Two Stars, One Name: The Truth Behind the Hepburn Heritage—and if Katharine and Audrey Were Related
Audrey and Katharine were Oscar-winning actresses who shaped Hollywood—but were they related?
One of Hollywood’s great mysteries is whether or not the multiple Academy Award-winning Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn were related. Not only did they share the same last name, but both of them were striking brunettes who seemed to love life on the silver screen. Does that mean that they shared the same DNA? We dive deep into their lives and their shocking connection to one another below.
What to know about Katharine Hepburn: Actress, divorcee and author
Katharine was born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut. She had five siblings and began her career by appearing in several different stage productions on and off Broadway. She was then discovered by Hollywood in 1932.
Following that, the actress appeared in a variety of silent films and “talkies,” including Little Women (1933), The Philadelphia Story (1940), The African Queen (1951), Suddenly, Last Summer (1960), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1963), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981).
“Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living,” the actress said of her career choice. “After all, Shirley Temple could do it at age four.”
Katharine was also a very accomplished writer and released a memoir in 1996 entitled Me: Stories of My Life. Additionally, she helped write the 1993 TV movie Katharine Hepburn: All About Me, which featured her recalling several key points throughout the course of her life.
Personally, Katharine was married from 1928 to 1934 to businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith. They split because she claimed she wasn’t in love with him and was instead in love with work. She then remained single for nine years before meeting and falling in love with Spencer Tracy on the set of Woman of the Year (1942). He was married then, and throughout their 27-year love affair, he never divorced his wife.
“It was a unique feeling I had for him… I would have done anything for him,” Katharine wrote in her memoir. “I can only say, I think that if he hadn’t liked me, he wouldn’t have hung around. As simple as that. He wouldn’t talk about it, and I didn’t talk about it. We had just passed 27 years together in what was to be absolute bliss. It is called LOVE.”
The pair remained together until Tracy died from a heart attack in 1967.
Following his death, Katharine remained single until she passed away in 2003 from natural causes at the age of 93.
What to know about Audrey Hepburn: Actress, mother and philanthropist
Audrey was born on May 4, 1929, in Ixelles, Belgium, and was rumored to be a spy during WWII before she switched to acting.
First appearing in the 1949 TV movie Sauce Tartare, the actress quickly rose to Hollywood stardom thanks to films like Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Paris When it Sizzles (1964) and How to Steal a Million (1966).
Thanks to her talent, Audrey is one of 27 people to have ever earned an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).
On the personal side, Audrey was married twice, first to Mel Ferrer from 1954 to 1968 and then to Andrea Dotti from 1969 to 1982. She had sons with each of them and left acting from 1967 to 1976 to take care of them.
“I don’t regret for one minute making the decision to quit movies for my children,” Hepburn said of her decision. “If I just had movies to look back on, I’d not have known my boys.”
During the later years of her life, Audrey devoted her time to becoming a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1988 to 1993. She was also in a long-term relationship with Robert Wolders from 1980 until her death in 1993.
Audrey was 63 at the time and died from colon cancer.
Were Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn related? The story behind their surname
Despite having the same last name, Katharine and Audrey were not related. They weren’t even born in the same country, and there is no proof that the two ever even met one another.
The surname “Hepburn” is of Anglo-Scottish origin and is believed to derive from a place name in Northumberland or East Lothian, Scotland. It likely comes from the Old English words “heah” (meaning “high”) and “byrne” or “burna” (meaning “stream” or “brook”), translating to “high place by the stream.” The name has historically been associated with nobility in Scotland, including the powerful Hepburn family of the Earls of Bothwell. Though Katharine and Audrey Hepburn were not related, their shared surname connects back to these deep British and Scottish roots.
Aside from their names, hair color and awards, the actresses did have one thing in common: their zodiac signs. Since both Hepburns were born in May, they were Tauruses, the sign considered to be the most loyal, dedicated, grounded and luxurious; and given both of the actresses’ personalities, that connection makes total sense.
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