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{{epname|Tracy, Spencer}} {{Infobox actor | bgcolour = silver | name = Spencer Tracy | image = Spencer Tracy in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde trailer(2).jpg | imagesize = 300px | caption = Spencer Tracy in ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''. | birthdate = {{birth date|1900|4|5,}} | location = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] | deathdate = {{death date|1967|6|10,}} (aged 67) | deathplace = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] | birthname = Spencer Bonaventure Tracy | spouse = [[Louise Treadwell]] (1923-1967) | academyawards = '''[[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]'''<br/>1937 ''[[Captains Courageous]]'' <br/>1938 ''[[Boys Town (1938 film)|Boys Town]]'' | baftaawards = '''[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor]]'''<br/>1969 ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' | goldenglobeawards = '''[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama]]'''<br/>1954 ''[[The Actress]]'' }} '''Spencer Tracy''' (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was a two-time [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning [[United States|American]] film and [[stage]] [[actor]] who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967. As an actor, Tracy was ahead of his time. He was believable as the character he was playing. In his films, the work of others seems outdated. Tracy was conversely able to morph into multiple personas regardless of the characterization his role called for. Tracy is generally regarded as one of the finest actors in motion picture history. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] named Tracy among the [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars|Greatest Male Stars of All Time]], ranking 9th on the list of 100. He was nominated for nine [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Awards for Best Actor]]. He was linked to actress [[Katharine Hepburn]] during his career, but the details of their relationship are cloudy. ==Early life== Tracy was born in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], the second son of John Edward Tracy, an [[Irish American]] [[Catholic]] truck salesman, and Caroline Brown, a [[Protestant]] turned [[Christian Scientist]], and was christened Spencer Bonaventure Tracy. Tracy's paternal grandparents, John Tracy and Mary Guhin, were born in [[Ireland]]. His mother's ancestry dates back to Thomas Stebbins, who immigrated from [[England]] in the late 1630s. Tracy attended six high schools, starting with [[Wauwatosa East High School|Wauwatosa High School]] in 1915, and [[Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist|St. John's Cathedral School]] for boys in Milwaukee the following year. The Tracy family then moved to [[Kansas City Metropolitan Area|Kansas City]], where Spencer was enrolled at [[St. Mary's College, Kansas]], a boarding school in St. Marys, Kansas, 30 miles west of [[Topeka, Kansas]], then transferred to [[Rockhurst High School|Rockhurst]], a [[Jesuit]] academy in [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. John Tracy's job in Kansas City did not work out, and the family returned to Milwaukee six months after their departure. Spencer was enrolled at [[Marquette University High School|Marquette Academy]], another Jesuit school, where he met fellow actor [[Pat O'Brien (actor)|Pat O'Brien]]. The two left school in spring 1917, to enlist in the [[Navy]] with the American entry into [[World War I]], but Tracy remained in [[Norfolk Navy Yard]], [[Virginia]], throughout the war. Afterwards, Tracy continued his high school education at [[St. John's Northwestern Military Academy|Northwestern Military and Naval Academy]] in [[Lake Geneva, Wisconsin]], but finished his studies at Milwaukee's West Division High School (now [[Milwaukee High School of the Arts]]) in February 1921.<ref>David A.Y.O. Chang, "Spencer Tracy's Boyhood: Truth, Fiction, and Hollywood Dreams," ''Wisconsin Magazine of History'' 81, no. 1 (2000): 30-35.</ref> Afterward he attended [[Ripon College (Wisconsin)|Ripon College]] where he appeared in a leading role in a play entitled ''The Truth,'' and decided on acting as a career. Tracy received an honorary degree from Ripon College in 1940.<ref>Ripon College Archives, [http://www.ripon.edu/library/archives/reference/spencertracy.html Spencer Tracy.] Retrieved May 30, 2007.</ref> While touring the Northeast with the Ripon debate team, he auditioned for and was accepted to the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] in [[New York]]. ==Career and later life== His first [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] role was as a robot in [[Karel Čapek]]'s ''[[R.U.R.]]'' (1922), followed by five other Broadway plays in the 1920s. In 1923, he married actress [[Louise Treadwell]]. They had two children, John and Louise (Susie). For several years he performed in stock in Michigan, Canada, and Ohio. Finally in 1930, he appeared in a hit play on Broadway, ''The Last Mile''. Director [[John Ford]] saw Tracy in ''[[The Last Mile]]'' and signed him to do ''[[Up the River]]'' for [[20th Century Fox|Fox Pictures]]. Shortly after that, he and his family moved to [[Hollywood]], where he made over twenty-five films in five years. In 1935, Tracy signed with [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]]. He won the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] two years in a row, for ''[[Captains Courageous (film)|Captains Courageous]]'' (1937) and ''[[Boys Town (1938 film)|Boys Town]]'' (1938). [[Image:Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adams Rib trailer.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Tracy and Hepburn from the trailer for the film ''[[Adam's Rib]]'' (1949)]] He was also nominated for ''[[San Francisco (film)|San Francisco]]'' (1936), ''[[Father of the Bride (1950 film)|Father of the Bride]]'' (1950), ''[[Bad Day at Black Rock]]'' (1955), ''[[The Old Man and the Sea]]'' (1958), ''[[Inherit the Wind]]'' (1960), ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'' (1961), and posthumously for ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967). Tracy and [[Laurence Olivier]] share the record for the most Academy Best Actor nods with nine Oscar nominations. In 1941, Tracy began a relationship with [[Katharine Hepburn]], whose agile mind, sleek elegance, and [[New England]] brogue complemented Tracy's easy working-class machismo very well. Their relationship, which neither would discuss publicly, lasted until Tracy's death in 1967. Whether the two stars were close friends and kindred spirits, or had a sexual affair, is still a matter of speculation. Though estranged from his wife, Louise, Tracy was a practicing [[Roman Catholic]] and never divorced. [[Image:Spencer tracy.jpg|thumb|Spencer Tracy at the height of his fame.]] He and Hepburn made nine films together. Seventeen days after filming had completed on his last film, ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]],'' with Hepburn, he died from heart failure at the age of 67. ==Legacy== Forty years after his death, Tracy is still widely considered one of the most skillful actors of his time. He could portray the hero, the villain, or the comedian, and make the audience believe he truly was the character he played. In the 1944 film, ''The Seventh Cross,'' for example, he was effective as an escaped prisoner from a German [[concentration camp]] despite his heavy-set build. Tracy was one of Hollywood's earliest "realistic" actors; his performances have stood the test of time. Actors have noted that Tracy's work in 1930s films sometimes looks like a modern actor interacting with the more stylized and dated performances of everyone around him. In 1988, the University of California, Los Angeles' Campus Events Commission and Susie Tracy created the UCLA Spencer Tracy Award. The award has been given to actors in recognition for their achievement in film acting. Past recipients include [[William Hurt]], [[James Stewart (actor)|James Stewart]], [[Michael Douglas]], [[Denzel Washington]], [[Tom Hanks]], Sir [[Anthony Hopkins]], [[Jodie Foster]], [[Harrison Ford]], [[Anjelica Houston]], [[Nicolas Cage]], [[Kirk Douglas]], [[Jack Lemmon]], and [[Morgan Freeman]]. ==Filmography== {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} *''[[The Strong Arm]]'' (1930) *''[[Taxi Talks]]'' (1930) *''[[The Hard Guy]]'' (1930) *''[[Up the River]]'' (1930) *''[[Quick Millions]]'' (1931) *''[[Six Cylinder Love]]'' (1931) *''Goldie'' (1931) *''[[She Wanted a Millionaire]]'' (1932) *''[[Sky Devils]]'' (1932) *''[[Disorderly Conduct]]'' (1932) *''Young America'' (1932) *''[[Society Girl]]'' (1932) *''[[The Painted Woman]]'' (1932) *''[[Me and My Gal]]'' (1932) *''[[20,000 Years in Sing Sing]]'' (1932) *''[[The Face in the Sky]]'' (1933) *''[[Shanghai Madness]]'' (1933) *''[[The Power and the Glory (film)|The Power and the Glory]]'' (1933) *''[[Man's Castle]]'' (1933) *''[[The Mad Game]]'' (1933) *''[[The Show-Off]]'' (1934) *''[[Looking for Trouble]]'' (1934) *''[[Bottoms Up (1934 film)|Bottoms Up]]'' (1934) *''[[Now I'll Tell]]'' (1934) *''[[Marie Galante]]'' (1934) *''It's a Small World'' (1935) *''[[The Murder Man]]'' (1935) *''[[Dante's Inferno (film)|Dante's Inferno]]'' (1935) *''[[Whipsaw]]'' (1935) {{col-break}} *''[[Riffraff (1936 film)]]'' (1936) *''[[Fury (1936 film)|Fury]]'' (1936) *''[[San Francisco (film)|San Francisco]]'' (1936) *''[[Libeled Lady]]'' (1936) *''[[They Gave Him a Gun]]'' (1937) *''[[Captains Courageous (film)|Captains Courageous]]'' (1937) *''Big City'' (1937) *''[[Mannequin]]'' (1938) *''[[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]]'' (1938) *''[[Hollywood Goes to Town]]'' (1938) *''[[Boys Town (1938 film)|Boys Town]]'' (1938) *''[[For Auld Lang Syne: No. 4]]'' (1939) *''[[Hollywood Hobbies]]'' (1939) *''[[Stanley and Livingstone]]'' (1939) *''[[I Take This Woman]]'' (1940) *''[[Young Tom Edison]]'' (1940) (cameo) *''[[Northward, Ho!]]'' (1940) *''[[Northwest Passage (1940 film)|Northwest Passage]]'' (1940) *''[[Edison, the Man]]'' (1940) *''[[Boom Town (film)|Boom Town]]'' (1940) *''[[Men of Boys Town]]'' (1941) *''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1941) *''[[Woman of the Year]]'' (1942) *''[[Ring of Steel]]'' (1942) (narrator) *''[[Tortilla Flat (film)|Tortilla Flat]]'' (1942) *''[[Keeper of the Flame (film)|Keeper of the Flame]]'' (1942) *''[[His New World]]'' (1943) (documentary) (narrator) *''[[A Guy Named Joe]]'' (1943) *''The Seventh Cross'' (1944) {{col-break}} *''[[Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo]]'' (1944) *''[[Without Love]]'' (1945) *''[[The Sea of Grass]]'' (1947) *''[[Cass Timberlane]]'' (1947) *''[[State of the Union (film)|State of the Union]]'' (1948) *''[[Edward, My Son]]'' (1949) *''[[Adam's Rib]]'' (1949) *''[[Malaya (film)|Malaya]]'' (1949) *''[[Father of the Bride (1950 film)|Father of the Bride]]'' (1950) *''[[For Defense for Freedom for Humanity]]'' (1951) *''[[Father's Little Dividend]]'' (1951) *''[[The People Against O'Hara]]'' (1951) *''[[Pat and Mike]]'' (1952) *''[[Plymouth Adventure]]'' (1952) *''[[The Actress]]'' (1953) *''[[Broken Lance]]'' (1954) *''[[Bad Day at Black Rock]]'' (1955) *''[[The Mountain (1956 film)|The Mountain]]'' (1956) *''[[Desk Set]]'' (1957) *''[[The Old Man and the Sea]]'' (1958) *''[[The Last Hurrah]]'' (1958) *''[[Inherit the Wind]]'' (1960) *''[[The Devil at 4 O'Clock]]'' (1961) *''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'' (1961) *''[[How the West Was Won (film)|How the West Was Won]]'' (1962) (narrator) *''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) *''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967) {{col-end}} == Quotes == * On [[Gene Tierney]]: "Although she was beautiful in her films, they couldn't quite capture all of her. Fortunately, I did even if it was late in my life." * "Know your lines and don't bump into the furniture." * On [[Drinking#Alcohol|drinking]]: "Hell, I used to take two-week lunch hours!" * "I couldn't be a director because I couldn't put up with the actors. I don't have the patience. Why, I'd probably kill the actors. Not to mention some of the beautiful actresses." * "I'm disappointed in acting as a craft. I want everything to go back to Orson Welles and fake noses and changing your voice. It's become so much about personality." ==Cultural references-movie facts== *Fellow actor [[Van Johnson]] referred to Tracy as "my mentor." After Johnson was involved in a serious car accident prior to filming ''[[A Guy Named Joe]],'' both Tracy and [[Irene Dunne]] petitioned the [[MGM]] studio heads to wait for Johnson to recuperate, rather than replace him. *Tracy had a brief romance with [[Gene Tierney]] while filming ''Plymouth Adventure''. *He was a distant cousin to [[Gabrielle Christian]], star of ''[[South of Nowhere]].'' She ironically plays a character named Spencer. ==Notes== <references/> ==References== * Acta Sanctae Sedis, 33, (1901): 550. * Chang, David A.Y.O. "Spencer Tracy's Boyhood: Truth, Fiction, and Hollywood Dreams." ''Wisconsin Magazine of History'' 81, no. 1 (2000): 30-35. * Dandola, John. ''Dead at the Box Office''. Glen Ridge, NJ: Quincannon, 2001. ISBN 1878452258 * Fisher, James. ''Spencer Tracy: a Bio-bibliography''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994. ISBN 0313287279 * Kanin, Garson. ''Tracy and Hepburn; an Intimate Memoir''. New York: Viking, 1971. ISBN 0670722936 * Ripon College Archives. [http://www.ripon.edu/library/archives/reference/spencertracy.html Spencer Tracy.] Retrieved May 30, 2007. * Swindell, Larry. ''Spencer Tracy; a Biography.'' New York: World Pub. Co., 1969. == External links == * {{ibdb name|62577|Spencer Tracy}} Retrieved November 7, 2007. * {{imdb name|0000075|Spencer Tracy}} Retrieved November 7, 2007. * {{findagrave|1040|Spencer Tracy}} Retrieved November 7, 2007. * {{tcmdb name|193601|Spencer Tracy}} Retrieved November 7, 2007. * [http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=161250 Profile] at [[Turner Classic Movies]] Retrieved November 7, 2007. {{start box}}{{s-awards}} {{succession box | title=[[Academy Award for Best Actor]] | before=[[Paul Muni]]<br/>'''for''' ''[[The Story of Louis Pasteur]]'' | years=1937<br/>'''for ''[[Captains Courageous (film)|Captains Courageous]]'' '''<br/>1938<br/>'''for ''[[Boys Town (1938 film)|Boys Town]]'' ''' | after=[[Robert Donat]]<br/>for ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]''}} {{end box}} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME=Tracy, Spencer |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actor |DATE OF BIRTH=April 5, 1900 |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] |DATE OF DEATH=June 10, 1967 |PLACE OF DEATH= }} [[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]] [[Category:actors and playwrights]] [[category:film]] {{Credit|167956096}}

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