# Katharine Houghton
**Katharine Houghton** (born 1945) is an American actress and playwright whose screen debut came as Joey Drayton, the young woman whose engagement to [Sidney Poitier](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-poitier)'s character drives the interracial-marriage drama *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), in which she appeared alongside [Spencer Tracy](https://www.edgepedia.org/spencer-tracy) and her real-life aunt, [Katharine Hepburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/katharine-hepburn).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/92359)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945, Hartford, Connecticut; daughter of Marion Hepburn Grant and Ellsworth Grant[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) |
| Family tie | Niece of Katharine Hepburn, who played her character's mother in *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) |
| Signature role | Joey (Joanna) Drayton in *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), her film debut[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/92359) |
| Broadway debut | *A Very Rich Woman* (Ruth Gordon), 1965[3](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-katharine-houghton-plays-amanda-wingfield-in-the-seminal-tennessee-williams-play-the-pretty-trap-com-181410) |
| Awards | Golden Globe nomination, New Star of the Year – Actress (1968); Theatre World Award for *A Scent of Flowers* (1970)[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/katharine-houghton/) • [5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Katharine-Houghton/) |
| Education | Sarah Lawrence College, philosophy major[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/) |
| Other work | Playwright (*Best Kept Secret*, *Merlin*, *Mortal Friends*, a translation of Anouilh's *Antigone*) and biographer of her mother[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-14-ca-191-story.html) |
## Early life and stage beginnings
Houghton was born in [Hartford, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/hartford-connecticut), to Marion Hepburn Grant, a historian, author, and labor activist who was the younger sister of Katharine Hepburn, and Ellsworth Grant.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-14-ca-191-story.html) She attended [Sarah Lawrence College](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-lawrence-college) intending an academic career in philosophy, but tried summer stock in her junior year and turned to acting.[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/)
Her Broadway debut came in 1965 in [Ruth Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruth-gordon)'s *A Very Rich Woman*.[3](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-katharine-houghton-plays-amanda-wingfield-in-the-seminal-tennessee-williams-play-the-pretty-trap-com-181410) She followed it on Broadway with *The Front Page* in 1969, playing Peggy Grant, and appeared in the 1988 Broadway revival of *Our Town* as the Lady in the Box.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Katharine-Houghton/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/otherworks/) In 1970 she received a Theatre World Award for *A Scent of Flowers*.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Katharine-Houghton/)
## Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Houghton's screen debut came in [Stanley Kramer](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kramer)'s *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), in which she played Joey Drayton, the idealistic young woman who brings her African American fiancé, played by Sidney Poitier, home to her liberal San Francisco parents.[3](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-katharine-houghton-plays-amanda-wingfield-in-the-seminal-tennessee-williams-play-the-pretty-trap-com-181410) • [10](https://www.tcm.com/articles/403/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner) Her mother in the film was played by Katharine Hepburn, her aunt in real life, and the cast also included Spencer Tracy in his final screen performance.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) • [10](https://www.tcm.com/articles/403/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner) Houghton auditioned for the part and has said she has little doubt that her aunt was influential in her getting cast.[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/)
The film made her debut much publicized; some critics at the time likened her looks and promise to her aunt, who won the Best Actress Oscar for the film.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-14-ca-191-story.html) Houghton received a Golden Globe nomination as New Star of the Year – Actress in 1968.[4](https://goldenglobes.com/person/katharine-houghton/) The role has remained the one she is most known for.[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/)
## Later film and theater work
Her subsequent screen credits listed by the AFI Catalog include *The Gardener* (1974, as Ellen Bennett), *Billy Bathgate* (1991, as Charlotte), *Ethan Frome* (1993, as Mrs. Ruth Hale), *The Night We Never Met* (1993), and *Kinsey* (2004, as Mrs. Spaulding).[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/92359) Metacritic also credits her as Katara's Grandma in *The Last Airbender* (2010).[11](https://www.metacritic.com/person/katharine-houghton/)
Theater has remained central to her career. IMDb counts more than fifty on- and off-Broadway and New England regional theater productions since her debut.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/) She has twice played Laura in *The Glass Menagerie* and later took on Amanda Wingfield in [Tennessee Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-williams)'s *The Pretty Trap*.[3](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-katharine-houghton-plays-amanda-wingfield-in-the-seminal-tennessee-williams-play-the-pretty-trap-com-181410) • [6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/)
## Writing
Houghton is also a playwright; her credits include *Best Kept Secret*, *Merlin*, *The Marry Month of May*, *Mortal Friends*, *On the Shady Side*, *The Right Number*, *Phone Play*, and her translation of [Jean Anouilh](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-anouilh)'s *Antigone*.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/) In 1990 she was preparing proofs of *M.H.G.*, a biography of her mother, the historian and labor activist Marion Hepburn Grant.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-14-ca-191-story.html)
## References
1. [Katharine Houghton – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/bio/)
2. [Katharine Houghton filmography, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/92359)
3. [STAGE TO SCREENS: Katharine Houghton Plays Amanda Wingfield in The Pretty Trap, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/stage-to-screens-katharine-houghton-plays-amanda-wingfield-in-the-seminal-tennessee-williams-play-the-pretty-trap-com-181410)
4. [Katharine Houghton – Golden Globes Awards Database](https://goldenglobes.com/person/katharine-houghton/)
5. [Katharine Houghton – Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Katharine-Houghton/)
6. [Katharine Houghton Tackles Tennessee Williams in 'The Pretty Trap', Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/katharine-houghton-tackles-tennessee-williams-pretty-trap-55389/)
7. [Katharine Houghton, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/)
8. [In Search of ... Katharine Houghton, Los Angeles Times (1990)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-14-ca-191-story.html)
9. [Katharine Houghton – Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396455/otherworks/)
10. [Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, TCM article](https://www.tcm.com/articles/403/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner)
11. [Katharine Houghton, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/katharine-houghton/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames He to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license