Katharine Hepburn

By Michael Freedland

Katharine Hepburn is a fascinating biography of one of Hollywood’s greatest screen legends.

Hepburn was a star who followed no accepted show business pattern. She was a classical actress who starred in some of the funniest screen comedies ever made. She came from a patrician New England background, but was condemned by Senator McCarthy for communist leanings. And although she was once described as ‘box office poison’ she went on to make some of the most successful films in cinema history.

Her fellow actors admired her. Bogart said she was zany; Spencer Tracy fell in love with her and fans adored her — although if they asked for an autograph there was always a chance she would hit them over the head with a tennis racket. Salty, tough, imperious in real life as in her many brilliant screen performances, Hepburn took no prisoners, but was always the consummate professional.

In this engaging biography Michael Freedland traces Katharine’s life — from the time she campaigned for women’s rights outside the White House at the age of four, to her Oscar winning performance in On Golden Pond — and reveals the remarkable qualities that placed her among the acting greats. He documents her long relationship with actor Tracy, and the remarkable on-screen chemistry which became one of Hollywood’s most famous love stories. This excellent account of Hepburn’s fascinating life will appeal to her many fans, and to all who are interested in Hollywood icons.