Decades after her death, Katharine Hepburn is still revered as one of the greatest actors to have ever lived.
Born exactly 119 years ago today (May 12, 1907), the star, affectionately known as "Kate" or "Katy Hepburn," was considered one of the defining figures of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
© Getty ImagesNot only was she celebrated for her incredible talents, ranging from the dramatic (see The Lion in Winter) to the comedic (see Bringing Up Baby), but her progressive outlook on feminism, public image, relationships, even family.
The daughter of progressive parents in Connecticut, Katharine had a rich early life, one that informed her of her decision to not carry on her legacy with children of her own. Here's what the four-time Oscar winner has said of her choice not to have kids…
Prioritizing her career
During an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in 1973, Katharine explained that she'd decided of her own accord: "I was brought up in a very happy family, and I thought if my concentration is going to be in the theater and as a business career, I cannot have any children, because I was brought up when mother was there, telling me how wonderful I was."
She reiterated her desire to focus on building herself and her own career up rather than prioritizing motherhood and devoting time expressly to kids, something she brought up once again in subsequent interviews.
"I knew exactly what life was, and what a pain in the neck that children are, and everything, so I avoided it all," the Alice Adams star told Diane Sawyer in 1989.
© Getty ImagesKatharine as a mother
"I would have made a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being," she once told A. Scott Berg, per his 2013 biography Katharine Remembered.
Similarly, she shared with Barbara Lovenheim in 1984 that she knew herself to be a woman of "adventure" and would find motherhood more mundane. "I knew I might regret it, not having children and a family."
"But I made a conscious decision not to get tied up in the domestic life because I thought it would bore me – I wanted adventure."
© Getty ImagesBeing a sister AND a mother
The Bringing Up Baby star was also the second of six kids, meaning she often helped raise her younger siblings. In fact, by the time she was a working actress in New York City, she'd often act as a mother figure to them, using it as reasoning for why she didn't want any more kids of her own.
"As children, they used to visit me in New York," she wrote in her 1991 autobiography Me: Stories of My Life. "I felt as though they were mine. I'd dress them up and take them to the theatre, to movies and museums and all the excitements."
© Getty Images"I was a sort of rich aunt and we had great fun together. Visiting and adventures. I'm sure that this was why I never had children of my own."
