Hepburn out of hospital 'by weekend'

Hepburn, pictured in 1992: Winner of four Oscars

Oscar-winning Hollywood veteran Katherine Hepburn will probably be released from hospital by this weekend, a hospital spokesman said on Wednesday.

"She's made a lot of progress from a physical therapy standpoint," said James Battaglio of the Hartford Hospital.

Hepburn is known as the first lady of American cinema

Mr Battaglio said that Hepburn, 94, responded well to a treatment of antibiotics.

Previous reports indicated that Hepburn was suffering from a urinary infection.

The Hollywood legend was to have been released last week, but lost strength while she was in hospital.

Doctors decided she should undergo a brief course of physical therapy before sending her home.

Katherine Hepburn is to remain in hospital until the weekend to give doctors more time to monitor her ability to walk.

Hepburn, who lives in Old Saybrook, near Hartford, was taken to the hospital on 18 July after being seen by her own doctor at a clinic in the town.

During her 60-year career, Hepburn was nominated for Academy Awards a record 12 times - an achievement equalled only by Meryl Streep.

She has won Oscars for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), A Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981).

Rare interview

Her last film was Love Affair in 1994.

In a rare interview to a New York newspaper last year, Hepburn denied occasional rumours that her health was failing and that she was bed-ridden.

"I am OK", she told the New York Post, adding: "Tell everyone I am doing fine."

She said she was still a big eater and enjoyed home-made meals prepared by her cook.

Oscar glory

In her early films Hepburn often portrayed strong female characters.

She won the first of her Oscars at the age of 24 in her third picture, Morning Glory.

Her forthright style has lent itself equally to drama and comedy, and she starred opposite Cary Grant in the 1930s screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby.

She won an unprecedented fourth Oscar for her performance in On Golden Pond, a remarkable portrait of a resolute woman growing old with grace and grit.