Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy
Tracy in State of the Union (1948)
Background information
Born	Apr 05, 1900 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Died	Jun 10, 1967 - age  66 Beverly Hills Karma California USA
Buried:	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Education:	Ripon College, Wisconsin
Partner(s):	Katherine Hepburn (1941-1967)
Children:	2
Occupation:	Actor
Years active	1921–1967

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (✦April 5, 1900 – †June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations. During his career, he appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen's greatest actors. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College, and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He spent seven years in the theatre, working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway. His breakthrough came in 1930 when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood. After a successful film debut in John Ford's Up the River (where he starred with Humphrey Bogart), he was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Tracy's five years with Fox featured one acting tour de force after another that was usually ignored at the box office. He remained largely unknown to movie audiences after 25 films, nearly all of them starring him as the leading man. None of them were hits, although his performance in The Power and the Glory (1933) was highly praised then.

In 1935, he joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), at the time Hollywood's most prestigious studio. His career flourished from his fifth MGM film Fury (1936) onwards, and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town. He teamed with Clark Gable, the studio's most prominent leading man for three major box office successes, so that by the early 1940s Tracy was one of MGM's top stars. In 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning a professional and personal partnership that led to nine films over 25 years. In 1955, Tracy won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Bad Day at Black Rock.

Tracy left MGM in 1955 and continued to work regularly as a freelance star, despite several health issues and increasing weariness and irritability as he aged. His personal life was troubled, with a lifelong struggle against severe alcoholism and guilt over his son's deafness. Tracy and his wife Louise became estranged in the 1930s, but the couple never divorced; his 25-year-long relationship with Katharine Hepburn was an open secret. Towards the end of his life, Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer. It was for Kramer that he made his last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), completed just 17 days before he died.

Early life

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was the second son of Caroline (née Brown; 1874–1942) and truck salesman John Edward Tracy (1873–1928). His mother was from a wealthy Presbyterian Midwestern family, while his father was of Irish Catholic descent. He had a brother Carroll, who was four years older.

Tracy was a difficult and hyperactive child with poor school attendance. Raised Catholic, he was placed in the care of Dominican Order nuns at the age of nine in an attempt to transform his behavior. Later in life, he remarked that he "never would have gone back to school if there had been any other way of learning to read the subtitles in the movies". He became fascinated with movies, watching the same ones repeatedly and later re-enacting scenes to his friends and neighbors. He attended several Jesuit academies in his teenage years, which he claimed took the "badness" out of him and helped him improve his grades.

It helped me develop a memory for lines that has been a godsend since I started stage work; it gave me something of a stage presence; and it helped get rid of my awkwardness. Also, I gradually developed the ability to speak extemporaneously.

Tracy was a key member of his college debating team, which he later said helped with his acting career. At Marquette Academy, he began attending plays with lifelong friend and fellow actor Pat O'Brien, awakening his interest in the theatre. With little care for their studies and "itching for a chance to go and see some excitement", Tracy and O'Brien enlisted in the Navy together when Tracy turned 18. They were sent to the Naval Training Station in northern Illinois, where they were still students when World War I ended. Tracy achieved the rank of seaman second class, but never went to sea and was discharged in February 1919. His father's desire to see one of his sons gain a college degree drove Tracy back to high school to finish his diploma. Studies at two more institutions, plus the additional allowance of "war credits", won Tracy a place at Ripon College. He entered in February 1921, declaring his intention to major in medicine.

Tracy was a popular student at Ripon, where he served as president of his hall and was involved in several college activities. He made his stage debut in June 1921, playing the male lead in The Truth. He was very well-received in the role and quickly developed a passion for the stage; he was reportedly "obsessive about acting to the degree that he talked about little else". He and some friends formed an acting company called 'The Campus Players', which they took on tour. As a debate team member, he auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City. He was offered a scholarship to attend the school after performing a scene from one of his earlier roles. Tracy left Ripon and began classes at AADA in April 1922. O'Brien was also enrolled there, and the two shared a small studio apartment. Money was scarce, and the two often lived on meals of rice and pretzels and shared one decent suit between them. Tracy was deemed fit to progress to the senior class, allowing him to join the academy's stock company. He made his New York debut in a play called The Wedding Guests, which opened in October 1922. He made his debut Broadway appearance three months later, playing a wordless robot in R.U.R. ^↗(Rossum's Universal Robots). He graduated from AADA in March 1923.

Career

Wikipedia article: Spencer Tracy Career

Personal life

Marriage and family

Tracy met actress Louise Treadwell while they were both members of the 'Wood Players' in White Plains, New York—the first stock company Tracy joined after graduating. The couple was engaged in May 1923 and married on September 10 of that year, between his show's matinee and evening performances.

Their son, John Ten Broeck Tracy, was born in June 1924. When John was ten months old, Louise discovered that the boy was deaf. She resisted telling Tracy for three months. Tracy was devastated by the news and felt lifelong guilt over his son's deafness. He was convinced that John's hearing impairment was a punishment for his own sins. As a result, Tracy had trouble connecting with his son and distanced himself from his family. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, a friend of Tracy's, later theorized: "[Tracy] didn't leave Louise. He left the scene of his guilt." A second child, Louise "Susie" Treadwell Tracy, was born in July 1932. The children were raised in their mother's Episcopal faith.

Tracy left the family home in 1933, and he and Louise openly discussed the separation with the media, maintaining that they were still friends and had not taken divorce action. From September 1933 to June 1934, Tracy had a public affair with Loretta Young, his co-star in Man's Castle. He reconciled with Louise in 1935. There was never again an official separation between Tracy and his wife, but the marriage continued to be troubled. Tracy increasingly lived in hotels; by the 1940s, the two were effectively living separate lives. Tracy frequently engaged in extramarital affairs, including with co-stars Joan Crawford in 1937 and Ingrid Bergman in 1941. He had an affair with Myrna Loy in 1935 and 1936. In 1990, during a phone interview with educator Alan Greenberg, Loy revealed she was in love with Tracy. "I loved Spence, he was adorable...I loved him and I really did love him. I loved him. I mean I was in love with him and she [Katharine Hepburn] got in the way." Later, during the 1940s, Loy regularly visited Tracy at Beverly Hills in his hotel room.

Katharine Hepburn

Tracy's relationship with his frequent co-star Katharine Hepburn lasted from 1941 until his death. He never divorced his wife, Louise Tracy. While making Woman of the Year in September 1941, Tracy began what was to become a lifelong relationship with Katharine Hepburn. The actress became devoted to him, and their relationship lasted until his death 26 years later. Tracy never returned to live in the family home, although he visited regularly.

The MGM moguls were careful to protect their stars from controversy, and Tracy wished to conceal his relationship with Hepburn from his wife, so it was hidden from the public. The couple did not live together until the final years of Tracy's life when they shared a cottage on George Cukor's estate in Beverly Hills. In Hollywood, however, the intimate nature of the Tracy-Hepburn partnership was an open secret. Angela Lansbury, who worked with the pair on State of the Union, later said: "We all knew, but nobody ever said anything. In those days it wasn't discussed." Tracy was not someone to express his emotions, but his friend Betsy Drake believed he "was utterly dependent upon Hepburn". Tracy's infidelity apparently continued, however, and he is reported to have had an affair with Gene Tierney during the making of Plymouth Adventure in 1952.

Neither Tracy nor his wife ever pursued a divorce, despite their estrangement. He told Joan Fontaine, "I can get a divorce whenever I want to, but my wife and Kate like things just as they are. Louise, meanwhile, reportedly commented, "I will be Mrs. Spencer Tracy until the day I die." Hepburn did not interfere and never fought for marriage.

Character

Tracy was an avowed Catholic, but his cousin, Jane Feely, said that he did not devoutly follow the religion: ".. he was often not a practical Catholic either. I would call him a spiritual Catholic." Garson Kanin, a friend of Tracy's for 25 years, described him as "a true believer" who respected his religion. At periods in his life, Tracy attended Mass regularly. Tracy did not believe actors should publicize their political views, but in 1940 lent his name to the "Hollywood for Roosevelt" committee and personally identified as a Democrat.

Tracy struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life, an ailment that ran on his father's side of the family. Rather than being a steady drinker, as commonly thought, he was prone to periods of binging on alcohol. Loretta Young remarked that Tracy was "awful" when he was drunk, and he was twice arrested for his behavior while intoxicated. Because of this bad reaction to alcohol, Tracy regularly embarked on prolonged periods of sobriety and developed an all-or-nothing routine. Myrna Loy said: "Days of drinking had left him belligerent." Hepburn commented that he would stop drinking for "months, even years at a time" before falling off the wagon without warning.

Tracy was prone to bouts of depression and anxiety: he was described by Mrs. Tracy as having "the most volatile disposition I've ever seen—up in the clouds one minute and down in the depths the next. And when he's low, he's very, very low." He was plagued by insomnia throughout his life. As a result, Tracy became dependent on barbiturates to sleep, followed by dexedrine to function. Hepburn, who adopted a nursing role towards Tracy, was unable to understand her partner's unhappiness. She wrote in her autobiography: "What was it? ... Never at peace ... Tortured by some sort of guilt. Some terrible misery."

Illness and death

Tracy's adult life of alcoholism, smoking cigarettes, taking pills and being overweight left him in poor health by the time he reached his 60s. On July 21, 1963, Tracy was hospitalized after a severe attack of breathlessness. Doctors found that he was suffering from pulmonary edema, where fluid accumulates in the lungs due to an inability of the heart to pump properly. They also declared his blood pressure dangerously high. From this point on Tracy remained very weak, and Hepburn moved into his home to provide constant care. In January 1965, he was diagnosed with hypertensive heart disease and began treatment for a previously ignored diagnosis of Type II diabetes. Tracy almost died in September 1965: a stay in the hospital following a prostatectomy resulted in his kidneys failing, and he spent the night in a coma. His attending doctor described his recovery the next day as "a kind of miracle".

Tracy spent most of the next two years at home with Hepburn, living what she described as a quiet life: reading, painting, and listening to music. On June 10, 1967, 17 days after completing what his last film role in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was, Tracy awakened at 3:00 am to make himself a cup of tea in his apartment in Beverly Hills, California. Hepburn described in her autobiography how she followed him to the kitchen: "Just as I was about to give [the door] a push, there was a sound of a cup smashing to the floor—then clump—a loud clump." She entered the room to find Tracy lying dead from a heart attack. He was 67. Hepburn recalled, "He looked so happy to be done with living, which for all his accomplishments had been a frightful burden for him." MGM publicist Howard Strickling told the media that Tracy had been alone when he died and was found by his housekeeper.

A Requiem Mass was held for Tracy on June 12 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in East Hollywood. Active pallbearers included George Cukor, Stanley Kramer, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, and John Ford. Out of consideration for Tracy's family, Hepburn did not attend the funeral. Tracy is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, near his wife Louise, son John and daughter Susie.

Reputation and acting style

Tracy had a solid reputation among his peers and received considerable praise from the film industry. After his death, MGM head Dore Schary said that there "can be no question that [Tracy] was the best and most protean actor of our screen". He was referred to as the greatest actor of his generation by Clark Gable, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, John Ford, Garson Kanin, and Katharine Hepburn. Actor Richard Widmark, who idolized Tracy, called him "the greatest movie actor there ever was" and said that he had "learned more about acting from watching Tracy than in any other way".

Tracy was particularly respected for his naturalism onscreen. Hume Cronyn, who worked with Tracy on The Seventh Cross, admired his screen presence: "His method appeared to be as simple as it is difficult to achieve. He appeared to do nothing. He listened, he felt, he said the words without forcing anything." Joan Crawford likewise expressed her admiration for Tracy's seemingly effortless performances, stating that it was "inspiring" to co-star with him and that "his is such simplicity of performance, such naturalness, and humor [...] he walks through a scene [and] makes it seem so easy". His four-time co-star Joan Bennett said that she "never had the feeling he was 'acting' in a scene, but the truth of the situation was actually happening, spontaneously, at the moment he spoke his lines". Cagney noted that Tracy was rarely the target of impressionists because "you can't mimic reserve and control very well [...] there's nothing to imitate except his genius and that can't be mimicked".

I've never known what acting is. Who can honestly say what it is? ... I wonder what actors are supposed to be, if not themselves ... I've finally narrowed it down to where, when I begin a part, I say to myself, this is Spencer Tracy as a judge, or this is Spencer Tracy as a priest or as a lawyer, and let it go at that. Look, the only thing an actor has to offer a director and, finally an audience is his instinct. That's all.

–Tracy giving his opinion on acting.

Tracy was praised for his listening and reacting skills; Barry Nelson said that he "brought the art of reacting to a new height", while Stanley Kramer declared that he "thought and listened better than anyone in the history of motion pictures". Millard Kaufman noted that Tracy "listened with every fiber of his entire body". In his memoir, Burt Reynolds noted Tracy's emphasis on naturalism when, as a rookie actor, he observed Tracy on the set of Inherit the Wind. Reynolds later introduced himself to Tracy as an actor, and Tracy replied, "An actor, huh? Just remember not to ever let anyone catch you at it."

Despite the perception that he could turn up to a shoot and perform effortlessly, Tracy's acquaintances said that he would carefully prepare for each role in private. Joseph L. Mankiewicz lived with him during the production of Test Pilot, and recounted that Tracy would lock himself in his bedroom "working extremely hard" each night. Many co-workers commented on his strong work ethic and professionalism. However, he did not like to rehearse and would quickly lose his "effectiveness" after shooting two or three takes of the same scene. Kanin described him as "an instinctive player, who trusted the moment of creation". Tracy's close friend Chester Erskine pinpointed his acting style as one of "selection", stating that he strove to give as little as was needed to be effective and reached "a minimum to make the maximum".

Tracy disliked being asked about his technique or what advice he would give to others. He often belittled the profession of acting, once saying to Kanin, "Why do actors think they're so goddamn important? They're not. Acting is not an important job in the scheme of things. Plumbing is." He was also humble about his abilities, telling a journalist, "It's just that I try no tricks. No profile. No 'great lover' act ... I just project myself as I am—plain, trying to be honest." He was known to have enjoyed the quip once made by Alfred Lunt, "The art of acting is: learn your lines and don't bump into the furniture!" Hepburn, in an interview six years after Tracy's death, suggested that Tracy wished he had held a different profession.

Assessment and legacy

In the 21st century, Tracy is best known to general audiences for his association with Katharine Hepburn. He continues to receive praise from film scholars: critic Leonard Maltin calls Tracy "one of the 20th century's finest actors", while film historian Jeanine Basinger describes his career as a "golden record of movie achievement". Charles Matthews, writing for The Washington Post, argues that "Tracy deserves to be remembered for himself, as a master of acting technique".

An award for excellence in film acting is bestowed in Tracy's name at the University of California, Los Angeles. Past recipients of the UCLA Spencer Tracy Award include James Stewart, Michael Douglas, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Kirk Douglas and Morgan Freeman.

A 1986 PBS documentary titled The Spencer Tracy Legacy was hosted by Hepburn. It includes clips from Tracy's films, and behind-the-scenes archival footage and home movies of Tracy's private life and career, as well as newly filmed interviews with many of his former co-stars, and with his daughter Susie Tracy. In 2009, Tracy provided inspiration for the character Carl in Pixar's Oscar-winning film Up. Director Pete Docter explained that there is "something sweet about these grumpy old guys". In 2014, a film about Tracy's relationship with Katharine Hepburn was announced to be in development.

Several of Tracy's films, particularly his comedies, are regarded as classics of American cinema. He starred in four of the titles on the American Film Institute's list of "100 Years ... 100 Laughs": Adam's Rib, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Father of the Bride and Woman of the Year. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was included on AFI's list of the 100 greatest American movies, while Captains Courageous was featured on their list of America's most inspiring movies.

Filmography

Wikipedia article: Spencer Tracy Filmography

Sources

• Bacall, Lauren (2005). By Myself and Then Some. It Books. ISBN 0-06-075535-0. 
• Berg, Scott A. (2004). Kate Remembered: Katharine Hepburn, a Personal Biography. Pocket. ISBN 0-7434-1563-9. 
• Curtis, James (2011). Spencer Tracy: A Biography. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-178524-6. 
• Deschner, Donald (1972). The Films of Spencer Tracy. Secaucus, New Jersey: The Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0272-X. 
• Hepburn, Katharine (1991). Me: Stories of My Life. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-40051-6. 
• Higham, Charles (2004). Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-32598-9. 
• Kanin, Garson (1971). Tracy and Hepburn: An Intimate Memoir. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-72293-6. 
• (2015) In the Company of Legends. New York: Beaufort Books. ISBN 978-0-825-30742-3. 
• Swindell, Larry (1973). Spencer Tracy. London: Coronet Books. ISBN 0-340-16951-6. 

External links

• Spencer Tracy at the Internet Broadway Database
• Spencer Tracy at the Internet Movie Database
• Spencer Tracy at the Turner Classic Movie Database
• Profile at Turner Classic Movies
• Genealogical Profile at TraceyClann
• Chang, David A. "Spencer Tracy's Boyhood: Truth, Fiction, and Hollywood Dreams," Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 84, no. 1 (Autumn 2000)

A Personal Note from Robin

• The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) with Frank Sinatra, Kerwin Mathews is another inspring movie

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