Spencer Tracy

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 ? June 10, 1967) was an American film actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967.

Related Topics:
April 5 - 1900 - June 10 - 1967 - American - Actor

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He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the second son of John Edward Tracy, a hard-drinking Irish-Catholic truck salesman, and Caroline Brown, a Protestant turned Christian Scientist. 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 1630's. At the beginning of World War I, Tracy 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.

Related Topics:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Irish-Catholic - Protestant - Christian Scientist - Ireland - England - World War I - Navy - Norfolk Navy Yard - Virginia - Ripon College - 1920 - Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York

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In 1923 he married Louise Treadwell. They had two children, John and Louise (Susie). In 1930, director John Ford saw Tracy 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 25 films in five years. In 1935 Tracy 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.

Related Topics:
1923 - Louise Treadwell - 1930 - John Ford - The Last Mile - Up the River - Fox Pictures - Hollywood - MGM - Oscar - Best Actor - Captains Courageous - Boys Town - San Francisco - Father of the Bride - Bad Day at Black Rock - The Old Man and the Sea - Inherit the Wind - Judgment at Nuremberg - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Laurence Olivier

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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. Seventeen days after filming had completed on his last film, 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.

Related Topics:
1941 - Katharine Hepburn - Catholic - Heart attack - Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery - Glendale, California

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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.

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