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Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy

Actor · Died June 10, 1967, aged 67 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor, noted for his natural style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy won two Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations, sharing the record for nominations in that category with Laurence Olivier. 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. Tracy's 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 starring Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, he was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation. His five years with Fox featured one acting tour de force after another that were usually ignored at the box office, and he remained largely unknown to audiences after 25 films, almost all of them starring Tracy as the leading man. None of them were hits although The Power and the Glory (1933) features arguably his most acclaimed performance in retrospect. In 1935, Tracy joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, at the time Hollywood's most prestigious studio. His career flourished with a series of hit films, and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town. He made three smash hit films supporting Clark Gable, the studio's principal leading man, firmly fixing the notion of Gable and Tracy as a team in the public imagination. By the 1940s, Tracy was one of the studio's top stars. In 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning another popular partnership that produced nine movies over 25 years. Tracy left MGM in 1955, and continued to work regularly as a freelance star, despite an increasing weariness as he aged. His personal life was troubled, with a lifelong struggle against severe alcoholism and guilt over his son's deafness. Tracy became estranged from his wife in the 1930s, but never divorced, conducting a long-term relationship with Katharine Hepburn in private. 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 in 1967, completed just 17 days before his death. During his career, Tracy 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.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 5, 1900
Died
June 10, 1967 (aged 67)
From
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
60 on MovieCove · 92 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are Spencer Tracy's films like?

Across their 53 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Morality
24%
Society
14%
Self
10%
Power
8%
Survival
7%
Ideas
5%
Redemption13 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 53 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 22 · Serious 16 · Dark 15

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 37 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 18 · Charged 26 · Intense 9

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 29 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 16 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 26 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 26 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 25 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 48 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

52 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 28 of 52 analyzed roles.

Hero
28 of 52
Mentor
10 of 52
Shadow
5 of 52
Ally
3 of 52
Trickster
2 of 52
Shapeshifter
2 of 52
Threshold guardian
2 of 52
Show the 52 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
29
Warm
19
Melancholic
22
Joyful
14
Contemplative
13
Other
40

How their films linger

Feel-good20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet27
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Spencer Tracy's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 60 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Spencer Tracy's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

92 credits, 60 with a MovieCove page; 31 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story(2024)

    as Fr. Edward Flanagan (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Devo(2024)

    as Henry Drummond (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Making Montgomery Clift(2018)

    as Chief Judge Dan Haywood

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington(2012)

    as Grant Matthews

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers(2009)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as (archive footage)

  • La classe américaine(1993)

    as The Professional Witness (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home to(1990)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey(1984)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment!(1974)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Guess Who's Coming to Dinner(1967)

    as Matt Drayton

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Big Parade of Comedy(1964)

    as Haggerty in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World(1963)

    as C. G. Culpepper

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • How the West Was Won(1962)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Judgment at Nuremberg(1961)

    as Dan Haywood

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Devil at 4 O'Clock(1961)

    as Father Matthew Doonan

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Inherit the Wind(1960)

    as Henry Drummond

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Last Hurrah(1958)

    as Mayor Frank Skeffington

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Old Man and the Sea(1958)

    as The Old Man

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Desk Set(1957)

    as Richard Sumner

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Mountain(1956)

    as Zachary Teller

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Bad Day at Black Rock(1955)

    as John J. Macreedy

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Broken Lance(1954)

    as Matt Devereaux

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Actress(1953)

    as Clinton Jones

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Plymouth Adventure(1952)

    as Capt. Christopher Jones

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Pat and Mike(1952)

    as Mike Conovan

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The People Against O'Hara(1951)

    as James P. Curtayne

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Father's Little Dividend(1951)

    as Stanley Banks

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Father of the Bride(1950)

    as Stanley T. Banks

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Malaya(1949)

    as Carnaghan

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Adam's Rib(1949)

    as Adam Bonner

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Edward, My Son(1949)

    as Arnold Boult

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • State of the Union(1948)

    as Grant Matthews

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Cass Timberlane(1947)

    as Cass Timberlane

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Sea of Grass(1947)

    as Col. James B. Brewton

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Without Love(1945)

    as Pat Jamieson

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo(1944)

    as Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Seventh Cross(1944)

    as George Heisler

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • A Guy Named Joe(1943)

    as Pete Sandidge

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Twenty Years After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as (archive footage)

  • Keeper of the Flame(1942)

    as Stevie O'Malley

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • His New World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Tortilla Flat(1942)

    as Pilon

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Ring of Steel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Woman of the Year(1942)

    as Sam Craig

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1941)

    as Dr. Henry 'Harry' Jekyll / Mr. Hyde

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Men of Boys Town(1941)

    as Edward Flanagan

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Boom Town(1940)

    as Square John Sand

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Edison, the Man(1940)

    as Thomas A. Edison

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Young Tom Edison(1940)

    as Man Admiring Portrait of Thomas A. Edison

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Northwest Passage(1940)

    as Major Robert Rogers

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • I Take This Woman(1940)

    as Karl Decker

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Stanley and Livingstone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Henry M. Stanley

  • Boys Town(1938)

    as Father Flanagan

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Test Pilot(1938)

    as Gunner Morse

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Mannequin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as John Hennessey

  • Big City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Joe Benton

  • Captains Courageous(1937)

    as Manuel Fidello

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • They Gave Him a Gun(1937)

    as Fred P. Willis

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Libeled Lady(1936)

    as Haggerty

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • San Francisco(1936)

    as Father Tim Mullin

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Fury(1936)

    as Joe Wilson

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Riffraff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Dutch

  • Whipsaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ross 'Mac' McBride aka Danny Ross Ackerman

  • Dante's Inferno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Jim Carter

  • The Murder Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Steven 'Steve' Grey

  • It's A Small World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Bill Shevlin

  • Marie Galante(1934)

    as Dr. Crawbett

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Now I'll Tell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Murray Golden

  • Bottoms Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as 'Smoothie' King

  • Looking for Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Joe Graham

  • The Show-Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as J. Aubrey Piper

  • Man's Castle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Bill

  • The Mad Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Edward Carson

  • The Power and the Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Tom Garner

  • Shanghai Madness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Pat Jackson

  • Face in the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Joe Buck

  • 20,000 Years in Sing Sing(1932)

    as Tommy Connors

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Me and My Gal(1932)

    as Danny Dolan

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Painted Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Tom Brian

  • Society Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Briscoe

  • Young America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Jack Doray

  • Disorderly Conduct (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Dick Fay

  • Sky Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Wilkie

  • She Wanted a Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as William Kelley

  • Goldie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Bill

  • Six Cylinder Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as William Donroy

  • Quick Millions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Daniel J. 'Bugs' Raymond

  • Up the River(1930)

    as Saint Louis

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Hard Guy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Guy

  • Taxi Talks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Taxi Driver

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 90 titles from 1930 to 2024; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

$57M worldwide

Highest rated

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Film career

19302024

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 32 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting90 of 90: 90 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

By decade

1930s39 · acting1940s23 · acting1950s13 · acting1960s7 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s1 · acting1990s3 · acting2020s2 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 80% of 40 roles
3040455560

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Spencer Tracy's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 60; across their 53 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Reach · how many have seen their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Midcredits score across 60 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up34
  • 50th to 74th22
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

40 of their 60 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser40
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington (2012)

84th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Spencer Tracy's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles7–42 · median 29 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles2–26 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles5–26 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles24–38 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles9–65 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Spencer Tracy work with?

People who share at least 2 of Spencer Tracy's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Katharine Hepburn shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers