Great Katie- from my home state of Connecticut- those impossibly high patrician cheekbones, that rye, sharp New England accent- real class- and a great actress to boot. Born in Hartford CT- father was a MD- mother a suffragette. Ancestral home Home along Long Island sound totally destroyed by the great New England hurricane of 1938. Once called 'box office poison' by Louie B. Mayer. An American Icon for the ages- and did more for her beloved Connecticut then many know.

Katharine Hepburn is extremely overrated -- she plays that same role in nearly every film: an unattached, cocksure female who's overly intelligent and eventually (despite her unlikeable qualities), manages to hook the male lead. Ugh. Give me Audrey Hepburn any day.

Classy, elegant and timeless. So many great films- can hardly begin to elaborate. Smart, ahead of her time- what else?

Remarkable, timeless and revered by many. Allowed for women to be independent people on screen, and not just a device for the male actors to interplay with.

The alltime best! I can watch her films over and over, again! Even Bette Davis was a great admirer, stating that Miss Hepburn gave, by far, the best female performance of the year,1935, for Alice Adams. That was the year Miss Davis won a consolation oscar, for Dangerous. Among my many favorite Hepburn portrayals, is in The Rainmaker. She totally captured the desperate emotions of an insecure ugly duckling, who nevertheless had much inner beauty. And Burt Lancaster, in the title role, coaxed that trait out of her.

On equal par with Crawford and Stanwyck

Kate Hepburn is, I think, the biggest female icon of our time. A great actress, a fascinating person who led a fascinating life, Katharine Houghton Hepburn deserves her rightful place in the #1 spot of this list.

There are so few real actresses of her caliber! I've loved all of her movies. I'm asking for her book for Christmas. She is strong yet funny, and ALWAYS classy...even when floating down the river with Bogart or Wayne!

Amazing lady of true grace!

If someone were to ask me who I thought was the greatest actress of all time, I would say Katharine Hepburn in a heart beat. I have many favorites and it is very hard to choose, but having watched more movies of Katharine's than anyone else I can say that she holds the true meaning of acting. She has been quoted several times with When I started out, I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. I just wanted to be famous. I don't believe she ever really understood what a major talent she was. To me she seemed modest, but that was the beauty of her talent. She created characters and roles that were acted out so amazingly no one would ever know that it was acting. It all seemed natural and it all seemed very natural to her. She caught many people's attention with her rough edged ways and toughness, but that was The Katharine Hepburn. She was that person that could dominate a movie set and speak her mind. I admire that in her because during those times women were not dominating anything. She lived a long life and gave Hollywood a foundation of inspiration. I will always remember her in On Golden Pond, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, and all those beloved Spencer Tracy films and smile. May her talent be an inspiration to all actresses to come.

She was a good actress but I just don't seem to like her very much! There is something about her that i don't like!

Overrated as an actress. Rarely made me forget who she was.

Thank goodness we had actresses like Katherine Hepburn who used their own integrity. In her time women had to wear skirts and dresses, instead when bullied by studio bosses she opted for her own choice of clothing such as trousers(pants). Such demonstrations of insistance showed her independence and that women should and would be respected on and off screen and not just treated as sexual objects. She's one of the most respected actresses to date and oozed everything of a true screen icon.

The great lady of film. Sometimes tough and cantankerous, she was just a tremendous actress. A trailblazere in the feminist movement, even though I don't believe she ever claimed to be a part of it. Great in The African Queen and Rooster Cogburn, among many other roles she played. Apparently, she was really pretty doen-to-earth and had few if any airs. One of my neighbors, a former utilities lineman, went to repair a downed power line during a snowstorm in the Philadelphia suburbs many years ago; turned out that it was near Katharine Hepburn's brother's home (I think it was her brother), and she invited Tony in for a cup of hot chocolate when he fixed the break, thanked him profusely, and wanted to talk about his work rather than her being an actress. Sounds like a really great lady to me.

At first site, and especially on that foul movie called ON GOLDEN POND, I think she acts like a crabby ole sea hag. But there was a few good movies back in the day that I could tolerate her presence in. But overall, I never cared for her acting or her nasty attitude.

One of the most talented actresses. She had staying power.

as much as i LOVE classic actresses & classic films, i never could stand Katherine Hepburn. That whole rich, snotty over-opinionated east coast attitude/persona along w/ that voice was enough to send me diving for the remote control the minute i saw her. I tend to love the more raw, down-to-earth broads, like barbara stanwyck, joan crawford, bette davis, liz taylor, joan blondell, shelly winters, susan hayward. Kate Hepburn--you can have her.

Very dignified and intelligent actress, if a tad snobby and stiff. Worked well with the gamut of leading men of her era and brought enthusiasm and craft to every role. A fine judge of scripts. A classic beauty, as well.

Another fine Lady

Strong powerful actress who did what she wanted to do. Great with Spencer Tracy and in films without him. A true legend.

One of the best actresses ever to grace theater screens. A talent like no other.

Terribly overrated. I always preffered classic actresses like Janet Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Tippi Hendren, and Dorothy Danderige. Women who were believable in their film roles.

the ideal strong woman. There will never be anyone who compares.

i liked her in the 30s and 40s, but in the 50s she was annoying. but overall a good actress

The best of the best! Her performance in A Lion In Winter takes my breath away.

Katharine always worked hard and had amazingly good roles. She is a real professional. I'm praying for her to believe in God before she dies.

Katharine is a very talented lady that knows what she wants. She may be stubborn at times but look where it got her. She is so beautiful too.

Just got better with age

I have seen her in a lot of movies. She does a good job in almost every role she does. She is another actress who has played a lot of strong roles. Which was great since a lot of her movies were in the 30s,40s, 50s. and 60s,I liked her in Little Women, Adams Rib, Guess Whos coming to dinner. She did well in movies with Cary Grant, and Spencer Tracy.Just a good all around actress.

No competition here. Kate is the BEST actress of all time..

I would go six stars if possible.... Hepburn is THE star; there is no one like her or will there be. She worked with so many different actors and directors and was so very connected with the Hollywood elite and yet maintained her own self. She was the actress during the golden age of movies and continued beyond that into a time when movies and the theatre had changed dramatically, but without, hesitation, took both on with an enthusiasm unmatched by contemporary actors. Meryl Streep comes very close to her and may surpass her one day, but only because of the varied roles afforded her and the lack of quality acting that the contemporary world brings us. In addition to her acting, Hepburn had an extremely interesting life. Her life is somewhat of a timeline of social milestones. Those of you that are interested in finding out about this fascinating woman's life should consider reading her autobiography, "Me: Stories of My Life" and one written perhaps eight or so years ago, titled, "Katherine Hepburn" by Barbara Learning. Both books are excellent reads and recommend them to anyone interested in her, her times, film and theatre world, or social history. Enjoy!

CastleBee used the only word that fits -- Katharine Hepburn is truly magnificent. I had forgotten the line from Desk Set although I've seen and enjoyed that movie several times. In her early movies, she played strong, interesting women in times where the more usual heroines were cute and spent most of their time gazing adoringly at the hero of the piece. But she never lost her appeal. The most amazing and effective casting decision was Katharine Hepburn and Henry Honda in On Golden Pond. She was and is a true star.

Hepburn was a fantastic actress and woman. She was way ahead of her time with her free thinking and "damn the world" attitude, as well as being a marvellous actress. She deserves 5 stars alone for being herself and living the life she wanted (i.e. her long-term love affair with Spencer Tracy) in an industry that has always seen women as second-class citizens.

Hands down, Katharine Hepburn is my favorite actress of all time. She has had a remarkable career...stage, screen, television, author. So many others pale in comparison. To this day no one has exceeded her in Oscar nominations and wins. Her range as an actress is extraordinary. I adore her films with Spencer Tracy in particular. No matter how many times I have seen "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" I still get teary when Tracy makes his speech towards the end of the movie about the love he feels for "Christina." You can see him sharing the same sentiment with Hepburn. She has been a well respected actress to this day and will be for many years to come. I came across a quote from Frank Capra that I feel somes it up, "There are women and there are women--and then there is Kate. There are actresses and actresses--then there is Hepburn."

Katherine Heburn is one of the best. I absolutely love all of her movies, love her voice, her look, her moves - everything about her. She travelled to the beat of a different drummer and was her own person - way before it was the in thing to do. One of my favorites was "The African Queen." Loved her with Spencer Tracy. There is no one like her and there never will be again.

she's the absolute best! there's so much i could say about the best actor of all time, but i'll just say this: her four oscars (the record for any actor) prove that she's got the competition beat.

A magnificent actress who could do anything from period drama to light romantic comedy – and better than most. One of the funniest lines I ever heard this woman deliver (as only she could) was in a film called “Desk Set”. Spencer Tracy had just said, “I’ve been thinking…” to which she swiftly remarks “WAS it exciting for you!” Nobody could zing someone like Kate Hepburn and I have never seen her put in a bad performance regardless of material, acting partners, or age. She’s one of the true, undeniable greats.

I love her! She is an excellent actress and a role model! She is a marvelous person. I'd personally puke on mcke3634om if you don't like this one. Little callmetootie, that look on your face is stupider than a mule's.

Audrey Hepburn even found more then Katharine did. She always has this stupid look on her face, and she is so overreacted in her roles. God, she was one rotten actress.

Katharine Hepburn is the greatest actress. Ever. I am only 16, but I still think that she is a great role model, and she set new principles that paved the road for many women to follow. My favorite movie ever is Philadelphia Story. My whole family loves her, too. And I was named after her :)

Katharine Hepburn is an excellent actress and very respected for her talents.

I am not a fan of Hepburn but I've watched many of her films. And I found her marvelous.I must say that Katharine has been the most successful actress of all time so far. Her talent has been recognized by the Adademy (4 oscars and 12 nominations), the Media, and the critics. Although Hepburn doesn't have many fans of my age (25), she certainly has a lot of people that respect her career so much.

Katherine is perhaps the best actress of all times. Maybe Meryl Streep is the only other actor who can be set near Hepburn. Time will tell us.