Katharine Hepburn

“A really strong character”, with those brief words John Wayne defined Katharine Hepburn, a woman who throughout her life has had a well-deserved reputation as an individualist and liberal. Her portrayals of the smart, wild, angular-faced, gangly-looking girl, with surprising determination and wit, have done more for women than all the feminist propaganda ever and to her credit. And it is that Kate very soon became an icon of a type of dominating woman of the male gender, owner of such captivating magnetism that any man fell to his knees before her, including Cary Grant .(which is saying). Katharine Hepburn holds the record for having won four Oscars –out of a total of 12 nominations–, but also for not having gone to collect any of them: “For me the awards are nothing, my award is work,” she said with sufficiency. And it is that, as Bogart assured, her co-star inThe African Queen , “Kate does what she wants.”

Born in Hartford (Connecticut) on May 12, 1907, she became interested in acting at the University. After some failed attempts at the scene, Katharine Hepburn made her film debut in 1932 withDouble sacrifice . Director George Cukor was instantly aware of the diamond he had discovered. And that was the unstoppable takeoff of a career that can be divided into three stages.

The first, until 1940, includes mythical comedies such asGlory of a day (1933),Ladies of the Theater (1937),Live to enjoy (1938),The beast of my girl (1938) orPhiladelphia Stories (1940), and these are years in which Katharine Hepburn works with great directors (Cukor, Hawks, Ford, La Cava) and with such charismatic actors as Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart. The second stage coincides with her long romance with actor Spencer Tracy , with whom Hepburn would shoot nine films, includingWoman of the Year (1942),Sea of ​​Grass (1947),Adam’s Rib (1949) andGuess Who’s Coming Tonight (1967). The classics La reina de África (1951) andSuddenly, Last Summer (1959). The last stage of Katharine Hepburn’s films lasted until her death and, although it corresponded to a lesser dedication from the actress, it included films as memorable asThe Lion in Winter (1968) orIn the Golden Pond (1981), for which Kate received her last two Oscars.

From that moment on, Katharine Hepburn’s failing health did not allow her too many forays into the cinema. Her last job was inA love affair (1994), the remake of the classicYou and I , starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening . Kate lived withdrawn from her in her house in Old Saylbrook, Connecticut, until her death, which occurred on June 29, 2003, when the great actress was 96 years old.