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Audrey Hepburn's first husband was Mel Ferrer, whom she married in 1954. The autobiography became a best seller, a tribute to her enduring appeal across generational lines. 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. David Teather in New York. 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. She also credited her husband with helping her get started in her career. Tracy and Hepburn in a promotional photo for Without Love. He was 94. 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.". The romantic comedy "The Philadelphia Story" and the screwball classic "Bringing Up Baby" were among her best, most typical roles. 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. Kathryn Hepburn died of natural causes at the age of 96. 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. Her mother, Katharine Houghton, was a suffragist and a strong advocate of birth control. 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). She was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College. 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). What was Katharine Hepburns early life like? She was 96 years old. Hepburn's memorabilia collections--her four Oscars, costumes, scripts, photos, and scrapbooks--will be given to a "charitable organization" to be selected by her executors. Theyd never spoken or met before, but she gave her the address. She had been wearing pants, then considered quite unladylike, since the 1930's. 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. "I thought being a girl was really the bunk," she said in an interview. She wrote several memoirs, including Me: Stories of My Life (1991). Her versatility lasted well into her career. She was extremely thin all her life. In fact, she frequently granted interviews, although she was reticent about her personal life. The actress signed a. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. Katharine Hepburn was born in Connecticut in 1907 to a doctor father and a feminist mother. In "Me," Miss Hepburn finally revealed her age. Known for her fierce independence and spirited personality, Hepburn was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Essential tremor doesn't cause associated health problems, while Parkinson's carries other symptoms, such as stooped posture and balance problems, Essential tremor may affect the voice box, but Parkinson's does not, Essential tremors are usually felt more when in motion, but Parkinson's tremors are felt more when at rest. Katherine Hepburn holds the record for most Academy Awards (Oscars) won (4), having been nominated for 12 (a record until 2003, broken by Meryl Streep). 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. 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 thereafter she was invited to Hollywood by RKO Radio Pictures. I would have done anything for him. Lauren Bacall, who with her husband Humphrey Bogart were close friends with the couple, once wrote Hepburn was blindingly in love with Tracy. Over time her screen presence softened and became more likable; meanwhile, society was catching up to her willful, independent style. 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. "I'm more like a fancy French dessert, I'm a little bit fancy, aren't I? They led separate lives long before their divorce in 1934, but they remained friendly. 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 Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981). That role led to a Hollywood screen test and her first film role, as John Barrymore's daughter in "A Bill of Divorcement" (1932). 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. Updates? In PEOPLE's . "What was it, Spense?" After calling his brother with the news, Hepburn called his wife. He died 17 days after filming his . She was 96. . 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. Performer Gene Kelly once recalled Hepburn and Tracy getting together at lunchtimes at the studio, where theyd just meet and sit on a bench on the lot. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis. From early childhood Hepburn was continually encouraged to expand her intellectual horizons, speak nothing but the truth, and keep herself in top physical condition. 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. Here is all you want to know, and more! According to TCM, Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. Playing a tough, determined actress in "Stage Door" (1937), she read a line from a play "The calla lilies are in bloom again" that became the all-time favorite of Hepburn impersonators. Per Chandlers book, Hepburn was asleep when she heard a cup break in the kitchen. 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. 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 became known all over the world for her independence, sharp intelligence, and acting ability. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Also perBiography, they fell in love and made a total of nine films together. Undaunted, Hepburn accepted a role written specifically for her in Philip Barrys 1938 Broadway comedy The Philadelphia Story, about a socialite whose ex-husband tries to win her back. Nearly 25 years after her death, Audrey Hepburn is still celebrated for her classic movies, her philanthropy and her delicate, gamine glamour. Biography - A Short Wiki Although her head shook visibly in television interviews from the 1980's on, she vehemently denied the rumor that she had Parkinson's disease, saying she had inherited her shaking head from her grandfather Hepburn. Many of her early films are now regarded as classics. But I wish I were meat and potatoes." It was directed by George Cukor, who become one of her dearest friends (she and Tracy lived for years in the guest house on Cukor's Hollywood estate) and the director of many of her films, including "Little Women." According to Katharine, on the night Spencer Tracy died, he had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a glass of milk. In that role, the on-screen and off-screen Hepburn seemed to meld as easily as they had in her youth. Moreover, Hepburn never had any children (via Showbiz Cheatsheet). The thought that it was pleasing him. But Parkinsons is a devastating disease, mine is just an irritation.. Firstly, Propanolol blocks the stimulating action of neurotransmitters to calm your trembling. 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. "I was born May 12, 1907," she wrote, "despite everything I may have said to the contrary." In "Pat and Mike" (1952), she is a champion athlete, and he is her rough-hewn manager, with whom she falls in love. View history. She was quoted as saying in her final days, "It's amazing that they all died - they are all dead." Katharine Hepburn may have been a lesbian, but never a trans man. Like. In a rare 1987 interview, Hepburn herself was recorded talking about the tremor. Audrey Hepburn's marriage did not last long, and both husbands were divorced. Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that happens when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough dopamine. Click here to view a copy of Hepburn's will, which she signed in January 1992. "He had a big affair with Ingrid Bergman, and Hepburn told me she wasn't fond of Bergman at all," Christopher says. Many years after Katharine . Rather, he added, it was "a matter of understanding and acknowledging each other's boundaries.". Tracy, a devout Catholic, was married and refused to divorce his wife due to his religious beliefs. For more information about Katharine Hepburn, please see her biography in Wikipedia. READ MORE: Peter Kay: Comic's 'first hand experience' of 'complex' disease - condition explained. Essential tremor affects about 5% of people over age 50. 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. Additionally, McFadden was bequeathed furniture and art from Hepburn. Here is all you want to know, and more! Hepburn, who had been in ill health for some years, passed . She was one of six children (three of each gender) born to a socially prominent, well-to-do, activist family. Miss Hepburn became a movie star quickly. They starred in nine films together, and had an affairan open secret in Hollywoodthat lasted 26 years, ending only with Tracy's death. He just considered it a kid who was wildly ambitious or something.". He was 89. 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. tags: change , life , self. Here a GP may refer you to a specialist for further tests or monitor the tremor themselves to make sure it does not get progressively worse. This beta blocker is effective in 40 percent to 50 percent of patients but is less useful in reducing head and voice tremor. It was Grant who introduced her to his friend, the celebrity billionaire Howard Hughes. Katharine Hepburn, the actress whose independent life and strong-willed movie characters made her a role model for generations of women and a beloved heroine to filmgoers for more than 60 years, died yesterday at her home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook, Conn. She was 96 and also had a home in Manhattan. She introduced into her roles a strength of character previously considered to be undesirable in Hollywood leading ladies. 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. The Hepburns said they never knew whether he had committed suicide and left open the possibility that he had been practicing a magic trick. She soon started appearing in small roles in plays. The success of "Woman of the Year" (1942) and the stars' off-screen relationship led to other Tracy and Hepburn films that followed a similar pattern. Perhaps it was because it was a passionate age for me.. John was diagnosed deaf as an infant and Tracy felt profound guilt over his sons hearing impairment, believing it was a punishment for his own sins and began distancing himself from his family. Additionally, she divorced Smith in 1934 (via TCM). Then Miss Hepburn took charge of her career in a way few women dared in those days of the studio system. Unlike other female movie stars, Hepburn was unconcerned with publicity and chose to wear pants instead of dresses. ", Katharine Hepburn, Spirited Actress, Dies at 96, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/obituaries/katharine-hepburn-spirited-actress-dies-at-96.html. However, Hepburn's idyllic childhood came to end when she encountered the scene of her older brother Tom's suicide. In "Adam's Rib" (1949), they are married, opposing lawyers, both nicknamed Pinky. In a rare 1987 interview, Hepburn herself was recorded talking about the tremor. Hepburn thought it was a cheap move and got angry with Cary Grant, her co-star, for inviting Hughes onto the . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Tracy died just 17 days after they had finished filming it. However, users have reported numerous side effects when using the drug, sedation being one common side effect. I liked to wait on him, listen to him, feed him, work for him. She came from a wealthy and highly educated family. 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!' 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. Although many believed Hepburn's career was over, she had a few tricks up her sleeve (via Live About). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. ", The interview, published in full in The Sunday Review, also touches on Hepburn's relationship with her parents, who were political activists campaigning for women's rights and birth control. In later years she expressed regret at the way she had treated her husband. In her will, Hepburn also specified that she did not want a funeral. She nonetheless made an impressive movie debut in George Cukors A Bill of Divorcement (1932), a drama that also starred John Barrymore. ", Asked if an ornamental goose on a shelf is the same one that appeared in a photograph with Tracy, she exclaims: "Yes and I gave it to him! Though an open secret in and around Hollywood, the relationship was kept under wraps by the studio system. In old age she was a familiar figure with her hair, gradually changing from auburn to gray, always in a topknot and her boyish figure always in the trousers that she helped to make fashionable. In 1993 she appeared in an autobiographical television documentary, "Katharine Hepburn: All About Me," made for the TNT cable network. She ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and avoided processed foods. Audrey Hepburn married twice. "After all, it kills you." QUICK FACTS Name: Katharine. According to Britannica, "The Philadelphia Story" was critically acclaimed Jimmy Stewart picked up a best actor Oscar, and Donald Ogden Stewart won for his screenplay and it was also box office gold. An essential tremor will cause an individual to shake at different times and in different situations, but some characteristics are common to everyone. The play was a hit, and Miss Hepburn owned the rights to it because Howard Hughes, a sometime beau, had bought them for her. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Published on August 17, 2017 08:00 AM. Click here to view a copy of Hepburn's will, which she signed in January 1992. Per Celebrity Net Worth, Hepburn was reportedly worth $20 million at the time of her death, with much of that coming from the value of her waterfront home. 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. Life is hard. Tracy and Hepburn never marriedhe was Roman Catholic and would not divorce his wifebut they remained close both personally and professionally until his death in 1967, just days after completing the filming of Guess Whos Coming to Dinner. It was an eloquent and sentimental performance that distilled the way her public and private lives blended. More info, Viewers will get the chance to see Hepburn in her prime as 1951 adventure film The African Queen is showing today (Saturday, June 18) on BBC Two. 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. Hepburn had suspended her own career for nearly five years to nurse Tracy through what turned out to be his final illness. 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. Late in life, she laughingly said of her younger self, "I am terribly afraid I just assumed I'd be famous.". Beyond her reputation as a talented but feisty actor, Hepburn was one-half of a controversial celebrity love affair. A mercurial child with little interest in formal education, he found escape in the form of motion pictures. A portrait of the actress was also bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art. In her youth she did not have classical leading-lady looks, but a handsome beauty. Katharine Hepburn was 13 in the spring of 1921, when her brother Tom's marked nervousness led Dr. and Mrs. Hepburn to attempt to "divert" him with a five-day trip to New York City in the. 1924), and a daughter Susie (b. Mel Ferrer was an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. Her final role was in 1994's "Love Affair," when Hepburn was 87 years old. In the 1970's she acted in television movies, including the Edwardian romantic drama "Love Among the Ruins" (1975), with Laurence Olivier, and "The Corn Is Green" (1979), both directed by Cukor. 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. But I thought, `That girl is rather interesting.' She and Spencer Tracy had a decades-long romance that ended when he died. They lived together in a cottage owned by a director friend but kept separate addresses on paper so the public wouldnt find out. In 1994 she appeared in a few scenes in the television movie "One Christmas," as yet another wise old aunt. Tracy, whos health had been declining, died of a heart attack before she could reach him. In her 1993 television autobiography, she recalled: "I realized long ago that skirts are hopeless. According to TCM, this significantly altered her personality and she struggled to stay afloat in school. Ha! History reports that she died in her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, from natural causes. 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 appeared on Broadway in 1976 in "A Matter of Gravity," by Enid Bagnold, and in 1981 in "The West Side Waltz," by Ernest Thompson, who had written "On Golden Pond. Parkinsons is much less common in comparison to an essential tremor and other crucial differences between the two conditions include: Despite these key differences, if you or someone you know develops a tremor and is unsure why it is advised they seek medical advice. Unlike other children at the time, she was brought up to be outspoken and open-minded. In her autobiography (1991) Hepburn stated her birth date as 1907. The intensity of the shaking from essential tremor can be mild to very significant. Though he was devoted to his son and daughter, Tracy and his wife lived separately. 11 Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) Columbia Pictures. Her stature increased as she chalked up such cinematic triumphs as John Hustons The African Queen (1951), in which she played a missionary who escapes German troops with the aid of a riverboat captain (Humphrey Bogart), and David Leans Summertime (1955), a love story set in Venice. Parkinson's tends to progress over time and may shorten the patient's life span. 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. Soon she went back to Mayer with another script, "Woman of the Year," the story of the unlikely romance between a hotshot political columnist and a sportswriter. However, in the years leading up to her death many noticed that the stars head would continuously shake, something that was assumed to be Parkinsons disease. A lot of people think that she died of colon cancer as it is often mistakenly called. Rumors about Hepburns and Tracys sexual orientation would circulate during their lives and continue to fuel media reports long after their deaths. Im really a standard brand like Campbells tomato soup or Bakers chocolate. (Katharine Hepburn), If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased. (Katharine Hepburn), Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. We lived a life which he liked. As an actress, she was noted for her brisk upper-class New England accent and tomboyish beauty. Playing Warren Beatty's wise old aunt, she gave advice to the woman he loved, played by Annette Bening. 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. ", While Hepburn had a number of lovers she always steered clear of marriage or children. How did Katharine Hepburn change the world? As such, she directed the executors to "consult with publishers, editors, literary agents" to determine "the advisability of publishing such literary works.". Tracy would never publicly acknowledge or articulate his feelings for Hepburn, a position that would only fuel the myths that would flourish around their relationship. Philip Barry wrote the play "The Philadelphia Story" for her, modeling his heroine, Tracy Lord, on Miss Hepburn. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four. (Katharine Hepburn), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. In PEOPLE's new cover story about the iconic star's private . I tried not to disturb him I was happy to do this., Though devoted to Tracy, Hepburn continued to act, choosing roles that interested her more than fare guaranteed to be box office hits. Miss Hepburn, then 14, found his body hanging from the rafters of a house the family was visiting in New York City. How did Katharine Hepburn die? In the film, she plays Violet . She played a free-spirited heiress in "Bringing Up Baby" (1938), opposite Cary Grant and a leopard. Were Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn Related? Katharine Hepburn, Me: Stories of My Life. She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. Just because Katharine Hepburn played a young woman pretending to be a young boy in Sylvia Scarlett doesn't mean she was really a trans man. People have misunderstood it because they assume it is Parkinsons. 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). No regrets.". / General Photographic Agency/Getty Images . 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 . Furthermore, her nephew and grandniece inherited $100,000. 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. 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. 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. Katharine Hepburn, 96, an actress of breathtaking talent and unsurpassed durability who in a career that spanned more than five decades became one of the most acclaimed figures in American. Life magazine said that "Stage Door" proved that she was "potentially, the screen's greatest actress.". Hepburn scored her first major Broadway success in The Warriors Husband (1932), a comedy set in the land of the Amazons. But their offscreen union would remain publicly unacknowledged throughout Tracys life as the couple maintained separate residences and never wed. It was a unique feeling I had for [Tracy], Hepburn wrote in her autobiography Me: Stories of My Life.