Here’s Why The Formidable Katharine Hepburn Hid Her 26-Year Romance With Spencer Tracy

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy: they are two names that go together like mac and cheese. Their chemistry set the screen alight in countless movies, and the pair’s romance fueled a partnership that was hugely successful. Yet they were never an “item” in public. Instead, something held them back.

Altogether, Tracy and Hepburn starred in nine films together. And although they kept it quiet, the two did have a loving relationship. Not that it was much of a secret! Everyone knew that they were a couple. The pair just didn’t acknowledge their love in public despite it being so widely understood.

You might have thought that the studios would fuel the rumors of Hepburn and Tracy’s love affair. But instead, they actually helped keep it quiet. Perhaps this was done because they felt that the movie audience of the day wouldn’t approve. In any case, the two weren’t a public couple at all.

Wisconsin native Tracy came from humble origins – the son of a man who sold trucks. Staunchly Catholic, he went to a Jesuit school before a stint in the Navy. It didn’t last long, and soon the star had graduated from theater to the big screen, where he featured in largely forgettable films for Fox.

There, Tracy developed his understated acting style. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hollywood legend and friend Humphrey Bogart said of Tracy, “[You] don’t see the mechanism working – the wheels turning. He covers up. He never overacts or is hammy. He makes you believe what he is playing.” Yet Tracy claimed to be doing nothing special.