At the risk of hurting the feelings of many great ladies of the screen, I must say that of all the actresses I have worked with, Katharine Hepburn is my favourite for many reasons: her intelligence, talent, dignity, integrity, wit, and humour being just a few. There is no one quite like her. She is unique. Her delight in life is contagious. Sparks fly when Kate’s around. Her enthusiasm and vitality recharge the batteries like the wallop of a good martini. The most down-to-earth legend I have ever met, she is laser sharp and incisive, tough as rawhide, yet as quick and sensitive as the wingbeat of a hummingbird. I admire and respect her honesty, her sense of privacy, her life-style. The lady’s beauty is ageless because her spirit is young and always will be. No energy crisis here. A generation of would-be actresses have been inspired by her, as will generations to come. She is an untapped mine of inner resources: never feels sorry for herself; never complains; never lonely; never at a loss for living. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to do all she wants to do… She could have been a great doctor, faith healer, painter, or president. As far as I’m concerned, Katharine Hepburn’s face ought to be carved into the rock of Mount Rushmore. But of course, she’s already a national monument. — Hal Wallis
Katharine Houghton Hepburn | 12 May 1907 — 29 June 2003
