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.
Man Kicks Out Brother After He Brought His Kids to His Wedding – Story of the Day
I kicked my brother out of the wedding hall after he went against my decision and brought his kids to the wedding. But I’m not ashamed of it. I think it was the right decision.
My wife, Laura, and I got married days ago, and we had decided to keep the wedding children-free. To be honest, I thought that was the best decision. So when I was sending out the invites, I made sure the message was clear to everyone.
To some extent, I was sure that everyone would respect my decision and won’t bring their kids to the wedding. But there was one person I wasn’t sure of, and that was my 36-year-old brother David.
David got married at a young age and has four kids. Like every parent, those kids mean the world to him, so he takes them everywhere he and his wife go.
And trust me when I say that the kids are with him everywhere because I hadn’t witnessed even one family event in twenty-eight years of my life when David and his wife attended an event without them.
So, unlike other guests, I gave the wedding invite to him in person and even read it out loud to make sure David didn’t miss the little note at the bottom. “Kids are not allowed. Sorry for the inconvenience,” I finished reading.
“Child-free, huh?” David added in a sarcastic tone.
“Well, yeah. I think that’s the best decision!” I replied instantly.
David glared at me. “Are you out of your mind, Richard? My kids have never been excluded from any event, big or small, let alone their own uncle’s wedding!”
Ramsey seemed upset when I told him kids weren’t allowed | Photo: Pexels
“I’m sorry, David,” I said after a little pause, “but it’s already been decided, and everyone has to follow the rules!”
David didn’t say anything after that. I thought he was pissed at me, so I was about to apologize again, but then he spoke up. “I get it, man, no children means no children, no worries. I won’t bring my kids!”
I was relieved David didn’t get into a fight about it and seemed to accept the rule. However, I had a hard time believing he would agree to my request so quickly. Who’d have guessed my suspicions would turn out to be true?
A week later, the wedding day came. Almost everyone in the family arrived except David and his wife. I began thinking David was furious with me because I had refused to let him bring his children to the wedding.
So I decided to phone him and apologize. But just as I was about to dial the number, my best man informed me that David and his children had arrived.
I was burning with anger, and I went straight to meet him at the entrance. I greeted the kids and asked my sister-in-law to take them back to the car. When they left, I lashed out at David.
I stopped Ramsey at the entrance | Photo: Pexels
“You can’t enter, David,” I said. “Kids are not allowed in here!”
“Calm down, Richard,” David retorted. “It’s not like your wedding will be ruined because of my kids. Why are you acting like that?”
I was furious. “Acting like that?! Didn’t I tell you about it before?”
“You did, Richard, but I didn’t think you were serious. They’re just kids, after all. You’re not going to kick me out of the hall just because I didn’t follow the rules, right?” David responded.
“Well, I can. GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, David! ” I yelled at the top of my voice.
David looked at me angrily. “You’re a lunatic, I swear. I mean, who does that to their brother?”
“I don’t want to explain anything to you now. Please leave!” I almost yelled at him.
I kicked Ramsey out of the wedding hall | Photo: Unsplash
“You know what, Richard? You’re an awful uncle and brother for sure, but you’re a simp too! I’m sure it’s your lovely Laura who has brainwashed you like this! If I were in your place, I wouldn’t have married a pathetic woman!” David said and walked away.
I was even more enraged by David’s snide remarks about Laura, and I wanted to stop him and lash out at him once more. However, our last quarrel was humiliating and loud enough for all guests, including my in-laws, to gaze at us.
My mother had to step in to calm the situation by persuading me to let it go and invite David and his family to the wedding. But I stood firm in my refusal. I was adamant about my decision and paid no attention to what others had to say.
But since that day, everyone hated me and sided with David, claiming I betrayed him and his family by acting coldly towards them when all they wanted to do was celebrate the occasion with my wife and me.
I am sad that everyone in the family hates me | Photo: Pexels
My father was furious with me for potentially and permanently destroying my relationship with David, his wife, and their children by excluding them from my wedding. David will never forget that day, he said. But first, let me explain why I did it.
I used to work for Laura’s dad’s company. He and his wife tragically died in a car accident. I was just one of the employees attending the funeral when I saw Laura for the first time.
A few days after the funeral, as I was on my way to the cabin, I met Laura at the office. She had come to collect some documents.
When I saw her, all I could think of was how sad she was during the funeral. So I asked her if she was doing well. I don’t know why but after talking to her that day, I felt like I wanted to learn more about her.
Luckily, we began meeting each other often, especially after Laura took over her dad’s position and came to the office every day. And before we realized it, we were in love.
I fell in love with Clara at the first sight | Photo: Pexels
Laura had returned to regular life somehow, but her trauma from her parents’ death remained severe, and she was undergoing treatment for that. Laura’s therapist had warned me not to do anything that might cause her mental distress.
We had gone to see a gynecologist just a few weeks before the wedding because Laura wanted to talk about her health issues and see if there would be any complications with her pregnancy. Sadly, it turned out that Laura could never become a mother.
If Laura knew this, she wouldn’t be able to bear it because she wanted to give birth and have a family. So I decided to hide the truth from her until her therapist gave me the green light. But Laura learned about it, and as I had expected, she was devastated.
I decided not to allow children to attend our wedding because I knew Laura would be even more upset if she saw them. She had even planned a court wedding because she didn’t want such a lavish wedding after receiving the sad news. But I knew she always wanted the wedding to be like this since she talked about it from the beginning of our relationship.
Clara was devastated when she learned she couldn’t give birth | Photo: Pexels
Yes, I could have told my brother the real reason, but trust me, he’s not good with secrets, and my family is such that if people knew Laura was taking therapy sessions and now couldn’t become a mother, they wouldn’t accept our relationship. So I think what I did was right.
You can hate me for what I did, but I love Laura, and I will do anything to keep her happy.
What can we learn from this story?
- Sometimes you have to lose something to gain something. Richard ruined his relationship with his brother because he wanted to save Laura from further depression.
- If you love someone, you stay with them through the good and bad. Just as Richard stayed by Laura’s side every time.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an arrogant doctor who kicked a poor woman out of a luxury clinic.
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