Claim: Spencer Tracy was an actor.

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy -LRB- April 5 , 1900 -- June 10 , 1967 -RRB- was an American actor , noted for his natural style and versatility . One of the major stars of Hollywood 's Golden Age , Tracy was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Actor and won two , 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 Up the River , Tracy was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation . His five years with Fox were unremarkable , and he remained largely unknown to audiences after 25 films .   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 . 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 a 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 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 Tracy 's 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 .