Katharine Hepburn was an American actress and leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years. In 1999, Hepburn was named by the American Film Institute the greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
Her early years was followed by a series of commercial failures culminating in the critically lauded but commercially unsuccessful comedy Bringing Up Baby, a pairing with Cary Grant.The Philadelphia Story co-starring Grant, was a box office success and landed her a third Academy Award nomination.
In the 1940s, she began a screen romance with the married Tracy was hidden from the public. The partnership began with Woman of the Year, continued with Adam's Rib, both being "battle of the sexes" romantic comedies, and concluded with the race-issue drama Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
She found a niche playing middle-aged spinsters, such as in The African Queen (1951), which landed her another Academy Award nomination.
