Katharine Hepburn

Thesis statement

Kathrine Hep, the winner of more acting awards than any other actress in history, is a very dynamic woman. She was born in Hartford Connecticut, on May 12, 1907. She was the second oldest child of six. Kate, as she was called by her family members, had two sisters, Peg and Marion, and three brothers, Tom, Dick, and Bob. She attended Bryn Mawr college in Connecticut. She majored in acting. During her senior year at Bryn Mawr, Katharine met Ludlow Odgen Smith. That was 1927. In 1928, she and "Luddy" (her nickname for him) were married. They moved from Hartford to New York.

Introduction

Kate's acting career started in 1928 when she played in a New York Production of The Big Pond. The first Broadway production she played in was The Night Hostess where she had a small role. Miss Hepburn played a part as a schoolgirl in the play These Days. It opened in her hometown, Hartford, Connecticut. She was praised by critics for her performance. She earned a one hundred twenty-five dollar a week salary for These Days. In the 1930's, that was a very high salary for begining actresses.

Discussion Katharine served as Hope Williams's understudy in Holiday. She sat through every performance for six months. One day at understudy rehearsal, Aurhtur Hopkins, the director, watched her act. "Fine," he said, "Just don't ever be sorry for yourself." One night at midnight, Jimmy Hagen, the writer of the play, asked her if she still knew her part. Hope was sick and they needed her to perform. She spent all day the next day memorizing her lines. Katharine did her best. "I lived through it ... so did the cast." She did have one disappointment. Aurthur Hopkins didn't come to watch her perform.

In the spring ...