Despite her many nominations for Best Actress over the years, Katherine Hepburn has never embraced the Academy Awards  -  or at least, that's what her actions would lead one to believe.  Since her first win in 1932 for Morning Glory, and straight through to her win for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? in 1967, Hepburn never once attended the ceremonies to accept, or to present.  

Katharine Hepburn has always preferred to lead life on the fringes of Hollywood.  She never fit in with the movie star lifestyle, and in fact never tried to.  Her boldness might suggest that she could care less about the Academy Awards as well, but that's not necessarily true.  Through the eyes of Oscar, one can see that Hepburn is just as human as the rest of us.

In 1968, still mourning the death of Spencer Tracy, Katharine found herself on top once again, with a devastating performance in The Lion In Winter.  The film was brilliant, and with Peter O'Toole as her co-star, she delivered what could arguably be her best performance ever. 

The film was nominated for several Oscar's, and Hepburn received her record breaking eleventh nomination.  Even though she was in Los Angeles on the evening of the awards, Academy President, Gregory Peck could not persuade her to make an appearance. 

While disappointing, it was no surprise to anyone that she would be a no-show.  Over the years, she has traditionally refused to attend. "Prizes are nothing," she said in a 1940 interview.  "My prize is my work." 

At the same time however, Hepburn does not consider herself above such things as awards.  In that same interview she also said, "It's our track meet.  It's painful, but it's thrilling."

The 1962 Academy Awards was a race between Bette Davis, for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Anne Bancroft for The Miracle Worker.  Davis was enjoying her tenth, and final nomination.  Meanwhile, in that same year, Hepburn was nominated for Long Days Journey Into Night.  It would be her ninth, with only one win to her credit.

While Davis' campaign for that award is legendary, having lost to Bancroft in what she felt was an anti-campaign by her co-star in Baby Jane, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn was running her own race.  According to columnist, Sheilah Grahame, "Hepburn, almost as much as a recluse as Garbo, is actually almost as accessible as Zsa Zsa Gabor.  She'd love to win."

When she won for The Lion In Winter in 1968, Hepburn followed a tradition set by Spencer Tracey and Louise Rainer, winning two Oscar's back to back, and became the first actress to rack up three Oscars in total, .  While she wasn't there to accept, she did provide a video taped acceptance speech, which was played in her absence.  

Ingrid Bergman handed out the Best Actress prize, and as she was ready to walk out on stage, she was advised by someone from Price Waterhouse to 'be sure to read everything on the envelope'.  That year's Best Actress victory was a tie.  Hepburn shared the honor with newcomer, Barbra Streisand, who won for Funny Girl.  

 More