Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American film actor widely regarded as one of the greatest performers in the history of cinema. Renowned for his naturalistic acting style and moral authority on screen, he was ranked 9th on the American Film Institute’s list of “100 Years…100 Stars,” cementing his status as a foundational figure of classical Hollywood.

Early Life and Background

Spencer Tracy was born on 5 April 1900 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. His father was John Edward Tracy, and his mother was Caroline Brown. Raised in a Catholic household, Tracy’s early years were marked by strict discipline and religious education.

Until 1917, he studied at a religious school. That same year, he ran away from school and enlisted in the United States Navy, serving briefly during the final phase of World War I.

Education and Theatrical Training

After the war, Spencer Tracy enrolled at Ripon College in Wisconsin but did not complete his studies. In 1922, he moved to New York City and began formal acting training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Throughout the 1920s, he performed extensively in theatre productions across Michigan, Canada, and Ohio. By the late 1920s, he had established himself on Broadway, performing regularly until 1929.

Broadway Success and Transition to Hollywood

Tracy’s breakthrough came with his performance in the Broadway play The Last Mile, where his portrayal received significant critical acclaim. This success led directly to his invitation to Hollywood, marking the beginning of his film career.

Over the course of his career, Spencer Tracy appeared in more than seventy films, earning a reputation for creating deeply human, understated, and morally complex characters.

Academy Award Triumphs

Spencer Tracy achieved rare distinction by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in two consecutive years. He received his first Oscar for his portrayal of a Portuguese fisherman in Captains Courageous (1937).

The following year, he won his second Best Actor Oscar for his role as Father Flanagan in Boys Town (1938). These performances firmly established him as the leading dramatic actor of his generation.

Personal Life and Relationship with Katharine Hepburn

A devout Catholic, Spencer Tracy never divorced his wife despite a long separation. He married actress Louise Treadwell on 10 September 1923. The couple had two children: John Ten Broeck Tracy (born 1924) and Susie Tracy (born 1932).

Beginning in 1941, Tracy entered a lifelong personal relationship with actress Katharine Hepburn. Though they never married, the partnership lasted until Tracy’s death in 1967 and is regarded as one of the most iconic relationships in Hollywood history.

Final Film and Death

Spencer Tracy’s final performance came in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, completed shortly before his death. Seventeen days after finishing the film, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

He died on 10 June 1967 in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 67.

Since 1988, the University of California, Los Angeles has awarded the Spencer Tracy Award to actors demonstrating outstanding achievement, honoring his enduring influence on the craft of acting.

Films :

1930 – The Strong Arm – Feature Film
1930 – Taxi Talks – Feature Film
1930 – The Hard Guy – Feature Film
1930 – Up the River – Feature Film
1931 – Quick Millions – Feature Film
1931 – Six Cylinder Love – Feature Film
1931 – Goldie – Feature Film
1932 – She Wanted a Millionaire – Feature Film
1932 – Sky Devils – Feature Film
1932 – Disorderly Conduct – Feature Film
1932 – Young America – Feature Film
1932 – Society Girl – Feature Film
1932 – The Painted Woman – Feature Film
1932 – Me and My Gal – Feature Film
1932 – 20,000 Years in Sing Sing – Feature Film
1933 – The Face in the Sky – Feature Film
1933 – Shanghai Madness – Feature Film
1933 – The Power and the Glory – Feature Film
1933 – Man’s Castle – Feature Film
1933 – The Mad Game – Feature Film
1934 – The Show-Off – Feature Film
1934 – Looking for Trouble – Feature Film
1934 – Bottoms Up – Feature Film
1934 – Now I’ll Tell – Feature Film
1934 – Marie Galante – Feature Film
1935 – It’s a Small World – Feature Film
1935 – The Murder Man – Feature Film
1935 – Dante’s Inferno – Feature Film
1935 – Whipsaw – Feature Film
1936 – Riffraff – Feature Film
1936 – Fury – Feature Film
1936 – San Francisco – Feature Film
1936 – Libeled Lady – Feature Film
1937 – They Gave Him a Gun – Feature Film
1937 – Captains Courageous – Feature Film
1937 – Big City – Feature Film
1938 – Mannequin – Feature Film
1938 – Test Pilot – Feature Film
1938 – Hollywood Goes to Town – Feature Film
1938 – Boys Town – Feature Film
1939 – For Auld Lang Syne: No. 4 – Short Film
1939 – Hollywood Hobbies – Short Film
1939 – Stanley and Livingstone – Feature Film
1940 – I Take This Woman – Feature Film
1940 – Young Tom Edison – Feature Film (Cameo)
1940 – Northward, Ho! – Feature Film
1940 – Northwest Passage – Feature Film
1940 – Edison, the Man – Feature Film
1940 – Boom Town – Feature Film
1941 – Men of Boys Town – Feature Film
1941 – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Feature Film
1942 – Woman of the Year – Feature Film
1942 – Ring of Steel – Short Film
1942 – Tortilla Flat – Feature Film
1942 – Keeper of the Flame – Feature Film
1943 – His New World – Short Film
1943 – A Guy Named Joe – Feature Film
1944 – The Seventh Cross – Feature Film
1944 – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo – Feature Film
1945 – Without Love – Feature Film
1947 – The Sea of Grass – Feature Film
1947 – Cass Timberlane – Feature Film
1948 – State of the Union – Feature Film
1949 – Edward, My Son – Feature Film
1949 – Adam’s Rib – Feature Film
1949 – Malaya – Feature Film
1950 – Father of the Bride – Feature Film
1951 – For Defense for Freedom for Humanity – Short Film
1951 – Father’s Little Dividend – Feature Film
1951 – The People Against O’Hara – Feature Film
1952 – Pat and Mike – Feature Film
1952 – Plymouth Adventure – Feature Film
1953 – The Actress – Feature Film
1954 – Broken Lance – Feature Film
1955 – Bad Day at Black Rock – Feature Film
1956 – The Mountain – Feature Film
1957 – Desk Set – Feature Film
1958 – The Old Man and the Sea – Feature Film
1958 – The Last Hurrah – Feature Film
1960 – Inherit the Wind – Feature Film
1961 – The Devil at 4 O’Clock – Feature Film
1961 – Judgment at Nuremberg – Feature Film
1962 – How the West Was Won – Feature Film
1963 – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – Feature Film
1967 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Feature Film

Source: Biyografiler.com