Spencer Tracy 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
Spencer Tracy year since his motion picture debut that there was no Spencer Tracy release. His next film was "The Sea of Grass" (1947) a drama set in the American Old West with Hepburn. Similarly to "Keeper of the Flame" and "Without Love", a lukewarm response from critics did not stop it from being a financial success both at home and abroad. He followed it later that year with "Cass Timberlane", in which he played a judge. It was a commercial success, but Curtis notes that co-star Lana Turner overshadowed Tracy in most of the reviews. A fifth film with Hepburn came