Spencer Tracy

American actor (1900–1967)

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Lived 1900–1967, aged 67United States

United States ActorsActor

Wikipedia
82 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1900–1967
Aged 67
Known for
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961

Summary

Updated 2026-08-26

He won back-to-back Oscars before most stars had one, yet spent his first five years in Hollywood making 25 films almost no one saw. The attention came later — for the natural style that made acting look like breathing, and for the 25-year love story with Katharine Hepburn that everyone knew and no one spoke about.

Biography

About

Tracy found acting at Ripon College, spent seven years in stock theater, and broke through onstage in 1930 with The Last Mile. Fox signed him after a strong debut opposite Humphrey Bogart in Up the River, then buried him in 25 films that flopped despite his work. MGM picked him up in 1935, and by his fifth picture there — Fury in 1936 — the career caught fire: consecutive Best Actor Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town made him the first to do it twice. He teamed with Gable on hits, then with Katharine Hepburn starting in 1942 for nine films and a partnership that lasted until his deat…

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