American actor of Broadway and film, widely acknowledged as one of Hollywood’s most popular actors. His debut on Broadway in 1930 playing the lead role in “The Last Mile” led him into performances for Fox films in the “tough guy” roles. Stocky and craggy faced, he was not considered handsome in the conventional Hollywood way.
Tracy’s big break came in 1935 when he signed with MGM and they captured his versatility. He won Academy Awards for “Captain Courageous” in 1937 and “Boys Town” in 1938, the first actor to receive two Oscars in succession. Laurence Olivier once commented, “I’ve learned more about acting from watching Tracy than in any other way. He has great truth in everything he does.” Accredited with over 80 films in his 37 year career, he received nine Oscar nominations for Best Actor.
Tracy was intended for the priesthood but quit school for a stint in the Navy. After World War I he returned to schooling where he found his love of acting in a college play. He married Louise Treadwell in 1923 and had a romantic interlude with Loretta Young in the early ’30s. In 1942 he began a lifelong relationship with Katharine Hepburn. Their intimate friendship became a Hollywood legend in itself and remained discreet; they were never exploited by the gossip columns. Tracy was a devout Catholic who did not believe in divorce even though he and his wife were separated for many years.
He suffered with lung congestion in his latter years and died of a heart attack around 3 AM on 10 June 1967 in Beverly Hills, California.
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