Who was Katharine Hepburn’s father? Meet Thomas Norval Hepburn

American actress Katharine Houghton Hepburn had a six-decade career as a leading lady in Hollywood. Her public identity was shaped by her headstrong independence, vivacious demeanor, and outspokenness; she frequently portrayed independent, smart women in cinema.

Hepburn was adamant about becoming an actress when she left college. She went to Baltimore the day after graduation to meet Edwin H. Knopf, the owner of a prosperous stock theater company. Knopf cast Hepburn in his current play, The Czarina, after being impressed by her desire.

A malignant tumor was discovered in Hepburn’s neck in May 2003. On June 29, 2003, at the Hepburn family home in Fenwick, Connecticut, she passed away from cardiac arrest due to the decision not to seek medical attention.

Who was Katharine Hepburn’s father?

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, the second of six children. Her parents were Thomas Norval Hepburn (1879–1962), a urologist at Hartford Hospital, and Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn (1878–1951), a feminist campaigner.

Meet Thomas Norval Hepburn

He co-founded the Connecticut Social Hygiene Association, which was dedicated to improving health and eliminating sexually transmitted diseases and infections.