Spencer Tracy

He married actress Louise Treadwell in 1923. They had two children. Tracy and his wife became estranged during the 1930s though neither of them applied for divorce.

He began a relationship with the actress Katharine Hepburn in 1941. Their affair was the stuff Hollywood love legends are made of—Hepburn was fiercely devoted to him, but never pushed him for marriage. Their relationship lasted till Tracy’s death.

He suffered from a lot of health problems during his later years because of his smoking and alcoholism. Hepburn moved in with him to take care of him during his final years. He died in 1967 at the age of 67.

He was born to John Edward Tracy, a truck salesman, and Caroline Brown. He had one elder brother.

He was a hyperactive child who hated school. He loved watching motion pictures and would enact the scenes for his neighbors and friends.

He attended several Jesuit academies in his teenage and later went to Marquette Academy. He met aspiring actor Pat O’Brien and realized his love for theatre.

He enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18 and was sent to the Naval Training Station. He was discharged in 1919 without ever having been sent to the sea.

He entered Ripon College in 1921 with an intention to study medicine. He was a popular student who participated in a number of college activities. He was a member of the college debate team where he perfected his public speaking.

He struggled as a stage actor for the first few years after graduation. It was in 1926 that he was offered a role in a George M. Cohan play called ‘Yellow’ which ran for 135 performances. Cohan was impressed by the promising new actor and cast him in ‘The Baby Cyclone’ in 1927 which turned out to be a hit.

He was selected to play a serial killer in the play ‘The Last Mile’ in 1930. His performance was full of passion and intensity which was met by a standing ovation. The play was a big hit and ran for 289 performances.

During that time, famous Broadway actors were approached with offers of film roles and Tracy was also invited to join the movies. He made his film debut in 1930 in ‘Up the River’ which also marked the debut of Humphrey Bogart.

His initial years in the film industry were met with disappointments. Many of his films in spite of getting good reviews performed badly. Unable to cope with the failure of his films, he took to heavy drinking.

He signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the most respected movie production house of the 1930s. His first film with them was ‘The Murder Man’ in 1935.

With two Academy Award wins for the Best Actor, a career spanning almost four decades and appearances in 75 movies, Spencer Tracy was indeed one of the reigning kings of the Golden Age of American Cinema. ‘Captains Courageous’ and ‘Boys Town’ are among his finest works.