May 12 - Katharine Hepburn

Actress Katharine Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, to wealthy, politically progressive parents. As a teenager, she discovered the body of her brother, Tom, with whom she was close, after he hanged himself. For much of her life Hepburn used his birthday (November 8) as her own. She pursued acting while at Bryn Mawr College and performed on and off Broadway. In 1932 she was hired by RKO Pictures for “A Bill of Divorcement,” then in 1933 won the first of four Academy Awards for her third film, “Morning Glory.” Though she made a screwball comedy in 1938 now considered a classic, “Bringing Up Baby” with Cary Grant (pictured), her career declined and theater owners labeled her “box office poison.” Her abrasive, often arrogant attitude and boyish behavior alienated the public. When RKO’s costume department took away her slacks (considered improper and boyish), Hepburn wore only her underwear until she got her pants back. Her career recovered with “The Philadelphia Story” (1940).