Spencer Tracy Several of Tracy's films, particularly his comedies, are regarded as classics of American cinema. He starred in four of the titles on the American Film Institute's list of "100 Years ... 100 Laughs": "Adam's Rib", "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", "Father of the Bride" and "Woman of the Year". "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was included on AFI's list of the 100 greatest American movies, while "Captains Courageous" was featured on their list of America's most inspiring movies. Tracy was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Actor, a category record he holds with Laurence Olivier. He was
Spencer Tracy Tracy's emphasis on naturalism when, as a rookie actor, he observed Tracy on the sets of "Inherit the Wind". When Reynolds later introduced himself to Tracy as an actor, Tracy replied, "An actor, huh? Just remember not to ever let anyone catch you at it." Despite the perception of being able to perform effortlessly, acquaintances of Tracy said that he would carefully prepare for each role. Joseph L. Mankiewicz lived with Tracy during the production of "Test Pilot", and recounted that the actor would lock himself in his bedroom "working extremely hard" each night. Many co-workers commented on his strong