A career spanning more than sixty years. A life spanning almost a century. Katharine Hepburn reached the height of success as an actress and also suffered through periods that would have ended other actresses' careers. But she persevered with a mix of humor and sarcasm, tenderness and brutal honesty. The world has not been the same since.Collected here are the words that made Katharine Hepburn "Kate" to millions of fans. It does not matter whether the words were originally hers or if they were written for her. Every word spoken in that all-too-familiar staunch New England accent instantly became Kate's. Her early years of ambition, her later years of reflection have all been captured in this collection. Her views on marriage, career, and life often came across as shocking. But the shock was not in the words she said, but when she said them. Decades ahead of her time, Kate paved the way for the independent woman free to live as she wishes. Above all else, Kate was and always will be the unwavering voice of reason. Katharine Hepburn once said that there is a difference between being an actor and being a star; she wanted to be a star. The words collected here, said both onstage and offstage, are proof that there is also a difference between being a star and being a legend. Katharine Hepburn is a legend.

A career spanning more than sixty years. A life spanning almost a century. Katharine Hepburn reached the height of success as an actress and also suffered through periods that would have ended other actresses' careers. But she persevered with a mix of humor and sarcasm, tenderness and brutal honesty. The world has not been the same since.Collected here are the words that made Katharine Hepburn "Kate" to millions of fans. It does not matter whether the words were originally hers or if they were written for her. Every word spoken in that all-too-familiar staunch New England accent instantly became Kate's. Her early years of ambition, her later years of reflection have all been captured in this collection. Her views on marriage, career, and life often came across as shocking. But the shock was not in the words she said, but when she said them. Decades ahead of her time, Kate paved the way for the independent woman free to live as she wishes. Above all else, Kate was and always will be the unwavering voice of reason. Katharine Hepburn once said that there is a difference between being an actor and being a star; she wanted to be a star. The words collected here, said both onstage and offstage, are proof that there is also a difference between being a star and being a legend. Katharine Hepburn is a legend.

Photographs from Hepburn's personal collection highlight the candid memoirs of the life, long career, friendships, and loves of the legendary Hollywood actress.

The first major Katharine Hepburn biography independent of her control reveals the smart, complicated, and sophisticated woman behind the image Onscreen she played society girls, Spencer Tracy's sidekick, lionesses in winter. But the best character Katharine Hepburn ever created was Katharine Hepburn: a Connecticut Yankee, outspoken and elegant, she wore pants whatever the occasion and bristled at Hollywood glitter. So captivating was her image that she never seemed less than authentic. But how well did we know her, really? Was there a woman behind the image who was more human, more driven, and ultimately more triumphant because of her vulnerability? William J. Mann—a cultural historian and journalist, a sympathetic admirer but no mere fan—has fashioned an intimate, often revisionist, and truly unique close-up that challenges much of what we think we know about the Great Kate. Previous biographies—mostly products of friends and fans—have recycled the stories she hid behind, taking Hollywood myths at face value. Mann goes deeper, delivering new details from friends and family who have not been previously interviewed and drawing on materials only available since Hepburn's death. With affection, intelligence, and a voluminous knowledge of Hollywood history, Mann shows us how a woman originally considered too special and controversial for fame learned the fine arts of movie stardom and transformed herself into an icon as durable and all-American as the Statue of Liberty.

"Published in conjunction with the exhibition 'Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen, ' held at Kent State University Museum, OH (October 2, 2010-September 4, 2011) and the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, NY (October 18, 2012-January 20, 2013)."

• The private Hepburn in her own words: Katharine Hepburn draws on a series of interviews Chandler conducted with the actress during the 1970s and 1980s. Chandler also interviewed director George Cukor; Hepburn co-stars Cary Grant and James Stewart; and Laurence Olivier, Ginger Rogers, and other screen luminaries. . • A Hollywood icon unveiled: Notoriously guarded, Katharine Hepburn talks candidly with Chandler about her marriage, her long affair with Spencer Tracy, co-stars and movies, and the seminal event in her life—the suicide of her brother, whom she adored, when they were both in their teens. With her unprecedented access to Hepburn, Chandler has written a biography completely different from all others, including Hepburn’s own guarded book about herself. .