Spencer Tracy
If most critics were forced to choose the greatest male screen actor in cinema it is likely that Spencer Tracy would be at the top. In the beginning he was given character roles, proving himself over and over again as a serious actor. Then eventually, against all the odds, he made it as a top leading man, bringing to each role a depth of character that could never be pinpointed as acting, but simply being.
Core Films
*= my personal favorites
Libeled Lady (1936)*
San Francisco (1936)
Captains Courageous (1937)
Boys Town (1938)*
Edison, the Man (1940)*
Boom Town (1940)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
Woman of the Year (1942)*
State of the Union (1948)*
Adam's Rib (1949)*
Father of the Bride (1950)
A Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)*
The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)*
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
For More
Books
Biography; Spencer Tracy: A Biography by James Curtis: https://www.amazon.com/Spencer-Tracy-A-Biography/dp/1620900394/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Biography; Spencer Tracy: A Biography by Larry Swindell: https://www.amazon.com/Spencer-Tracy-Biography-Larry-Swindell/dp/B0006WCQYU
Spencer Tracy in The Last Mile
Spencer Tracy with his wife Louise and their two children: John and Louise (Susie)
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year (1942)
Spencer Tracy with his buddies from Ripon College
Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy in Whipsaw (1935)
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in his last film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). Hepburn is not acting here. She knew that Tracy was going to die soon.
Spencer Tracy in a Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Desk Set (1957)