Katharine Hepburn Filmography in Pictures
This is the first installment of what may or may not become an ongoing series of articles. ESP stands for Every Single Picture and we’ve used “picture” to mean actual photographs as well as movies. You know how old timey Hollywood referred to movies as pictures? Well, there you go. What follows is a picture from every picture Katharine Hepburn was in. If you scroll through real fast, it’s a fast forward of her life and aging. My goodness, she was a beautiful woman.
At one point (I’m not sure how current my research is and I’m not about to investigate this further), she held the record for most Best Actress Oscar wins; out of 12 nominations, she won four. She was also nominated for five Emmys (she won one), two Tonys, and eight Golden Globes. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star in American film history.
I accidentally read her autobiography, Me: Stories of My Life, a few years ago. It was horribly written and testimony why celebrities need ghost writers. It was this rambling stream of consciousness and she is no James Joyce if you know what I mean. She was, by her own account, a hard woman who ruthlessly used others to further her career. I didn’t particularly want to know such things. Her long-standing affair with the married Spencer Tracy was one of the worst kept secrets of the time. She was born into a wealthy, patrician family. She was raised athletically and with a social conscience as her mother was a suffragette and the co-founder of Planned Parenthood. Her choice of career was not welcomed by her parents. I prefer to watch the movies and be awed by beauty than know such sordid details about the real person. My rose colored glasses suit me fine.
If you have a suggestion for the possible next ESP contestant, please leave a comment. Until then, long live the ballsy cheekboned Kate who got what she wanted no matter the cost.
1932: A Bill of Divorcement

Katharine Hepburn as Sydney Fairfield
1933: Christopher Strong

Katharine Hepburn as Lady Cynthia Darrington
1933: Morning Glory
Best Actress Oscar

Katharine Hepburn as Eva Lovelace
1933: Little Women

Katharine Hepburn as Jo
1934: Spitfire

Katharine Hepburn as Trigger Hicks
1934: The Little Minister

Katharine Hepburn as Barbara aka "Babbie"
1935: Break of Hearts

Katharine Hepburn as Constance Dane Roberti
1935: Alice Adams
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Alice Adams
1935: Sylvia Scarlett

Katharine Hepburn as Sylvia Scarlett aka Sylvester
1936: Mary of Scotland

Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart
1936: A Woman Rebels

Katharine Hepburn as Pamela "Pam" Thistlewaite
1937: Quality Street

Katharine Hepburn as Phoebe Throssel
1937: Stage Door

Katharine Hepburn as Terry Randall
1938: Bringing Up Baby

Katharine Hepburn as Susan Vance
1938: Holiday

Katharine Hepburn as Linda Seton
1940: The Philadelphia Story
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord
1942: Woman of the Year
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Tess Harding
1942: Keeper of the Flame

Katharine Hepburn as Mrs. Christine Forrest
1944: Dragon Seed

Katharine Hepburn as Jade Tan
1945: Without Love

Katharine Hepburn as Jamie Rowan
1946: Undercurrent

Katharine Hepburn as Ann Hamilton
1947: The Sea of Grass

Katharine Hepburn as Lutie Cameron Brewton
1947: Song of Love

Katharine Hepburn as Clara Wieck Schumann
1948: State of the Union

Katharine Hepburn as Mary Matthews
1949: Adams Rib

Katharine Hepburn as Amanda Bonner
1951: The African Queen
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer
1952: Pat and Mike

Katharine Hepburn as Patricia "Pat" Pemberton
1955: Summertime
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Jane Hudson
1956: The Iron Petticoat

Katharine Hepburn as Captain Vinka Kovelenko
1956: The Rainmaker
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Lizzie Curry
1957: Desk Set

Katharine Hepburn as Bunny Watson
1959: Suddenly, Last Summer
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Mrs. Violet Venable
1962: Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Best Actress Oscar Nom

Katharine Hepburn as Mary Tyrone
1967: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Best Actress Oscar

Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton
1968: The Lion in Winter
Best Actress Oscar

Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine
1969: The Madwoman of Chaillot

Katharine Hepburn as Countess Aurelia
1971: The Trojan Women

Katharine Hepburn as Hecuba
1973: A Delicate Balance

Katharine Hepburn as Agnes
1975: Rooster Cogburn

Katharine Hepburn as Eula Goodnight
1978: Olly, Olly, Oxen Free

Katharine Hepburn as Miss Pudd
1981: On Golden Pond
Best Actress Oscar

Katharine Hepburn as Ethel Thayer
1984: Grace Quigley

Katharine Hepburn as Grace Quigley
1994: Love Affair

Katharine Hepburn as Ginny
I fell in love with ‘Gone With the Wind’ as a child and watch it once a year. I don’t know shit about any of the cast so my pick would be Vivien Leigh.
African Queen! My absolute favorite Hepburn movie. I’d have loved to have met her any time any age. If I could steal anyone’s life it would be John Ford for having an affair with Hepburn! (And making great movies)
She was stunningly gorgeous. So was Audrey Hepburn. swoon
I love her movies, she was fantastic. I agree, to meet her at any time, at any age would have been great. We own several of her movies, Desk Set being a favorite.
Hey! Do more of these. I vote for Sophia Loren.
Is it just me or does the pic from Quality Street look more like Lucille Ball?
probably my favorite actress, african queen being my most favorite of her movies, but desk set, lion in winter and the rainmaker all tie for number 2. Saw them all on “the big screen” in a local theater that showed all classic movies – complete with real velvet curtains and an orchestra pit – as a teen on saturday afternoons.
Stuart Pankin or Dan Haggerty top my list.
I adored Katherine Hepburn movies..I tried reading her book, but there was too much I didn’t want to know and didn’t want it to skew my ideas of her. My vote would be Judy Garland or Dean Martin.
Vange might make out with you for saying that.
Nipsy and I are celeb head in the sand-ers! Totes making out with you!
Dino would be great too.. and speaking of Lucy.. she was quite the babe in her early days in Hollywood..
Bette Davis Eyes!