Spencer Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was a legendary American actor, revered by his peers as one of the greatest and most natural performers in cinema history, and a two-time Academy Award winner who defined the ideal of quiet strength and integrity on screen.
After a successful career on Broadway, Tracy came to Hollywood and became a major star at MGM. He achieved a rare feat by winning back-to-back Academy Awards for Best Actor for his roles as the Portuguese fisherman Manuel in Captains Courageous (1937) and the compassionate Father Flanagan in Boys Town (1938). He was known for a completely naturalistic style, famously advising other actors to simply “know your lines and don’t bump into the furniture.”
In 1942, Tracy starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning what would become one of the most legendary on-screen and off-screen partnerships in Hollywood history. The pair made nine films together, including the classic comedy Adam’s Rib (1949). Tracy also gave acclaimed performances as the beloved patriarch in Father of the Bride (1950) and the one-armed stranger in the tense thriller Bad Day at Black Rock (1955).
His final role, completed just 17 days before his death, was opposite Hepburn and Sidney Poitier in the landmark film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), for which he received his ninth and final Oscar nomination. With a career spanning 75 films, Spencer Tracy’s understated power and immense talent left an indelible mark on the art of screen acting.
