Originally Spencer Tracy intended to be a priest; however, he quit the Jesuit prep school to join the Navy in 1917. After WWI ended, Tracy continued his studies at Northwestern Military Academy. In 1921, Tracy entered Ripon College where he landed a lead in a college play. This role was to change Tracy's life as he decided to embark upon an acting career as a result of his success in the play. He enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1922 and landed a bit part in the Broadway production of Karel Capek's R.U.R. as a robot. Upon graduating the following year, Tracy was to find the job market for actors to be a "tough-go." Consequently, Tracy found himself doing a series of odd jobs just to survive (bellhop, janitor, door-to-door salesman, etc.,).

While working the odd jobs, Tracy continued to appear in Broadway productions. In 1930, Tracy landed the lead role in The Last Mile, which was a successful dramatic film about prison life. This was the beginning of Tracy's career in film.

Director John Ford was so impressed with Tracy's performance in The Last Mile that he chose him for the lead role in the Hollywood gangster drama Up the River. Tracy then was signed by Fox for several "tough guy " roles.

Tracy soon became recognized for his sincerity, straightforwardness, masculinity and humor. He eventually became regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest screen actors. Tracy's biggest break was when he signed with MGM and was able to demonstrate his versatility as an actor in a variety of different kinds of roles.

1937: Captain's Courageous.

1938: Boy's Town.

1936: San Francisco.

1950: Father of the Bride.

1955: Bad Day at Black Rock.

1958: The Old Man and the Sea.

1960: Inherit the Wind.

1961: Judgment at Nurmeberg.

1967: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

1930: Taxi Talks, The Strong Arm, The Hard Guy, Up the River.

1931: Six Cylinder Love, Goldie.

1932: She Wanted a Millionaire, Sky Devils, Disorderly Conduct, Young America, Society Girl, The Painted Woman, Me and My Gal.

1933: 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, Face in the Sky, Shanghai Madness, The Power and the Glory, The Mad Game, A Man's Castle.

1934: The Show-Off, Looking for Trouble, Bottoms Up, Now I'll Tell, Marie Galante.

1935: It's a Small World, The Murder Man, Dante's Inferno, Whipsaw.

1936: Riffraff, Fury, San Francisco, Libeled Lady.

1937: They Gave Him a Gun, Captains Courageous (as Manuel), Big City.

1938: Mannequin, Test Pilot, Boys Town (as Father Flannigan).

1939: Stanley and Livingstone (as Stanley).

1940: I Take this Woman, Northwest Passage, Edison the Man (as Thomas Edison), Boom Town.

1941: Men of Boys Town (as Father Flannigan again), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (title role).

1942: Woman of the Year, Tortilla Flat (as Pilon), Keeper of the Flame.

1943: A Guy Named Joe. 1944: The Seventh Cross, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.

1945: Without Love,.

1947: The Sea of Grass, Cass Timberlane (title role).

1948: State of the Union,.

1949: Edward My Son (as Arnold Boult), AdamÕs Rib.

1950: Malaya, Father of the Bride.

1951: The People Against O'Hara.

1953: The Actress.

1955: Bad Days at Black Rock.

1956: The Mountain.

1957: The Desk Set.

1958: The Old Man and the Sea (title role), The Last Hurrah.

1960: Inherit the Wind (as a renamed Clarence Darrow).

1961: The Devil at 4 O'Clock, Judgment at Nuremberg.

1963: It's a Mad Mad Mad World.

1967: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

In 1923, Tracy married actress Louise Treadwell. He received unsolicited publicity in the early 1930's for an affair with actress Loretta Young. In 1942, Tracy began a lifelong relationship with Kathryn Hepburn with whom he co-starred in nine films.

As a devout Catholic, Tracy never divorced his wife, Louise Treadwell. When he became ill with lung congestion in the early 1960's, Hepburn interrupted her career to remain by Tracy's bedside.

Tracy appeared in film with Hepburn for one last time in 1967 in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. A few weeks after finishing the shooting of this film, Tracy died.