Timeline of Events
"Time is passing. Yes. Don't waste it." --KH
1907—Katharine Hepburn born
1913—The Hepburn family begins summering in Fenwick, CT
1921—Tom Hepburn (Katharine’s older brother) commits suicide, Katharine finds his body
1928—Katharine graduates from Bryn Mawr, marries Ludlow Ogden Smith (“Luddy”)
1928—Katharine lands her first acting job in New York understudying and then replacing the lead in The Big Pond. She is fired after opening night.
1929—Hepburn is cast in Death Takes A Holiday, but fired before the play opens on Broadway
1930--Art and Mrs Bottle opens on Broadway with Hepburn as a supporting actress. She is fired shortly into the run.
1931—Katharine is cast in The Animal Kingdom but fired before it opens in 1932
1932—Hepburn plays Antiope in The Warrior’s Husband on Broadway to good reviews
1932—Katharine makes her screen debut in A Bill of Divorcement
1933—Hepburn wins her first Academy Award for Morning Glory
1933--The Lake opens in New York with Katharine as the lead and is generally a flop
1934—Hepburn begins dating agent Leland Hayward, officially divorces Luddy
1935--A Break of Hearts (flop)
1936--Silvia Scarlett (flop)
1936—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Alice Adams (hit)
1936--A Woman Rebels (flop)
1936—Heyward goes to New York for a production of Stage Door and marries Margaret Sullavan. Hepburn finds out via telegram.
1936—Hepburn and Howard Hughes begin dating
1937--Quality Street (flop)
1937--Stage Door (hit)
1938--Bringing Up Baby (now considered a classic, a financial failure at the box office)
1938--Holiday (critical success, box office flop)
1938—Hepburn and Howard Hughes break up
1938—The Hepburn family summer home “Fenwick” is destroyed by the Great New England Hurricane of ‘38
1938—Hepburn performs in the stage version of The Philadelphia Story (the rights for which were bought for her by Howard Hughes)
1939—Fenwick is rebuilt
1940--The Philadelphia Story premieres and is a box office hit. Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar and her co-star Jimmy Steward wins one.
1942--Woman of the Year debuts with Hepburn starring opposite Spencer Tracy. They would make nine films together and have a twenty-seven-year-long romantic relationship that ended with his death. Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar.
1951—Katharine Hepburn and her father find her mother dead in their Hartford home when she does not come down for tea at five.
1952—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for The African Queen
1956—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for Summertime
1960—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for Suddenly, Last Summer
1962—Dr. Thomas Hepburn (Katharine’s father) dies
1963—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar in Long Day’s Journey into Night
1967—Spencer Tracy dies at the home he rented from director George Cukor and quietly (unofficially) shared with Hepburn. Hepburn is not invited to attend the funeral.
1967—Hepburn and Tracy’s last film together, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, premieres. Hepburn wins the 1968 Oscar for her performance.
1969—Hepburn wins her third Oscar for The Lion in Winter
1969—Hepburn makes her singing debut on Broadway in Coco
1974—Hepburn makes her first and only Oscars appearance to present the Irving Thalberg Award
1982—Hepburn wins her final Oscar for On Golden Pond
1982 (Dec)—Hepburn and her assistant Phyllis Wilbourn are in a car accident in Old Saybrook, CT when Hepburn loses control of the car on an icy road and hits a telephone poll.
1983 (Jan)—George Cukor, the director who Hepburn described as “her best friend,” dies
1983—Louise Tracy (Spencer Tracy’s widow) dies, and Hepburn speaks publicly about her relationship with Spence
1986—Hepburn’s younger sister Marion Hepburn Grant passes away at the age of 70
1987—Hepburn publishes her first book The Making of An African Queen
1991—Hepburn publishes her autobiography Me: Stories from My Life
1994—Hepburn makes her final screen appearance in Warren Beatty’s Love Affair
2000—Dickie Hepburn (one of her younger brothers) passes away at home in Fenwick
2003—Hepburn passes away at the age of 96 at home in Fenwick
1913—The Hepburn family begins summering in Fenwick, CT
1921—Tom Hepburn (Katharine’s older brother) commits suicide, Katharine finds his body
1928—Katharine graduates from Bryn Mawr, marries Ludlow Ogden Smith (“Luddy”)
1928—Katharine lands her first acting job in New York understudying and then replacing the lead in The Big Pond. She is fired after opening night.
1929—Hepburn is cast in Death Takes A Holiday, but fired before the play opens on Broadway
1930--Art and Mrs Bottle opens on Broadway with Hepburn as a supporting actress. She is fired shortly into the run.
1931—Katharine is cast in The Animal Kingdom but fired before it opens in 1932
1932—Hepburn plays Antiope in The Warrior’s Husband on Broadway to good reviews
1932—Katharine makes her screen debut in A Bill of Divorcement
1933—Hepburn wins her first Academy Award for Morning Glory
1933--The Lake opens in New York with Katharine as the lead and is generally a flop
1934—Hepburn begins dating agent Leland Hayward, officially divorces Luddy
1935--A Break of Hearts (flop)
1936--Silvia Scarlett (flop)
1936—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Alice Adams (hit)
1936--A Woman Rebels (flop)
1936—Heyward goes to New York for a production of Stage Door and marries Margaret Sullavan. Hepburn finds out via telegram.
1936—Hepburn and Howard Hughes begin dating
1937--Quality Street (flop)
1937--Stage Door (hit)
1938--Bringing Up Baby (now considered a classic, a financial failure at the box office)
1938--Holiday (critical success, box office flop)
1938—Hepburn and Howard Hughes break up
1938—The Hepburn family summer home “Fenwick” is destroyed by the Great New England Hurricane of ‘38
1938—Hepburn performs in the stage version of The Philadelphia Story (the rights for which were bought for her by Howard Hughes)
1939—Fenwick is rebuilt
1940--The Philadelphia Story premieres and is a box office hit. Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar and her co-star Jimmy Steward wins one.
1942--Woman of the Year debuts with Hepburn starring opposite Spencer Tracy. They would make nine films together and have a twenty-seven-year-long romantic relationship that ended with his death. Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar.
1951—Katharine Hepburn and her father find her mother dead in their Hartford home when she does not come down for tea at five.
1952—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for The African Queen
1956—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for Summertime
1960—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar for Suddenly, Last Summer
1962—Dr. Thomas Hepburn (Katharine’s father) dies
1963—Hepburn is nominated for an Oscar in Long Day’s Journey into Night
1967—Spencer Tracy dies at the home he rented from director George Cukor and quietly (unofficially) shared with Hepburn. Hepburn is not invited to attend the funeral.
1967—Hepburn and Tracy’s last film together, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, premieres. Hepburn wins the 1968 Oscar for her performance.
1969—Hepburn wins her third Oscar for The Lion in Winter
1969—Hepburn makes her singing debut on Broadway in Coco
1974—Hepburn makes her first and only Oscars appearance to present the Irving Thalberg Award
1982—Hepburn wins her final Oscar for On Golden Pond
1982 (Dec)—Hepburn and her assistant Phyllis Wilbourn are in a car accident in Old Saybrook, CT when Hepburn loses control of the car on an icy road and hits a telephone poll.
1983 (Jan)—George Cukor, the director who Hepburn described as “her best friend,” dies
1983—Louise Tracy (Spencer Tracy’s widow) dies, and Hepburn speaks publicly about her relationship with Spence
1986—Hepburn’s younger sister Marion Hepburn Grant passes away at the age of 70
1987—Hepburn publishes her first book The Making of An African Queen
1991—Hepburn publishes her autobiography Me: Stories from My Life
1994—Hepburn makes her final screen appearance in Warren Beatty’s Love Affair
2000—Dickie Hepburn (one of her younger brothers) passes away at home in Fenwick
2003—Hepburn passes away at the age of 96 at home in Fenwick