Born May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut. Many sources give the date as November 8 but this was actually the birthday of her brother with whom she was extremely close. After he died tragically at a young age she often gave his birth date as her own. She was the daughter of a surgeon and, possibly because of this, disliked drugs, quacks and analysts Her mother was a suffragette and both her parents encouraged her to speak her mind and to pursue athletics.

She admitted to having an addiction to chocolate and would ‘chain-nibble’ her way through boxes and boxes of chocolate.

Kate was interested in acting since school and appeared in many school productions. Her acting career took off more or less in 1932. A few notable films among her many triumphs were The Philadelphia Story (1940), The African Queen (1951) and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967). The latter being her last film with Spencer Tracy, the man with whom she formed a professional and personal relationship with from 1940 until his death in 1967. They starred in 8 movies together starting with Woman of the Year (1942).

She was a strong woman who had a mind of her own. Her intelligence and talent eclipsed her beauty but that is not to say she wasn't beautiful and glamorous. Her androgynous, modern style was a breath of fresh air in a generation where cleavage, curves and pouts were everywhere. Her characteristic New England accent perfectly suited her strong, head-strong nature. Her non-conformist, boyish, casual style was once thought ungainly but became chic and eventually Katharine Hepburn was thought of as a fashion idol.

Kate continued to appear in films until the mid-1990s. She is now aged in her 90s, retired and living in Connecticut.

Last updated: June 01, 2003

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