In 2006, a clip of Katharine Hepburn was included in The Barbara Walters Special: 30 Mistakes in 30 Years. Broadcasted on ABC to celebrate Barbara Walters’ 30 years of primetime interviews with prominent personalities, the special featured blunders that Walters made over the years as well as the mistakes that some of her guests made.

An interview with Katharine Hepburn was listed at number 30, carrying a caption stating never to ask anyone what kind of tree they want to be. The clip showed Walters interviewing Hepburn in 1981 on the set of the Broadway play, The West Side Waltz. Hepburn described herself as a very strong tree and when asked by Walters what kind of tree Hepburn would want to be, the actress’ reply was that she would want to be an oak tree, strong and pretty. Indeed, Hepburn was viewed by many as a strong-willed woman.

Born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut, Katharine Houghton Hepburn has five siblings. At the age of 14, she was deeply devastated when she found that her brother had hanged himself. Because of such traumatic experience, Hepburn grew very shy. She even used her brother’s birth date as her own.

Hepburn attended Kingswood-Oxford Day School in Connecticut. She then went to Bryn Mawr College where she graduated in 1928, obtaining a degree in history and philosophy. In the same year, Hepburn made her theater debut on the Broadway play Night Hostess, where she landed a small role. Also in that same year, she married businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith, but they eventually divorced in 1934.

1928 was also the year when Katharine Hepburn landed her first lead role in the play, The Big Pond. She was fired shortly, however. In 1931, she landed a theater role in Art and Mrs. Bottle.

By 1932, she got a starring role in The Warrior’s Husband. After that stint, Hepburn starred in films including A Bill of Divorcement, Morning Glory, and Little Women. She won her first Oscar award for her portrayal in Morning Glory in 1933.

In 1934, Hepburn returned to Broadway, where she performed in The Lake. She moved to Hollywood again and made films including Alice Adams, Stage Door, Break of Hearts, Mary of Scotland, Quality Street, and Bringing Up Baby.

In 1938, Hepburn went back to Broadway and starred in The Philadelphia Story. The play was a hit that a film version was made in 1940, with Hepburn doing the same role.

In 1942, she landed a role in Woman of the Year, which co-starred Spencer Tracy. Tracy became Hepburn’s domestic partner from 1943 until his death in 1967. Together, they made 9 movies including Adam’s Rib, Pat and Mike, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which won her a second Oscar award. Hepburn also received Oscar awards for her roles in The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond.
In fact, she is the only movie personality to have won four Oscar Awards.

On June 29, 2003, she died at 96 years old.