Katharine Hepburn acts.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn ( May 12 , 1907 -- June 29 , 2003 ) was an American actress . In 1999 , Hepburn was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema . Hepburn challenged herself in the latter half of her life , as she regularly appeared in Shakespearean stage productions and tackled a range of literary roles .