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GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com | 75 Hepburn's feverish mannered voice – drawling , soaring and braying plaintive tones – along with her beauty and sharp wit made her a screen star in the 1930s. K nown for her classic roles in e Aican Queen, Guess W ho's Coming to Dinner? and On Golden Pond, Hepburn earned an unprecedented four Best Actress Oscar Awards and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards. A complex woman both personally and professionally, she oen displayed her eccentric strength in movie roles, a characteristic that allowed her to overcome personal tragedy and triumph on the big screen. Born May 12, 1907, the daughter of a prominent doctor and one of the leading suffrage activists who co-founded the organization later k nown Planned Parenthood, Hepburn was one of si x children. Kate, as she was k nown, was encouraged to speak out, experience and engage the world. Hepburn's life changed dramatically forever, when she discovered the body of her older brother, Tom, who had commied suicide by hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom. Katharine was just 14 years old. His death changed her life, turning a once-social teenager into a withdrawn young woman who le school and to be educated by private tutors. e impact of Tom's death was so devastating that for a time Hepburn adopted her brother's birthday as her own. It was during her college years at Br yn Mawr College that Hepburn fell in love with acting. A er graduating with a degree in histor y, she spent several years acting in productions both off and on Broadway in New York garnering favorite reviews. Her big break came when a talent scout spoed her during a performance and offered her an audition for a role starring opposite Holly wood legend John Barr ymore. at film, "A Bill of Divorcement" was a defining point for Hepburn's future movie career and secured her a lucrative long-term contract to make future films with R KO Radio Pictures Studios. Hepburn received early success for her performance in 1933's Morning Glory, earning her the first Academy Award. Her movie career continued to blossom with a series of popular comedies, including Bringing Up Baby in 1938 with Car y Grant. But soon she appeared in a handful of flops labeling her " box office poison" and forced Hepburn to end her contract and return to the stage. During a Broadway presentation of e Philadelphia Story, audiences embraced Hepburn in her role. Masterminding her own Holly wood comeback fiing for the big screen, she bought the motion picture rights to the stor y and sold them to MGM Studios with the sole condition that she would star in the film. e 1940 film, starring Hepburn, along with co-stars Jimmy Stewart and Car y Grant, earned multiple Academy Award nominations. INDEPENDENT WOMAN With a developing range of talent and prominent roles in, Hepburn was also k nown for per strong personality and aitude – on and off the set. She developed a fierce personal reputation not unlike Eleanor Roosevelt, embodying the independence of the modern A merican woman. She had a difficult relationship with the press, with whom she could be rude and provocative. Refusing to play the coveted traditional role of a Holly wood starlet, she would not give inter views and denied requests for autographs, which earned her the nick name "Katharine of A rrogance." e public was also baffled by her boyish behavior and masculine fashion choices, and she became a largely unpopular figure. A merican women disliked her looks and voice, and found her to be threatening and not sex y. Continued on page 76 " " If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

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