Ross was born in Hollywood, California. Her father was Dudley Tying Ross, a native of New York who worked for the Associated Press. Her mother, Katherine Mullen, was originally from Oklahoma but had lived in Indiana and Oregon. They moved to San Francisco in 1937, and their family settled in Walnut Creek.
After starring in several television movies, Ross had a brief career in films. She appeared in Murder by Natural Causes (1979), Rodeo Girl (1980), and the science fiction film The Final Countdown (1981). Ross spent most of the 1980s in television movies, such as Travis McGee, Red Headed Stranger (1986), and The Colbys with Charlton Heston. In The Colbys, she played Francesca Scott Colby, mother of the fictional character Jeff Colby on the television show Dynasty.
While there’s no solid proof to prove that Katharine Ross is related to Katharine Hepburn, it is worth mentioning that both actresses have nieces. Both actresses starred in films together, and Katherine Ross had a close friendship with Givenchy. Despite their similarities, however, the two women did not have children.
In 1909, Katharine Hepburn became interested in women’s rights after hearing Emmeline Pankhurst’s speech. She then met Emily Miller Pierson, who helped form the Hartford Equal Franchise League. In 1910, they also took over the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association. They promoted a broader program that linked the vote to moral reform and the fight against white slavery and venereal disease.
During her long career as an actress, Hepburn made 52 films and received countless honors, including four Academy Awards for Best Actress. She also starred in over a dozen other films and was nominated for 12 Oscars. Interestingly, her first Academy Award came at the age of thirty-two, and the rest came after she turned sixty.
In addition to being a director, Ross also wrote several books. She also penned Bossypants. She has even sported Hepburn’s accent in films like 30 Rock and His Girl Friday. These works are undoubtedly related to Hepburn’s life, and it’s possible that the two of them are related.
The biographer who wrote “Kate Remembered” based on Hepburn’s interviews, recalled Hepburn’s affair with Tracy. Tracy’s Catholic faith barred him from marrying Hepburn. While Hepburn’s sexual relationship with Tracy was controversial, the biographer’s claims have been backed by independent research.