Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 - June 10, 1967) was an American film actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 through the 1960s.
He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the second son of a truck salesman. At the beginning of World War I he left school to enlist in the Navy, but remained in Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia throughout the war. Afterward he attended Ripon College where he appeared in a play entitled The Truth, and decided on acting as a career. In the early 1920s he attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. 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.
In 1923 he married Louise Treadwell, and they had two children, John and Louise (Susie). In 1930, director John Ford saw him in the play The Last Mile and signed him to do Up the River for Fox Pictures. Shortly after that he and his family moved to Hollywood, where he made over 35 films in 5 years. In 1935 he signed with MGM and won the Oscar for Best Actor two years in a row, for Captains Courageous (1937) and Boys Town (1938). He was also nominated for San Francisco (1936), 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 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). He is tied with Laurence Olivier for the most best actor Oscar nominations.
In 1941 he began a relationship with Katharine Hepburn. Though estranged from his wife Louise, he was a devout Catholic and never divorced. He and Hepburn made nine films together. Two weeks after making his last movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, with Hepburn, he died from a massive heart attack at the age of 67. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Although Tracy was an alcoholic most of his adult life, it never seemed to affect his career. More than thirty years after his death, Tracy is still considered by many to be the most skillful actor 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. Tracy was one of Hollywood's earliest "realistic" actors; his performances have stood the test of time unlike some of the overly theatrical work done by many of his peers.
Filmography
Books
- Spencer Tracy; a Biography by Larry Swindell, New York, World Pub. Co. 1969
- by James Fisher. Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1994
Quotes
- "Know your lines and don't bump into the furniture."
- On 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."
Links
- IMDb filmography http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000075/
- http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/3560/tracy.html
- http://www.themave.com/Tracy/Tracy.htm
- http://www.seeing-stars.com/StarIndexes/SpencerTracy.shtml
Last updated: 02-07-2005 04:56:40
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55
