Tracy, Spencer (1900-1967), was an American motion-picture actor. He became famous for his roles as a strong man of action and conviction in such films as Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) and The Old Man and the Sea (1958). He also won fame as a sophisticated comedian in several films, including Libeled Lady (1936) and Father of the Bride (1950). Tracy won Academy Awards for his performances in Captains Courageous (1937) and Boys Town (1938). He received seven other Academy Award nominations.
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was born on April 5, 1900, in Milwaukee. He made his stage debut in 1922. A 1930 stage performance led Tracy to a film contract, and he made his movie debut that year in Up the River. The Power and the Glory (1933) established him as a star. Tracy made more than 70 films. Among the best known are nine movies he made with his close friend Katharine Hepburn. They are Woman of the Year (1942), Keeper of the Flame (1942), Without Love (1945), The Sea of Grass (1947), State of the Union (1948), Adam’s Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967). Tracy’s other major films include Fury (1936), San Francisco (1936), The Seventh Cross (1944), The Actress (1953), Inherit the Wind (1960), and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). He died on June 10, 1967.
See also Hepburn, Katharine .
