It was love at first sight.
When actress Katherine Hepburn was first introduced to actor Spencer Tracy on the set of the 1942
film "Woman of the Year", she couldn't help but almost instantaneously fall madly in love
with him.
Hepburn naturally was familiar with Spencer's film work, and no doubt had a great deal of
respect for him on a professional level, but her infatuation went far beyond that.
There was just something so alluring about the “Inherit The Wind” actor that she
couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Still, the celebrated actress did her best to act as nonchalant about the encounter as
possible.
Reportedly, she even made a few jokes about Tracy’s height in a thinly veiled attempt
at playing it cool and not revealing her hand too quickly.
Although Hepburn was head over heels for Tracy, he was still married at the time to actress
Louise Treadwell.
After Tracy and his wife began having relationship issues following the birth of their two children,
Spencer separated from her in 1933 and left the family home, never to return.
That being said, neither Tracy nor his wife ever pursued a divorce, and when Spencer and
Katherine began their relationship, they had to tread lightly in order to not stir up controversy.
After being introduced, Hepburn and Tracy quickly started seeing each other, enjoyed
a hot and heavy, albeit very secretive, romance for years, and ultimately spent the remainder
of their lives as close friends.
Katherine and Spencer had some serious chemistry.
Honestly, they would have made for a tremendous husband-and-wife team if it weren't for Tracy's
marriage.
In this video, we'll be taking a look at why Spencer never pursued such a course, even
though he and Hepburn clearly had a good thing going.
Facts Verse Presents: Why Spencer Tracy Hid His Affair with Katherine Hepburn for Decades
Their Fans Had No Clue
Although they are now considered to be one of the most famous couples in Hollywood history,
Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn played out their affair without their fans knowing
that they were together for decades.
The two stars ended up having a relationship that lasted for 27 years, but the truth about
the nature of their connection wasn’t revealed until decades later.
Obviously, this had to do, at least in part, with Spencer's marriage to Treadwell.
As for why he never divorced her despite the fact that he clearly moved on to a new serious
relationship, there are several factors that must be taken into account.
Spencer married Louise in 1928.
They ended up having two children together, a son named John Tracy and a daughter named
Susie Tracy.
In the early 30s, Spencer and Louise separated.
They did briefly reconcile and get back together but separated once again not long after that.
Eventually, the two Hollywood stars lived in separate homes while still remaining legally
married.
During this time period, Spencer evidently had affairs with a handful of other women
before meeting Hepburn.
One of the reasons why Spencer never divorced Louise was because, as a devout Catholic,
he considered divorce to be something that was off the table.
His religious convictions wouldn't permit him to take such action, although apparently,
adultery wasn't something that he considered to be too sinful.
Louise was Episcopalian.
Reportedly she did request a divorce at one point, but she never was granted one and never
felt the pressing need to pursue one through the courts.
Another issue tied to Spencer's faith had to do with the idea that he got in his head
that he was somehow being punished for his sins when it turned out that his son was deaf.
According to director Joe Manklewicz, Spencer didn't just leave Louise, he also left the
scene out of sheer guilt.
Hepburn Didn’t Seem To Mind
Although everyone they worked with and all their friends knew that they were together,
there was still concern within the Hollywood studio system that negative publicity surrounding
Spencer and Katherine's affair could potentially impact their films and box-office revenue.
On top of that, Spencer, Tracy, and even Louise seemed to have found a degree of acceptance
in their situation.
Hepburn reportedly also had little desire to marry Tracy even though she loved him deeply.
She had previously married Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928 at the age of 21.
That marriage ended up fizzling, and the two got divorced in 1934.
They Remained Close Until Spencer’s Death
Spencer and Hepburn’s relationship had many twists and turns and ups and downs, but they
continued to be close until Tracy’s death in 1967.
Throughout their time together, they co-starred in 9 films including Pat and Mike, Adam’s
Rib, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
In Hollywood, their relationship was one of those ‘open secrets’ that you always you
hear about.
Gene Kelly once told People that the duo would meet at lunchtime and would sit on a bench
on the studio lot.
They’d hold hands, laugh, and talk, while everyone else would leave them alone in their
own little world.
Hepburn ended up passing away in 2003.
She remained quiet about her relationship with Spencer until 1983 when Louise Treadwell
passed away.
In Hepburn's 1991 memoir, Me: Stories of My Life, she wrote that she truly loved Tracy
and that she always put his interests and demands above her own.
Whenever he would express his dislike of something, she would make the needed changes to appease
him.
According to her, it didn't even matter if these changes meant her setting aside things
that she personally valued.
She loved him so much there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do.
Years later Katie Couric would bring this passage from Hepburn's book up in an interview.
Couric said that she found this bit especially surprising considering how it came from someone
that was as notoriously independent as Hepburn was.
Hepburn responded by saying that it was always 'her pleasure' to make such concessions.
She went on to add that she found him to be a 'witty, amusing, entertaining man' who also
possessed a rather difficult nature.
Hepburn then revealed that despite this, it was always easy to please Tracy because of
just how much she loved him.
Hepburn Described Tracy As Having A ‘Tortured’ Soul
We've already mentioned how Spencer Tracy dealt with a great deal of guilt over his
son's deafness, but that wasn't the only inner demon that he wrestled with.
It's known that he suffered from regular bouts of severe anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
In order to cope with these things, Tracy turned to the bottle.
As such, he struggled with alcoholism for much of his life.
Hepburn once described Tracy as having a 'tortured' soul.
All she ever wanted was the best for him.
She wanted to see him happy, safe and comfortable, and there really wasn't anything that she
wouldn't do to try and put a smile on his face.
She'd wait on him hand and foot, listen to his troubles, cook for and feed him, and even
work for him.
Most of all, she tried her best to not disturb him whenever he was dealing with his troubles.
While she remained devoted to him for the rest of their lives, Hepburn continued to
act, choosing roles based on how much they interested her rather than how she thought
they'd fare at the box office.
Acting on location regularly required Hepburn to leave for months on end.
Because of this, she tried to encourage the idea that she and Tracy weren't a couple and
that they should continue to live separate lives.
When Tracy's health began to decline in the late 1960s, however, she ended up taking some
time away from her acting career in order to care for him.
She would later be quoted as saying that she just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't
be lonely or full of worry.
Hepburn and Tracy's Sexual Orientations
Over the years, rumors surrounding Hepburn and Tracy's sexual orientations have continued
to fuel sensational media reports.
Hepburn was considered to be, as we've already noted, a very independent woman who didn't
appear to require anything from men.
Because of this, she was often labeled as a lesbian.
Likewise, it's been repeatedly alleged that Tracy was a homosexual and that his efforts
to hide his orientation further contributed to his depression and issues with alcohol.
According to a man named Scotty Bowers who was a male ‘madam’ to the stars during
the Golden Age of Hollywood, Hepburn and Tracy were never more than friends.
Bowers further asserts that they were ‘not in the bed department’ at all.
Furthermore, Bowers claims that he even slept with Tracy once and procured a number of female
sexual partners for Hepburn.
Whether their relationship was in fact just a cover to hide their sexual orientations
or not, there's no questioning the fact that what Hepburn and Tracy had was one of the
most devoted and loving relationships in Hollywood history.
Scotty Bowers may have made some bold claims, but at the end of the day, the fact remains
that Hepburn and Tracy continued to love and care for each other for the better part of
three decades.
Hepburn was by Tracy's side when he passed away in 1967, and although she didn't attend
his funeral out of respect for his family, she never stopped loving him even after his
death.
When asked why she stayed with him given the circumstances, Hepburn once replied by saying
that she honestly didn’t know, but even so, she said that the 27 years that they spent
together were ‘absolute bliss’.
It’s wild to think that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were together for so long
without the public knowing.
These days, there really is no such thing as an ‘open secret’ in Hollywood.
The second that anyone catches wind that two stars are seeing each other – especially
if they’re having an affair – the story is circulated far and wide through the tabloids
and social media.
On that note, we’ll go ahead and wrap this video up.
But before you move on to watching another one of our videos, take a moment to hop in
the comments and share your thoughts on Hepburn and Tracy’s decades-spanning relationship.
Do you think that Spencer Tracy should have divorced his wife and married Katherine Hepburn
and do you believe the rumors that both he and Hepburn were gay and only using their
relationship as a cover?
Let us know, and as always, thanks for watching!