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Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn

Actor · Died June 29, 2003, aged 96 · Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. A recipient of a record four Academy Awards and an Emmy Award, she was ranked as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute. She was best known for her sophisticated, headstrong and outspoken screen persona that she cultivated through roles in a variety of film genres — from screwball comedies to literary dramas. Apart from her acclaimed acting and distinctive voice, her impact extended to fashion as well as she helped make wearing pants more socially acceptable for women. Throughout her six-decade career, Hepburn's work in stage, film, and television brought her much acclaim — including twelve Academy Award nominations, six Emmy Award nominations, eight Golden Globe Award nominations, and two Tony Award nominations. She co-starred with screen legends like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier and Henry Fonda and performed in plays written and directed by notable playwrights and directors. Her most successful film pairing was with Spencer Tracy, with whom she made multiple hit pictures. The last of their 9 films together was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), which was completed shortly before Tracy's death. Her many performances on the stage included plays by Shakespeare and Shaw, and a Broadway musical. She passed away from cardiac arrest on 29 June 2003 at her family home in Connecticut and since then, has been honored with several memorials.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 12, 1907
Died
June 29, 2003 (aged 96)
From
Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
48 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 42% in 30 days

What are Katharine Hepburn's films like?

Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
28%
Morality
12%
Society
10%
Survival
8%
Power
6%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love16 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 28 · Serious 6 · Dark 11

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 20 · Charged 16 · Intense 9

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 27 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 19 · Funny 9

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 34 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 29 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 24 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 39 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

45 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 25 of 45 analyzed roles.

Hero
25 of 45
Shapeshifter
5 of 45
Ally
5 of 45
Shadow
4 of 45
Mentor
3 of 45
Trickster
2 of 45
Threshold guardian
1 of 45
Show the 45 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
19
Tense
17
Romantic
16
Melancholic
20
Joyful
11
Other
45

How their films linger

Feel-good20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Katharine Hepburn's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 48 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Katharine Hepburn's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

67 credits, 48 with a MovieCove page; 48 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • True Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as (Archive Footage)

  • Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation(2020)

    as Amanda Wingfield

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood(2019)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Broadway's Lost Treasures II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Coco Chanel (segment "Coco")

  • One Christmas(1994)

    as Cornelia Beaumont

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Mrs. Venable (archive footage)

  • Love Affair(1994)

    as Ginny

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment! III(1994)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • This Can't Be Love(1994)

    as Marion Bennett

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Roots of Roe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Kit Hepburn (voice)

  • Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer · Writer · as Self

  • The Man Upstairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Victoria Brown

  • Laura Lansing Slept Here (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Laura Lansing

  • Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry(1986)

    as Margaret Delafield

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Grace Quigley(1984)

    as Grace Quigley

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • On Golden Pond(1981)

    as Ethel Thayer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Corn Is Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Miss Lilly Moffat

  • Olly, Olly, Oxen Free(1978)

    as Miss Pudd

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Love Among the Ruins(1975)

    as Jessica Medlicott

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Rooster Cogburn(1975)

    as Eula Goodnight

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment!(1974)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Amanda Wingfield

  • A Delicate Balance(1973)

    as Agnes

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Trojan Women(1971)

    as Hecuba

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Madwoman of Chaillot(1969)

    as Contessa Aurelia

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Lion in Winter(1968)

    as Eleanor of Aquitaine

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Guess Who's Coming to Dinner(1967)

    as Christina Drayton

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Big Parade of Comedy(1964)

    as Tracy Lord (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Long Day's Journey Into Night(1962)

    as Mary Tyrone

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Suddenly, Last Summer(1959)

    as Violet Venable

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Desk Set(1957)

    as Bunny Watson

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Rainmaker(1956)

    as Lizzie Curry

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Iron Petticoat(1956)

    as Captain Vinka Kovalenko

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • MGM Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Summertime(1955)

    as Jane Hudson

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Pat and Mike(1952)

    as Patricia "Pat" Pemberton

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The African Queen(1951)

    as Rose Sayer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Adam's Rib(1949)

    as Amanda Bonner

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • State of the Union(1948)

    as Mary Matthews

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Song of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Clara Wieck Schumann

  • The Sea of Grass(1947)

    as Lutie Cameron Brewton

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Undercurrent(1946)

    as Ann Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Without Love(1945)

    as Jamie Rowan

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Dragon Seed(1944)

    as Jade Tan

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Twenty Years After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as (archive footage)

  • Stage Door Canteen(1943)

    as Katharine Hepburn

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Keeper of the Flame(1942)

    as Christine Forrest

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Woman of the Year(1942)

    as Tess Harding

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Women in Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Philadelphia Story(1940)

    as Tracy Lord

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Holiday(1938)

    as Linda Seton

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Bringing Up Baby(1938)

    as Susan

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Stage Door(1937)

    as Terry Randall

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Quality Street(1937)

    as Phoebe Throssel

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • A Woman Rebels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Pamela 'Pam' Thistlewaite

  • Mary of Scotland(1936)

    as Mary Stuart

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Sylvia Scarlett(1935)

    as Sylvia Scarlett

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Alice Adams(1935)

    as Alice Adams

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Break of Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Constance Dane Roberti

  • The Little Minister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Barbara 'Babbie'

  • Spitfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Trigger Hicks

  • Little Women(1933)

    as Jo

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Morning Glory(1933)

    as Eva Lovelace

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Christopher Strong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Lady Cynthia Darrington

  • A Bill of Divorcement(1932)

    as Sydney Fairfield

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Loving Against Time: the Making of On Golden Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as (archive footage)

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 66 titles, 65 of them dated from 1932 to 2024; peak year 1967.

Biggest box office

On Golden Pond (1981)

$119M worldwide

Highest rated

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Trojan Women (1971)

Film career

19322024

Peak 1967 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 26 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting65 of 66: 65 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndWriting1 of 66: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleCinematography1 of 66: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another role

By decade

1930s15 · acting1940s13 · acting1950s8 · acting1960s5 · acting1970s9 · acting1980s4 · acting1990s8 · 7 acting · 1 crew2000s1 · acting2010s1 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 45% of 31 roles
32374757

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Katharine Hepburn's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 48; across their 45 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Midcredits score across 48 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th18
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 48 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019)

81st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 42 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Katharine Hepburn's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles6–43 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles6–28 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles4–42 · median 12 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles16–43 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles4–53 · median 24 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Katharine Hepburn work with?

People who share at least 2 of Katharine Hepburn's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Spencer Tracy shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles