SPENCER TRACY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was born April 5, 1900 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to parents John Tracy and Caroline Brown Tracy.  Spencer also had one older brother.  
 
Spencer did not enjoy school and wanted to quit to find a job when he was only sixteen.  His parents however, were  not for that idea but instead Spencer enrolled at Marquette Academy.  When America entered World War I in 1917, Spencer saw his chance to get out of school.  He joined the Navy and was sent to Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia, and remained there when the war ended. 
 
After the war, Spencer enrolled in Ripon College as a pre med student.  He also chose to get involved in acting in the school plays.  Spencer’s first performance was a leading role in one of the school plays which earned him praise in the school newspaper.  He was beginning to really enjoy acting and contemplated switching his major.  He decided to audition at the Sergeant school in New York and his father agreed to pay for his first semester. 
 
In 1932, Tracy joined a stock company where he met his first wife, Louise Treadwell and they were married in September that same year.  In June 1924, they had a son together and a couple months later they found out their only son was deaf, however they were determined he would still live a normal life and in 1932 they had a daughter, Susie completing their family. 
 
Finally, in 1930, Tracy’s big break came with the play, "The Last Mile” which was an overnight hit.   John Ford, a director saw Tracy’s performance and convinced Fox Film Corporation to hire Tracy for the film, "Up the River”.   Tracy then accepted a contract with Fox Films and he moved with his family to Hollywood.  In only 3 years with Fox, he appeared in 16 films.
 
In 1935 he took the next big step in his career signing a contract with MGM, one of the most prestigious studios and he remained with them for almost twenty years.  Some of the films he appeared in were, "Fury”, (1936), “San Francisco” (1936), “Libeled Lady” ( 1936), “Captains Courageous" (1937) and "Boys Town” (1938).  Spencer appeared in several films with fellow actor and good friend Clark Gable. Tracy won an Academy Award for two years in a row, only one actor since then has achieved this, Tom Hanks, 55 years later. 
 
Not only was Tracy focusing on his acting career, he was also determined to develop a clinic to help deaf children due to his son John’s condition.  In 1942 the John Tracy Clinic was founded, The Clinic trains teachers and provides services - free of charge - that can break the barrier of silence for children ages one to five years.  Spencer Tracy's commitment and support of the project ensured the success of the Clinic, which is still running today.  This same year another film he appeared in released,  “Woman of the Year” (1942) starring Katharine Hepburn.  The two developed a off screen relationship and Tracy separate from his first wife.
 
He returned to the stage in “The Rugged Path” (1945) but after 81 performances the play ended its course.  However, in 1949, with his return back to film on, "Adam’s Rib” which was his 6th film with Katharine Hepburn, this film was one of the top highest income films of 1949.

1954's "Bad Day at Black Rock" was Tracy’s last film under his contract with MGM. He then proceeded to freelance for Columbia, Warner Bros., and Twentieth Century-Fox.
 
Tracy’s career did not slow down moving into 1960.  He actually appeared in two films, given two of his finest performances.  "Inherit the Wind" (1960) and "Judgment at Nuremburg" (1961).  Tracy was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for each role.  This was his seventh and eighth nominations.
 
Tracy's health began to fail and in 1963, he was hospitalized with a congested lung condition and was  forced to turn down roles in several films in the following years.  He did however have one more chance to work on film.  He began work on, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) starring with Katharine Hepburn again and Sidney Poitier.  His work-days were limited to just a few hours at a time - his stamina was not up to par. 
 
On June 10, 1967, three weeks after filming was completed, Spencer Tracy died of heart failure at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
 

Filmography

1967   Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? 
1963   It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 
1962   How the West Was Won 
1961   The Devil at 4 O'Clock  
1961   Judgment at Nuremburg 
1960   Inherit the Wind 
1958   The Last Hurrah 
1958   The Old Man and the Sea 
1957   Desk Set  
1956   The Mountain 
1954   Bad Day at Black Rock 
1954   Broken Lance 
1952   Pat and Mike 
1952   Plymouth Adventure 
1951   Father's Little Dividend 
1950   Father of the Bride 
1949   Adam's Rib 
1949   Malaya  
1948   State of the Union 
1947   Cass Timberlane 
1947   The Sea of Grass  
1946   Boom Town  
1945   Without Love 
1944   The Seventh Cross 
1944   Thirty Seconds over Tokyo 
1943   A Guy Named Joe 
1942   Keeper of the Flame  
1942   Tortilla Flat 
1942   Woman of the Year 
1941   Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 
1941   Men of Boys Town 
1940   Edison, the Man 
1940   Northwest Passage 
1939   Stanley and Livingstone 
1938   Boys Town
1938   Test Pilot 
1937   Captains Courageous 
1937   Mannequin 
1936   Fury 
1936   Libeled Lady 
1936   San Francisco 
1935   Marie Gallante 
1935   Riffraff  
1934   Marie Galante