Spencer Tracy (I) (1900–1967)

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Spencer Tracy was the second son born on April 5, 1900, to truck salesman John Edward and Caroline Brown Tracy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While attending Marquette Academy, he and classmate Pat O'Brien quit school to enlist in the Navy at the start of World War I. Tracy was still at Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia at the end of the war. After playing ... See full bio »

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Tortilla Flat
Sun, Jul 10 5:00 AM PDT on TCM (631)
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Fri, Jul 15 5:31 AM PDT on STZIB (583)

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Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 20 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

914 photos | 38 videos »

Known For

Judgment at Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg Chief Judge Dan Haywood
(1961)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Matt Drayton
(1967)
Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind Henry Drummond
(1960)
Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock John J. Macreedy
(1955)
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Filmography

Hide Hide Show Show Actor (79 credits)
 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Matt Drayton
 1963 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Capt. T. G. Culpepper
 1962 How the West Was Won
Narrated by (voice)
 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg
Chief Judge Dan Haywood
 1961 The Devil at 4 O'Clock
Father Matthew Doonan
 1960 Inherit the Wind
Henry Drummond
 1958 The Last Hurrah
Frank Skeffington
 1958 The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man / Narrator
 1957 Desk Set
Richard Sumner
 1956 The Mountain
Zachary Teller
 1955 Bad Day at Black Rock
John J. Macreedy
 1954 Broken Lance
Matt Devereaux
 1953 The Actress
Clinton Jones
 1952 Plymouth Adventure
Capt. Christopher Jones
 1952 Pat and Mike
Mike Conovan
 1951 The People Against O'Hara
James Curtayne
 1951 Father's Little Dividend
Stanley Banks
 1950 Father of the Bride
Stanley T. Banks
 1949 Malaya
Carnahan
 1949 Adam's Rib
Adam Bonner
 1949 Edward, My Son
Arnold Boult
 1948 State of the Union
Grant Matthews
 1947 Cass Timberlane
Cass Timberlane
 1947 The Sea of Grass
Col. James B. 'Jim' Brewton
 1945 Without Love
Pat Jamieson
 1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle
 1944 The Seventh Cross
George Heisler
 1943 A Guy Named Joe
Pete Sandidge
 1942 Keeper of the Flame
Steven O'Malley
 1942 Tortilla Flat
Pilon
 1942 Woman of the Year
Sam Craig
 1941 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Dr. Harry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
 1941 Men of Boys Town
Father Flanagan
 1940 Boom Town
Square John Sand
 1940 Edison, the Man
Thomas A. Edison
 1940 Northwest Passage
Maj. Richard Rogers
 1940 Young Tom Edison
Man Admiring Portrait of Thomas A. Edison (uncredited)
 1940 I Take This Woman
Karl Decker
 1939 Stanley and Livingstone
Henry M. Stanley
 1938 Boys Town
Father Flanagan
 1938 Test Pilot
Gunner Morse
 1937 Mannequin
John L. Hennessey
 1937 Big City
Joe Benton
 1937 Captains Courageous
Manuel
 1937 They Gave Him a Gun
Fred P. Willis
 1936 Libeled Lady
Warren Haggerty
 1936 San Francisco
Father Tim Mullin
 1936 Fury
Joe Wilson
 1936 Riffraff
Dutch Muller
 1935 Whipsaw
Ross McBride
 1935 Dante's Inferno
Jim Carter
 1935 The Murder Man
Steve Grey
 1935 It's a Small World
Bill Shevlin
 1934 Marie Galante
Dr. Crawbett
 1934 Now I'll Tell
Murray Golden
 1934 Bottoms Up
'Smoothie' King
 1934 Looking for Trouble
Joe Graham
 1934 The Show-Off
J. Aubrey Piper
 1933 Man's Castle
Bill
 1933 The Mad Game
Edward Carson
 1933 The Power and the Glory
Tom Garner
 1933 Shanghai Madness
Pat Jackson
 1933 Face in the Sky
Joe Buck
 1932 20, 000 Years in Sing Sing
Tommy Connors
 1932 Me and My Gal
Danny Dolan
 1932 The Painted Woman
Tom Brian
 1932 Society Girl
Briscoe
 1932 Young America
Jack Doray
 1932 Disorderly Conduct
Dick Fay
 1932 Sky Devils
Wilkie
 1932 She Wanted a Millionaire
William Kelley
 1931 Goldie
Bill
 1931 6 Cylinder Love
William Donroy
 1931 Quick Millions
Daniel J. 'Bugs' Raymond
 1930 Up the River
Saint Louis
 1930 The Hard Guy (Short)
Guy
 1930 The Strong Arm (Short)
Prisoner (unconfirmed, uncredited)
 1930 Taxi Talks (Short)
Taxi Driver
Show Show Soundtrack (8 credits)
Show Show Self (12 credits)
Show Show Archive footage (93 credits)

Related Videos

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Personal Details

Other Works:

Stage: Appeared in "Conflict" on Broadway. Written by Warren F. Lawrence. Directed by Edward C. Lilley. Fulton Theatre: 6 Mar 1929-Apr 1929 (closing date unknown/37 performances). See more »

Publicity Listings:

2 Biographical Movies | 11 Print Biographies | 4 Portrayals | 10 Articles | 2 Pictorials | 6 Magazine Cover Photos | See more »

Height:

5' 8¾" (1.75 m)

Spouse:

Louise Ten Broeck Treadwell  (his death)  (2 children)

Children:

John Ten Broeck Tracy | See more »

Parents:

John Edward Tracy | Caroline Brown

Relatives:

Carroll Tracy (sibling) | See more »
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

Actors have no damn place in politics, period. See more »

Trivia:

In 1935 MGM bought his contact from 20th Century-Fox, as Louis B. Mayer respected his talent and thought he would be a good second lead, particularly in support of the studio's #1 male star, Clark Gable. Tracy had never developed into a star in his five years at Fox (which was merged with Darryl F. Zanuck's 20th Century Pictures) and the studio had cooled on him. After four years of playing ... See more »

Trademark:

Often wore a lopsided fedora hat in his films See more »

Nickname:

Pops See more »

Star Sign:

Aries
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