after Tom's death in 1921, another of her father's brothers, Dr. Sewell Hepburn, closed the door of his garage, sat in the driver's seat with the engine running and died of asphyxiation. He and Louise Treadwell married in 1923 and had two children, one of whom was deaf. With its close relation to some symptoms of Parkinsons disease it is important to be able to recognise the differences between the two conditions. Longer Answer: Audrey Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer on November 1, 1992 in January 20, 1993, in her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. Despite winning an Academy Award for her performance in Morning Glory (1933) and sparkling in the screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938), Katharine Hepburn had a reputation as box-office poison until she jump-started her film career with the commercially and critically successful comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). Surgery is usually only given to those whose tremor is severely disability and other treatment methods have failed to work. Who then inherited her large estate? Over the years she was nominated for a dozen Oscars, more than any other actress, a record unbeaten until Meryl Streep received her 13th this year. "He had a big affair with Ingrid Bergman, and Hepburn told me she wasn't fond of Bergman at all," Christopher says. "She held that grudge forever." Yet Kate remained faithful to the end and was. Updates? In a July 7 court application, McFadden, one of Hepburn's executors, estimated that the star's personal property was worth $800,000 and valued the "gross taxable estate" at $10 million. I reached out to Stephen Jacobs, author of Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, the biography authorized by the Karloff estate, and Mr. Jacobs was gracious enough to confirm that Karloff purchased the house at 2320 Bowmont Drive from . The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects and sports. Howard was the most purely passionate relationship of my life. The latter figure seems to be a lowball estimate of Hepburn's property, which, at the time of her death, was estimated to be in excess of $20 million. In fact, she frequently granted interviews, although she was reticent about her personal life. She was 63 years old and had undergone . History reports that she died in her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, from natural causes. She also credited her husband with helping her get started in her career. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. According to Stacker, while living in Nazi-occupied Holland, she helped the Dutch resistance by delivering messages and giving dance performances. 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). Though he was devoted to his son and daughter, Tracy and his wife lived separately. READ MORE: How Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn Inspired the Characters Sam and Diane From Cheers. In a rare 1987 interview, Hepburn herself was recorded talking about the tremor. When she was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 1992, Audrey Hepburn showed true grace. Katharine Hepburn's lifelong Connecticut estate finally found a new owner Zillow After Katharine Hepburn died in 2003, the home was purchased by Frank Sciame, owner of Sciame Construction, for $6 million in 2004. He became the love of her life. She married Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928 and the couple divorced in 1934. Hepburn had been married previously to Pennsylvania businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith but had divorced in 1934. The disease progresses over time which can lead to more and more disability. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis. What was Katharine Hepburns early life like? Hepburns father was a wealthy and prominent Connecticut surgeon, and her mother was a leader in the womens suffrage movement. However, the condition can affect people at any age. "I'm more like a fancy French dessert, I'm a little bit fancy, aren't I? ", After graduating from Bryn Mawr College in 1928, she had small parts in stock theater companies. In typical Katharine Hepburn style, she faced the camera and, at the age of 85, tacitly acknowledged how close she had to be to the end. Nonetheless, Hepburn stood by his side until Tracy's death in 1967. Were Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn Related? From early childhood, Hepburn was continually encouraged to expand her intellectual horizons, speak nothing but the truth, and keep herself in top physical condition at all times. Many years later, not long before he died, "I tried to make up to him for the horror I had caused him," she added. Hepburn then began to perform on Broadway before making the change to film. As an actress, she was noted for a distinctive speech pattern, quirky mannerisms, and tomboyish beauty. Named the greatest actress in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute in 1999, she set a record by winning four Academy Awards for Best Actress for the films The African Queen (1951), Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981). But after the death of Tracy's wife, Louise, in 1983, Miss Hepburn felt free to discuss the love affair. Live About states that this was partly due to her introverted and tomboyish nature. 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 Hepburns said they never knew whether he had committed suicide and left open the possibility that he had been practicing a magic trick. Also perBiography, they fell in love and made a total of nine films together. Spender Tracy died in 1967, and Katharine survived him for several decades before her own death in 1996. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.". Hepburn was the daughter of a respected Hartford, Connecticut surgeon and suffragist mother. Hepburn scored her first major Broadway success in The Warriors Husband (1932), a comedy set in the land of the Amazons. 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. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then. (Katharine Hepburn), Acting is the most minor of gifts. She introduced into her roles a strength of character previously considered to be undesirable in Hollywood leading ladies. In 1994 she appeared in a few scenes in the television movie "One Christmas," as yet another wise old aunt. 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. Secondly, Primidone controls the actions of neurotransmitters. She went to Louis B. Mayer, the head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, and sold him the property on the condition that she play the lead. Parkinsons tremors tend to start on one side of the body, commonly in the hands, and then progress to the other side. What disease did Katharine Hepburn develop and die from? 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). Walter Kerr of The New York Times wrote about her performance in "The West Side Waltz" in terms that reflected the general critical opinion: "One mysterious thing she has learned to do is breathe unchallengeable life into lifeless lines.". Miss Hepburn, then 14, found his body hanging from the rafters of a house the family was visiting in New York City. In the 2018 documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, Bowers claims to have slept with Tracy and procured female sex partners for Hepburn multiple times. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Many said she had suffered from Parkinson's Disease which she maintained was not the case. ", Katharine Hepburn, Spirited Actress, Dies at 96, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/obituaries/katharine-hepburn-spirited-actress-dies-at-96.html. Katharine Hepburn made over 40 films and 16 plays, and received 12 Academy Award nominations, a record that stood until 2002. In 1993 she appeared in an autobiographical television documentary, "Katharine Hepburn: All About Me," made for the TNT cable network. Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Academy Awards for Best . Burdened by Catholic guilt over his family circumstances, he suffered regular bouts of anxiety, depression and insomnia, and tried to overcome alcoholism throughout much of his adult life. He manages to bring her down a peg; she never minds. "We bought this house in '31, and then the minute I won the Academy Award, I got rid of Luddy." Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in a scene from "Woman Of The Year", Why Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy Kept Their Relationship a Secret, Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images, READ MORE: How Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn Inspired the Characters Sam and Diane From, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Tremors dont affect both sides of your body in the same way. Rather, he added, it was "a matter of understanding and acknowledging each other's boundaries.". 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). 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. Life is hard. Speaking openly about their relationship at last, she read a letter she had written to him, which she later included in her autobiography. That year she made her Broadway debut in Night Hostess, appearing under the alias Katharine Burns. Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say: `Try one. She was a fair match in toughness for John Wayne in the western "Rooster Cogburn" (1975). She also had relationships with actor Spencer Tracy and entrepreneur and filmmaker Howard Hughes. She was first noticed professionally in her role as Antiope in the play "The Warrior's Husband," a Greek fable in which she entered by descending a narrow staircase, carrying a stag over her shoulder. She also requested that no funeral or memorial service be held. I can only say that I could never have left him. One of the great love stories from classic Hollywood centers on the not-so-secret affair that Katharine Hepburn was reported to have had with Spencer Tracy, her frequent co-star in such beloved. Hepburn had been married previously to Pennsylvania businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith but had divorced in 1934. Their last film together, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" 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." The play was a hit, and Miss Hepburn owned the rights to it because Howard Hughes, a sometime beau, had bought them for her. When he was courting Katharine Hepburn, he landed on her movie set in his plane. She won the Oscars for best actress for her performances in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). At the conclusion of "All About Me," her own television biography, she said: "In some ways I've lived my life as a man, made my own decisions. In later years she expressed regret at the way she had treated her husband. Next up is the psychological drama Suddenly, Last Summer, a departure from Hepburn's usual light-hearted fare. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The show was a success and she subsequently purchased the story's film rights. He and Miss Hepburn lived together for 27 years, until his death in 1967, and made nine films together. This time she got him. Hepburn, who once described Tracy as tortured, said that all she wanted was for him to be happy, safe, comfortable. In her autobiography (1991) Hepburn stated her birth date as 1907. [We] just passed 27 years together in what was to me absolute bliss., .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Chris Rock, Doctors: No Further Hope for Actor Tom Sizemore, Raquel Welchs Mixed Feelings about Her Fur Bikini, Andrea Riseboroughs Oscar Controversy, Explained, 10 Milestones on Viola Davis Road to EGOT Glory. How did Katharine Hepburn die? Edit. JULY 28--Katharine Hepburn left the bulk of her estate to family members, bequeathed her Oscars and other memorabilia to charity, asked that part of her Connecticut estate be preserved for public use, and gave ABC News correspondent Cynthia McFadden furniture and paintings from her New York townhouse, according to court records obtained by The Smoking Gun. After her 1934 divorce, she never married again. Her quavering voice and trembling hands unmistakably betrayed the disorder. Additionally, McFadden was bequeathed furniture and art from Hepburn. After a series of flops, including the now iconic "Bringing up Baby," co-starring Cary Grant, Hepburn was labeled "box office poison." The movie actress Katharine Hepburn passed away at age 96, astounding.. For many, the late actress Katherine Hepburn provided an indelible public image of essential tremor. These uncontrollable movements tend not to be the most prominent symptom, with others including stiffness, slow movements and trouble with balance also caused by Parkinsons. In addition, Hepburn appeared frequently on television in the 1970s and 80s. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Though an open secret in and around Hollywood, the relationship was kept under wraps by the studio system. It garnered Hepburn her tenth Oscar nomination and her second win. She recalled their last years together, when he was ill and had trouble sleeping, and she would sit on the floor by his side and talk.