Want to know the best Katharine Hepburn movies? How about the worst Katharine Hepburn movies? Curious about Katharine Hepburn box office grosses or which Katharine Hepburn movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Katharine Hepburn movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place, because we have all of that information and a lot more!
Katharine Hepburn’s movie career was one heck of a roller coaster ride. The ride started on a high note with an Oscar® win for 1933’s Morning Glory and a blockbuster hit in 1934’s Little Women. She was unable to maintain her early success. The rest of the 1930s did not go very well for her. Hepburn made eleven more movies in the 1930s, and with a couple of exceptions (Alice Adams & Stage Door), they were all box office bombs. After being labeled “box office poison” she returned to the stage.
In 1940 Hepburn returned to Hollywood to make the film version of The Philadelphia Story. The film was one of the biggest hits of the year and earned Hepburn her third Oscar® nomination. After that success she appeared for the first time with Spencer Tracy in 1942’s Woman of the Year. Tracy and Hepburn would make nine films together over the next twenty-five years and become one the greatest screen couples ever. Their final appearance together would be 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, which was a blockbuster hit and earned Hepburn her 2nd Oscar® win. The following year she appeared in The Lion in Winter. She amazingly won her 3rd Oscar® win for Best Actress. Following her back to back Oscar® wins, Hepburn’s movie career took another downward spiral.
For the next twenty-five years, she would appear in only eight more movies. Most of those movies died at the box office, but she had one more major role left in her. In 1981 she appeared in On Golden Pond opposite Henry Fonda. On Golden Pond was her second biggest box office hit and earned her a record fourth Academy Award® for Best Actress. Her last role was in 1994’s Love Affair. Katharine Hepburn passed away June 29th 2003 at the age of 96.
Her IMDb page shows 52 acting credits from 1932-1994. This page will rank Katharine Hepburn movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Katharine Hepburn Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1940
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Nom
1968
The Lion in Winter (1968)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
1981
On Golden Pond (1981)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
1937
Stage Door (1937)
AA Best Picture Nom
1951
The African Queen (1951)
AA Best Actress Nom
1933
Little Women (1933)
AA Best Picture Nom
1967
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
1949
Adam's Rib (1949)
1942
Woman of the Year (1942)
AA Best Actress Nom
1948
State of the Union (1948)
1959
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
AA Best Actress Nom
1945
Without Love (1945)
1942
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
1938
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
1947
The Sea of Grass (1947)
1946
Undercurrent (1946)
1947
Song of Love (1947)
1938
Holiday (1938)
1955
Summertime (1955)
AA Best Actress Nom
1944
Dragon Seed (1944)
1952
Pat and Mike (1952)
1957
Desk Set (1957)
1935
Alice Adams (1935)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Nom
1956
The Rainmaker (1956)
AA Best Actress Nom
1936
Mary of Scotland (1936)
1962
Long Day's Journey into Night (1962)
AA Best Actress Nom
1933
Morning Glory (1933)
AA Best Actress Win
1975
Rooster Cogburn (1975)
1935
Sylvia Scarlett (1935)
1937
Quality Street (1937)
1956
The Iron Petticoat (1956)
1973
A Delicate Balance (1973)
1936
A Woman Rebels (1936)
1934
Spitfire (1934)
1935
Break of Hearts (1935)
1933
Christopher Strong (1933)
1934
The Little Minister (1934)
1932
A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
1971
The Trojan Women (1971)
1994
Love Affair (1994)
1978
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)
1969
The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
1984
Grace Quigley (1984)
Katharine Hepburn Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Katharine Hepburn movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Katharine Hepburn movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Katharine Hepburn movies by domestic box office rank
- Sort Katharine Hepburn movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Katharine Hepburn movie received.
- Sort Katharine Hepburn movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the sort and search button to make this a very interactive page.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 2 | The Philadelphia Story (1940) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
James Stewart & Cary Grant |
6.80 | 261.1 | 358.50 | 7 | 91 | 06 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 1 | The Lion in Winter (1968) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Peter O'Toole & Anthony Hopkins |
28.60 | 235.2 | 235.20 | 10 | 88 | 07 / 03 | 99.6 | |
| 3 | On Golden Pond (1981) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Henry Fonda & Jane Fonda |
112.80 | 437.3 | 437.30 | 2 | 79 | 10 / 03 | 99.3 | |
| 4 | Stage Door (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ginger Rogers | 5.00 | 207.3 | 292.20 | 23 | 87 | 04 / 00 | 99.3 | |
| 4 | The African Queen (1951) AA Best Actress Nom |
Humphrey Bogart | 11.80 | 254.4 | 254.40 | 8 | 87 | 04 / 01 | 99.0 | |
| 6 | Little Women (1933) AA Best Picture Nom |
Directed by George Cukor | 4.00 | 187.1 | 277.20 | 13 | 82 | 03 / 01 | 98.7 | |
| 5 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Spencer Tracy & Sidney Poitier |
52.50 | 467.7 | 467.70 | 4 | 71 | 10 / 02 | 98.7 | |
| 8 | Adam's Rib (1949) | Spencer Tracy | 8.30 | 206.9 | 274.90 | 18 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 98.6 | |
| 9 | Woman of the Year (1942) AA Best Actress Nom |
Spencer Tracy | 5.50 | 205.5 | 287.60 | 32 | 81 | 02 / 01 | 98.1 | |
| 10 | State of the Union (1948) | Spencer Tracy | 9.20 | 248.2 | 333.30 | 10 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 96.4 | |
| 11 | Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) AA Best Actress Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift |
18.20 | 327.3 | 327.30 | 9 | 72 | 03 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 12 | Without Love (1945) | Spencer Tracy | 7.50 | 238.0 | 333.30 | 35 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 13 | Keeper of the Flame (1942) | Spencer Tracy | 6.30 | 232.6 | 342.20 | 24 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 94.8 | |
| 14 | Bringing Up Baby (1938) | Cary Grant | 3.20 | 129.5 | 202.80 | 58 | 88 | 00 / 00 | 94.1 | |
| 14 | The Sea of Grass (1947) | Spencer Tracy | 8.50 | 248.0 | 369.20 | 24 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 93.6 | |
| 15 | Undercurrent (1946) | Robert Mitchum | 7.60 | 235.4 | 352.70 | 38 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 93.3 | |
| 16 | Song of Love (1947) | Paul Henreid | 8.40 | 244.1 | 344.00 | 25 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 93.0 | |
| 20 | Holiday (1938) | Cary Grant | 3.10 | 123.6 | 123.60 | 64 | 84 | 01 / 00 | 92.6 | |
| 21 | Summertime (1955) AA Best Actress Nom |
Directed by David Lean | 5.70 | 118.5 | 118.50 | 57 | 82 | 02 / 00 | 91.7 | |
| 19 | Dragon Seed (1944) | Aline MacMahon & Lionel Barrymore |
9.80 | 329.6 | 502.80 | 13 | 52 | 02 / 00 | 90.3 | |
| 22 | Pat and Mike (1952) | Spencer Tracy | 5.80 | 114.3 | 149.50 | 45 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 23 | Desk Set (1957) | Spencer Tracy | 4.90 | 93.5 | 93.50 | 49 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 23 | Alice Adams (1935) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
Fred MacMurray | 1.60 | 73.7 | 98.80 | 78 | 81 | 02 / 00 | 88.7 | |
| 24 | The Rainmaker (1956) AA Best Actress Nom |
Burt Lancaster | 6.00 | 117.6 | 117.60 | 44 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 86.2 | |
| 26 | Mary of Scotland (1936) | Fredric March & Directed by John Ford |
2.60 | 113.7 | 183.40 | 74 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 81.2 | |
| 25 | Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) AA Best Actress Nom |
Jason Robards | 2.20 | 31.1 | 31.10 | 95 | 85 | 01 / 00 | 81.2 | |
| 27 | Morning Glory (1933) AA Best Actress Win |
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | 1.10 | 50.5 | 77.90 | 92 | 70 | 01 / 01 | 76.2 | |
| 28 | Rooster Cogburn (1975) | John Wayne | 24.30 | 127.8 | 127.80 | 26 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 29 | Sylvia Scarlett (1935) | Cary Grant | 0.90 | 41.2 | 63.80 | 143 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 68.6 | |
| 30 | Quality Street (1937) | Franchot Tone | 0.90 | 37.9 | 54.80 | 174 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 63.1 | |
| 32 | The Iron Petticoat (1956) | Bob Hope | 3.60 | 70.6 | 77.60 | 93 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 60.8 | |
| 31 | A Delicate Balance (1973) | Paul Scofield | 1.80 | 10.7 | 10.70 | 129 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 58.5 | |
| 33 | A Woman Rebels (1936) | Herbert Marshall | 1.20 | 49.9 | 83.80 | 135 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 58.4 | |
| 34 | Spitfire (1934) | Robert Young | 1.80 | 84.2 | 103.20 | 65 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 58.1 | |
| 34 | Break of Hearts (1935) | Charles Boyer | 1.20 | 56.1 | 89.20 | 108 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 54.8 | |
| 36 | Christopher Strong (1933) | Colin Clive | 0.80 | 36.1 | 36.10 | 138 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 49.2 | |
| 39 | The Little Minister (1934) | Alan Hale | 2.10 | 96.8 | 147.80 | 52 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 48.8 | |
| 37 | A Bill of Divorcement (1932) | John Barrymore | 1.10 | 53.6 | 74.30 | 109 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 48.3 | |
| 39 | The Trojan Women (1971) | Vanessa Redgrave | 2.90 | 18.8 | 18.80 | 93 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 41.3 | |
| 40 | Love Affair (1994) | Warren Beatty | 18.30 | 48.3 | 48.30 | 78 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 26.0 | |
| 41 | Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978) | Kevin McKenzie | 1.10 | 5.1 | 5.10 | 128 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 43 | The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) | Danny Kaye | 1.90 | 14.2 | 14.20 | 102 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 6.4 | |
| 42 | Grace Quigley (1984) | Nick Nolte | 2.40 | 7.8 | 7.80 | 134 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 6.3 |
Check out Katharine Hepburn‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Wait! Want more Katharine Hepburn stats? Well we have adjusted worldwide grosses on 24 of her movies.
- Dragon Seed (1944) $393.70 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- The Sea of Grass (1947) $288.00 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- The Philadelphia Story (1940) $280.20 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Undercurrent (1946) $276.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Song of Love (1947) $268.90 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Keeper of the Flame (1942) $267.90 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- State of the Union (1948) $261.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Without Love (1945) $260.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Stage Door (1937) $229.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Woman of the Year (1942) $224.70 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Little Women (1933) $223.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Adam’s Rib (1949) $214.80 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Bringing Up Baby (1938) $158.30 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Mary of Scotland (1936) $143.90 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Pat and Mike (1952) $117.40 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- The Little Minister (1934) $115.70 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Alice Adams (1935) $76.60 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Break of Hearts (1935) $72.00 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- A Woman Rebels (1936) $65.00 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Spitfire (1934) $64.90 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- The Iron Petticoat (1957) $60.60 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- A Bill of Divorcement (1932) $57.90 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Sylvia Scarlett (1935) $51.10 million in worldwide adjusted gross
- Quality Street (1937) $42.60 million in worldwide adjusted gross
Check out Steve’s Katharine Hepburn You Tube Video
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
A biggie I never did, probably before i found this site. Katharine Hepburn has never been on the Oracle of Bacon top1000. These are the people on the first 2023 Oracle list she has appeared with.
10 ANTHONY HOPKINS The Lion in Winter (1968)
40 VANESSA REDGRAVE The Trojan Women (1971)
41 PETER O’TOOLE The Lion in Winter (1968)
54 DONALD PLEASENCE The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
58 PIERCE BROSNAN Love Affair (1994)
90 JOHN CARRADINE Morning Glory (1933)
91 DEAN STOCKWELL Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
95 ROBERT MITCHUM Undercurrent (1946)
113 JASON ROBARDS Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
169 NICK NOLTE Grace Quigley (1984)
189 BURT LANCASTER The Rainmaker (1956)
207 ROBERT MORLEY The African Queen (1951)
226 ANGELA LANSBURY State of the Union (1948)
328 KEENAN WYNN Without Love (1945)
370 JOHN WAYNE Rooster Cogburn (1975)
386 WALTER GOTELL The African Queen (1951)
406 HENRY FONDA On Golden Pond (1981)
456 CHARLES BRONSON Pat and Mike (1952)
467 JANE FONDA On Golden Pond (1981)
468 TIMOTHY DALTON The Lion in Winter (1968)
569 LLOYD BRIDGES The Rainmaker (1956)
599 JOSEPH COTTEN A Delicate Balance (1973)
719 ELYA BASKIN Love Affair (1994)
722 DABNEY COLEMAN On Golden Pond (1981)
737 YUL BRYNNER The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
754 BRIAN BLESSED THE TROJAN WOMEN (1971)
775 AKIM TAMIROFF Dragon Seed (1944)
785 RICHARD JORDAN Rooster Cogburn (1975)
792 SIDNEY POITIER Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
795 IRENE PAPAS The Trojan Women (1971)
816 ANTHONY ZERBE Rooster Cogburn (1975)
817 ANNETTE BENING Love Affair (1994)
839 ALDO RAY Pat and Mike (1952)
878 RALPH RICHARDSON Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
888 PAUL MAZURSKY Love Affair (1994)
903 KENNETH GRIFFITH THE LION IN WINTER (1968)
916 ELIZABETH TAYLOR Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Katharine appeared with 34 Oscar winners which is lower than what I would have thought.
ANTHONY HOPKINS The Lion in Winter (1968)
BARRY FITZGERALD Bringing Up Baby (1938)
BURT LANCASTER The Rainmaker (1956)
DONALD CRISP A WOMAN REBELS (1936)
DONALD CRISP MARY OF SCOTLAND (1936)
DONALD CRISP THE LITTLE MINISTER (1934)
EDMUND GWENN Sylvia Scarlett (1935)
EDMUND GWENN Undercurrent (1946)
ELIZABETH TAYLOR Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
FAY BAINTER QUALITY STREET (1937)
FAY BAINTER WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942)
FREDRIC MARCH Mary of Scotland (1936)
GIG YOUNG Desk Set (1957)
GINGER ROGERS Stage Door (1937)
GLORIA GRAHAME Without Love (1945)
HATTIE MCDANIEL ALICE ADAMS (1935)
HELEN HAYES Stage Door Canteen (1943)
HENRY FONDA On Golden Pond (1981)
HUMPHREY BOGART The African Queen (1951)
JAMES STEWART The Philadelphia Story (1940)
JANE DARWELL Stage Door Canteen (1943)
JANE FONDA On Golden Pond (1981)
JASON ROBARDS Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
JOAN FONTAINE Quality Street (1937)
JOHN WAYNE Rooster Cogburn (1975)
JUDY HOLLIDAY Adam’s Rib (1949)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Dragon Seed (1944)
MELVYN DOUGLAS The Sea of Grass (1947)
PAUL LUKAS Little Women (1933)
PAUL MUNI Stage Door Canteen (1943)
PAUL SCOFIELD A Delicate Balance (1973)
SIDNEY POITIER Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
SPENCER TRACY Adam’s Rib (1949)
SPENCER TRACY Desk Set (1957)
SPENCER TRACY Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
SPENCER TRACY Keeper of the Flame (1942)
SPENCER TRACY Pat and Mike (1952)
SPENCER TRACY State of the Union (1948)
SPENCER TRACY The Sea of Grass (1947)
SPENCER TRACY Without Love (1945)
SPENCER TRACY Woman of the Year (1942)
VAN HEFLIN A Woman Rebels (1936)
VANESSA REDGRAVE The Trojan Women (1971)
WALTER BRENNAN Alice Adams (1935)
WALTER HUSTON Dragon Seed (1944)
YUL BRYNNER The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
THE GREAT KATE!!! I have seen 24 Hepburn movies over the years. I especially loved her films with Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant. The highest ranked film I have seen is THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. The lowest ranked move I have seen is A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT. The highest ranked movie I haven’t seen is SEA OF GRASS. Favorites include A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT, LITTLE WOMEN, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, BRINGING UP BABY, HOLIDAY, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, STATE OF THE UNION, ADAM’S RIB, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, PAT AND MIKE, THE RAINMAKER, and DESK SET. Other Hepburn movies I have seen include MORNING GLORY, ALICE ADAMS, MARY OF SCOTLAND, STAGE DOOR, KEEPER OF THE FLAME, WITHOUT LOVE, SUMMERTIME, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, THE LION IN WINTER, ROOSTER COGBURN, and ON GOLDEN POND. Why Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant didn’t walk away with Oscars for their lead performances in BRINGING UP BABY is beyond me!!! Enough Said!!!
Hey Greg. Good comment on the Great Kate. So you have seen 24 of her movies…let me see where I am currently at….counting…25….one movie ahead of you. I am right there with you on her movies with Grant and Tracy. Bringing Up Baby is one of the first classic movies that I saw that really entertained me. That made me a Grant fan for life. Over the years, The Philadelphia Story has taken over Bringing Up Baby for favorite Cary/Kate movies.
As for Sea of Grass…it was not one of the better Kate/Spencer movies…so I think it is not too bad that you have not seen it. I have seen all of your favorites with the exception of A Bill Of Divorcement. Everytime I see, read or hear about The African Queen, I think of my late grandmother….her entire VHS collection was The Wizard of Oz and The African Queen. And finally..Oscars and Bringing Up Baby…..Oscar voters do not like awarding comedy…and Bringing Up Baby was considered a flop…and a deserved flop when it came out….only time and good sense has made that one a good movie. Good stuff.
Great site.
Thank you Ed S.