The Lion in Winter is a historical film about King Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole) and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitane. All three of their sons (Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, and Nigel Terry) want to inherit the throne, but King Henry refuses to make a choice, as he finds them all unsuitable. Eleanor then plots with her children to force him.

It was directed by Anthony Harvey, and the screenplay was written by the playwright James Goldman (who penned the original play).

Hepburn received her third statue for Best Actress, but she was not alone. Barbra Streisand also won Best Actress that year too, for her work in Funny Girl. It is the only tie in Academy Award history to date. Unsurprisingly, Kate did not attend the ceremony. Upon receiving her award, Streisand said: "I'm honored to be in such company as Katharine Hepburn!"

With Peter O’Toole, who was 25 years her junior.