Hepburn, Katharine

US actor. An acclaimed actor of the classical Hollywood era, Hepburn won four Academy Awards and was nominated on 12 separate occasions. Feisty self-assurance was her trademark in both comic and dramatic roles. She was a frequent collaborator with the director George Cukor, and appeared in several films with her off-screen partner Spencer Tracy, including Woman of the Year (1942) and Pat and Mike (1952).

Hepburn's many films include Little Women (1933); Sylvia Scarlett (1935), in which she spent much of the film disguised as a boy; Mary of Scotland (1936); the screwball comedies Bringing Up Baby (1938), Holiday (1938), and The Philadelphia Story (1940); and The African Queen (1951).