Katharine Juliet Ross went from being an unknown actress to a famous star overnight. She is best known for playing Elaine in *The Graduate* alongside Dustin Hoffman. Over the years, many people called her a Hollywood bombshell.
Ross has had a long and successful career in acting. However, her personal life has been quite different. She has been married five times. Luckily, her fifth marriage to the beloved actor Sam Elliott has turned out to be a happy one.
It’s been a while since Katharine Ross appeared on screen, but her life is about more than just acting. Even at 83, she is still a true beauty. Here’s everything you need to know about Katharine Ross and what she looks like today.
Katharine Ross took part in her school’s production of *The King and I* and decided she wanted to pursue acting seriously. However, after just one year, she dropped out of school. Instead, she applied to The Actors Workshop in San Francisco and moved into a small apartment above a grocery store.
### Katharine Ross – Early Life & Career
For three years, Ross worked hard to improve her acting skills. She eventually landed some small roles in television shows. Not only was she talented, but she also knew how to audition well.
“I was queen of the screen tests,” Ross told *Life Magazine* in 1968. “I made daily trips from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back in time for the Workshop’s curtain call. I played many different types of hit-and-run drivers: an innocent driver, a tough driver, and a wealthy, snobby teenage driver. On *Gunsmoke*, I played a sympathetic character with a clubfoot.”
While in college, Ross met her first husband, Joel Fabiani, and they married in 1960. He was the first of her five husbands, but more on that later.
The years after her marriage to Fabiani were important for Ross. She became known for her many roles in television Westerns, which suited her beauty perfectly.
However, even though it might sound like a dream to be cast in many shows, it wasn’t always easy for Katharine Ross. Like many young stars in the business, she faced exploitation and challenges. Simply put, it wasn’t all fun and games for young TV actors in the 1960s.
Katharine Ross shared a memory about auditioning for a film directed by Samuel Goldwyn Jr. called *The Young Lovers*. She was supposed to screen test with Peter Fonda, but he wasn’t available, so they brought in Chad Everett instead. He didn’t know the role was already filled, and he was giving it his all. Katharine didn’t have the heart to tell him. After several sessions with a hairdresser to get her look right, they ended up cutting all her hair off, and in the end, they cast someone else.
### Katharine Ross – Cast as Elaine in *The Graduate*
Ross reflected on the time, saying it was great because the old studio system was ending, and new styles of filmmaking were starting. Films with small budgets, like the one she auditioned for, were becoming popular. This shift eventually led to the indie film movement.
Katharine made her TV debut in an episode of *Sam Benedict* in 1962. Her first movie role was in *Shenandoah*, a Civil War film starring James Stewart, in 1965. The following year, she signed a deal with Universal Studios. While working on her first starring role in the film *Games*, director Mike Nichols noticed her talent.
He cast her in her most famous role: Elaine in *The Graduate*, alongside Dustin Hoffman.
“Dustin Hoffman was a New York stage actor. He looked like he had just rolled out from under a rock; he was so pale. He just wanted to get back to his off-Broadway play. Even though we eventually became friends, my first thought was, ‘Oh my God — this guy is dressed in black and looks like a ghost,’” Ross remembered in an interview with the *Houston Chronicle*.
She also mentioned that Gene Hackman, who was Dustin’s roommate at the time, was supposed to play her father but dropped out for some reason.
*The Graduate* became a classic, and Katharine became a star overnight. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year.
In 2017, Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott starred together in a movie called *The Hero*. In this film, Elliott played an aging Western film star, and Ross played his ex-wife. While the movie doesn’t reflect their real lives, it allows the couple to try new things together.
“I think we just like making movies, and having that creative experience together is the best,” Elliott told the *Los Angeles Times* in 2016.
“It’s just fun. It’s a whole different kind of energy to go home with someone you’re working with rather than go home to someone who isn’t working. It’s a totally positive experience,” he added.
Ross and Elliott split their time between their homes in California and Oregon. Earlier this year, they attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards together. Katharine has not acted in any films or television shows for several years.
However, she has become a successful author and has published several children’s novels.
Every Day after 21 Year Old Sons Death, Grieving Mom Finds Baby Toys on His Grave
A grieving mother who frequently visits her son’s grave is startled when she begins finding baby toys there and soon uncovers a heartbreaking truth about her son’s hidden life.
“Musician? Are you out of your mind, Leonard?” Kenneth snapped when his son expressed his desire to pursue a career in music.
Leonard, fresh out of high school at 18, was eager to follow his passion. But his parents had different expectations—they wanted him to become a lawyer, a path Leonard had no interest in pursuing.
After taking a gap year to explore his options, Leonard realized his heart was set on music. When he shared his dream with his parents, their response was anything but supportive.
“What’s wrong with wanting to be a musician, Dad?” Leonard protested. “Plenty of people follow their passion and find success. I don’t want a dull office job!”
His father’s reply was firm. “I’ve made myself clear, son. You’re going to become a successful lawyer, just like your grandfather and me.”
“There’s no way, Dad! You can’t force me into a career I don’t want! I’m going to follow my dreams, and that’s final!” Leonard declared.
Leonard’s mother, Lily, tried to mediate. “Your father just wants the best for you. He doesn’t want you chasing an uncertain dream. So many people have big aspirations, but few make it.”
“If he really cares, he should support me!” Leonard retorted.
“Watch your tone, Leonard,” his father warned. “If you want to live here, you’ll listen to us. If not, you’re free to leave.”
“Fine, Dad. I don’t need your support. I’ll make it on my own!” Leonard stormed off to his room, packing his things. That evening, despite Lily’s pleas, he left home vowing never to return.
Three years passed without any contact. Lily tried calling her son, but every call went unanswered. Then, one morning while making breakfast, Lily received a phone call that shattered her world. Leonard had been in a motorcycle accident and died before reaching the hospital.
Lily collapsed in grief, and Kenneth, equally heartbroken, accompanied her to Milwaukee to identify their son’s body. The loss of Leonard drove a wedge deeper between the couple, with Lily blaming Kenneth for pushing their son away.
While Kenneth withdrew into guilt and silence, Lily visited Leonard’s grave daily. One day, she noticed a small teddy bear left at his headstone. At first, she thought it was left by mistake and moved it aside. But when she returned the next day, more toys had appeared.
Puzzled, she asked the cemetery caretaker, but he had no answers. Then, on her next visit, she saw a young woman standing by Leonard’s grave, holding a baby. The woman placed a toy near the grave before turning to leave.
Lily’s curiosity overwhelmed her, and she approached the woman. “Excuse me, do you know my son? Have you been leaving these toys?”
The woman looked startled. “Are you Leonard’s mother? I’m Carrie, his girlfriend. This is Henry, our son.”
Lily was stunned. The child in Carrie’s arms was the spitting image of her late son. Carrie explained how she and Leonard had met after he moved to pursue his music career. They had fallen in love, moved in together, and when Carrie became pregnant, Leonard was overjoyed, even writing a song for his unborn child. Tragically, just as their baby boy was born, Leonard lost his life.
Carrie had been visiting Leonard’s grave and leaving the toys he had bought for their son, unsure of how to approach his parents. She revealed that Leonard had always hoped to reconnect with his family once he found success.
Hearing Carrie’s story, Lily’s heart ached, not just for the son she had lost, but for the family she never knew existed. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her grandson too, so she invited Carrie and Henry to live with her. Reluctant at first, Carrie eventually agreed.
From that moment, Lily and Kenneth’s lives changed. Kenneth, once so strict, became a doting grandfather to Henry. The joy the little boy brought into their home helped mend the strained relationship between Lily and Kenneth. Together, they supported Carrie in getting Leonard’s song released by a well-known label, and Henry, now five, dreams of following in his father’s musical footsteps, with his grandparents cheering him on.
This story teaches us the devastating effects of anger and impatience. Leonard’s hasty departure and Kenneth’s rigid stance only deepened the divide between them. But it also shows the power of love and acceptance. By opening her heart to Carrie and Henry, Lily not only found healing for herself but also for her family, rebuilding the bond they thought was lost forever.
Leave a Reply