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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

116

Gender

Male

Birthday

1900-04-05

Day of Death

1967-06-10 (67 years old)

Place of Birth

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Also Known As

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy

Спенсер Трэйси

Спенсер Треси

Spencer Tracy

Biography

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor, noted for his natural style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy won two Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations, sharing the record for nominations in that category with Laurence Olivier. Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College, and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He spent seven years in the theatre, working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway. Tracy's breakthrough came in 1930, when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood. After a successful film debut in John Ford's Up the River starring Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, he was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation. His five years with Fox featured one acting tour de force after another that were usually ignored at the box office, and he remained largely unknown to audiences after 25 films, almost all of them starring Tracy as the leading man. None of them were hits although The Power and the Glory (1933) features arguably his most acclaimed performance in retrospect. In 1935, Tracy joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, at the time Hollywood's most prestigious studio. His career flourished with a series of hit films, and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town. He made three smash hit films supporting Clark Gable, the studio's principal leading man, firmly fixing the notion of Gable and Tracy as a team in the public imagination. By the 1940s, Tracy was one of the studio's top stars. In 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning another popular partnership that produced nine movies over 25 years. Tracy left MGM in 1955, and continued to work regularly as a freelance star, despite an increasing weariness as he aged. His personal life was troubled, with a lifelong struggle against severe alcoholism and guilt over his son's deafness. Tracy became estranged from his wife in the 1930s, but never divorced, conducting a long-term relationship with Katharine Hepburn in private. Towards the end of his life, Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer. It was for Kramer that he made his last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967, completed just 17 days before his death. During his career, Tracy appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen's greatest actors. In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

Known For

Acting

Movie Tough Guys

1991

Movie Tough Guys

as

Self (archive footage)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1941

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

as

Dr. Henry 'Harry' Jekyll / Mr. Hyde

Judgment at Nuremberg

1961

Judgment at Nuremberg

as

Dan Haywood

Inherit the Wind

1960

Inherit the Wind

as

Henry Drummond

Ingrid Bergman Remembered

1996

Ingrid Bergman Remembered

as

Self (archive footage)

Taxi Talks

1930

Taxi Talks

as

Taxi Driver

Woman of the Year

1942

Woman of the Year

as

Sam Craig

The Old Man and the Sea

1958

The Old Man and the Sea

as

The Old Man

Father of the Bride

1950

Father of the Bride

as

Stanley T. Banks

Father's Little Dividend

1951

Father's Little Dividend

as

Stanley Banks

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

1963

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

as

C. G. Culpepper

Desk Set

1957

Desk Set

as

Richard Sumner

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

1961

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

as

Father Matthew Doonan

Without Love

1945

Without Love

as

Pat Jamieson

How the West Was Won

1962

How the West Was Won

as

Narrator (voice)

Libeled Lady

1936

Libeled Lady

as

Warren Haggerty

Adam's Rib

1949

Adam's Rib

as

Adam Bonner

Mannequin

1938

Mannequin

as

John Hennessey

Keeper of the Flame

1943

Keeper of the Flame

as

Stevie O'Malley

Pat and Mike

1952

Pat and Mike

as

Mike Conovan

State of the Union

1948

State of the Union

as

Grant Matthews

The Murder Man

1935

The Murder Man

as

Steven 'Steve' Grey

The People Against O'Hara

1951

The People Against O'Hara

as

James P. Curtayne

Broken Lance

1954

Broken Lance

as

Matt Devereaux

Bad Day at Black Rock

1955

Bad Day at Black Rock

as

John J. Macreedy

Boys Town

1938

Boys Town

as

Father Flanagan

Fury

1936

Fury

as

Joe Wilson

20,000 Years in Sing Sing

1932

20,000 Years in Sing Sing

as

Tommy Connors

A Guy Named Joe

1943

A Guy Named Joe

as

Pete Sandidge

Test Pilot

1938

Test Pilot

as

Gunner Morse

Whipsaw

1935

Whipsaw

as

Ross 'Mac' McBride aka Danny Ross Ackerman

Northwest Passage

1940

Northwest Passage

as

Major Robert Rogers

Edison, the Man

1940

Edison, the Man

as

Thomas A. Edison

San Francisco

1936

San Francisco

as

Father Tim Mullin

Malaya

1949

Malaya

as

Carnaghan

Captains Courageous

1937

Captains Courageous

as

Manuel Fidello

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

1944

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

as

Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

as

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Big City

1937

Big City

as

Joe Benton

Up the River

1930

Up the River

as

Saint Louis

Plymouth Adventure

1952

Plymouth Adventure

as

Capt. Christopher Jones

Me and My Gal

1932

Me and My Gal

as

Danny Dolan

The Last Hurrah

1958

The Last Hurrah

as

Mayor Frank Skeffington

Boom Town

1940

Boom Town

as

Square John Sand

The Seventh Cross

1944

The Seventh Cross

as

George Heisler

The Mountain

1956

The Mountain

as

Zachary Teller

Edward, My Son

1949

Edward, My Son

as

Arnold Boult

The Power and the Glory

1933

The Power and the Glory

as

Tom Garner

The Sea of Grass

1947

The Sea of Grass

as

Col. James B. Brewton

Tortilla Flat

1942

Tortilla Flat

as

Pilon

The Actress

1953

The Actress

as

Clinton Jones

Stanley and Livingstone

1939

Stanley and Livingstone

as

Henry M. Stanley

Riffraff

1936

Riffraff

as

Dutch

Men of Boys Town

1941

Men of Boys Town

as

Edward Flanagan

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

as

Self (archive footage)

Man's Castle

1933

Man's Castle

as

Bill

Cass Timberlane

1947

Cass Timberlane

as

Cass Timberlane

They Gave Him a Gun

1937

They Gave Him a Gun

as

Fred P. Willis

The Hard Guy

1930

The Hard Guy

as

Guy

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

2018

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

as

Self (archive footage)

Quick Millions

1931

Quick Millions

as

Daniel J. 'Bugs' Raymond

Now I'll Tell

1934

Now I'll Tell

as

Murray Golden

Bottoms Up

1934

Bottoms Up

as

'Smoothie' King

Looking for Trouble

1934

Looking for Trouble

as

Joe Graham

Marie Galante

1934

Marie Galante

as

Dr. Crawbett

Dante's Inferno

1935

Dante's Inferno

as

Jim Carter

Sky Devils

1932

Sky Devils

as

Wilkie

I Take This Woman

1940

I Take This Woman

as

Karl Decker

Young America

1932

Young America

as

Jack Doray

The Show-Off

1934

The Show-Off

as

J. Aubrey Piper

Goldie

1931

Goldie

as

Bill

Face in the Sky

1933

Face in the Sky

as

Joe Buck

Hollywood Hobbies

1939

Hollywood Hobbies

as

Self (uncredited)

Six Cylinder Love

1931

Six Cylinder Love

as

William Donroy

The Painted Woman

1932

The Painted Woman

as

Tom Brian

Society Girl

1932

Society Girl

as

Briscoe

The Mad Game

1933

The Mad Game

as

Edward Carson

She Wanted a Millionaire

1932

She Wanted a Millionaire

as

William Kelley

It's A Small World

1935

It's A Small World

as

Bill Shevlin

Shanghai Madness

1933

Shanghai Madness

as

Pat Jackson

Disorderly Conduct

1932

Disorderly Conduct

as

Dick Fay

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

1961

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

as

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

2013

Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

as

Self (archive footage)

Rat Pack

2022

Rat Pack

as

Self (archive footage)

That's Entertainment!

1974

That's Entertainment!

as

(archive footage) (uncredited)

Northward, Ho!

1940

Northward, Ho!

as

Himself

Young Tom Edison

1940

Young Tom Edison

as

Man Admiring Portrait of Thomas A. Edison

The Big Parade of Comedy

1964

The Big Parade of Comedy

as

Haggerty in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage)

Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story

2024

Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story

as

Fr. Edward Flanagan (archive footage)

Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell

1993

Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell

as

Self (archive footage)

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

1975

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

as

Self (archive footage)

Ring of Steel

1942

Ring of Steel

as

Narrator (voice)

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II

as

(archive footage)

Twenty Years After

1944

Twenty Years After

as

(archive footage)

The Romance of Celluloid

1937

The Romance of Celluloid

as

Self (archive footage)

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

1990

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

as

(archive footage)

Bogart: The Untold Story

1997

Bogart: The Untold Story

as

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

1988

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

as

Self (archive footage)

His New World

1943

His New World

as

Narrator (voice)

Another Romance of Celluloid

1938

Another Romance of Celluloid

as

Self (uncredited)

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

1985

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

as

Self (archive footage)

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

1988

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

as

Self (archive footage)

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

2009

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as

Self (archive footage)

And the Oscar Goes To...

2014

And the Oscar Goes To...

as

Self (archive footage)

La Classe américaine

1993

La Classe américaine

as

The Professional Witness (archive footage)

Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood

2025

Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood

as

Self (archive footage)

Production

Crew

Directing