Spencer Tracy was an actor.
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 was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Actor and won two , sharing the record for nominations in that category with Laurence Olivier . Tracy 's breakthrough came in 1930 , when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood . During his career , Tracy appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen 's greatest actors .