Hollywood is notorious for the short-lived marriages its produced, but affairs by nature are kept quiet. In 1942, one of the most iconic affairs in the business began: Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. They met on the set of Woman of the Year, playing rivals Sam and Tess — who kissed, fell in love, and got married — but decided (with pressure from MGM studios) to keep their scandalous real-life relationship a secret for the next 26 years. 

Tracy separated from (but didn't actually divorce) his wife, Louise Treadwell, according to The Rake. He struggled with anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and "volatile" moods, but the otherwise feminist and liberal Hepburn was devoted to her lover nonetheless. "I wanted him to be happy, safe, comfortable. I liked to wait on him, listen to him, feed him, work for him. I tried not to disturb him ... I was happy to do this," the actress once said (via The Rake). Hepburn was by Tracy's side days before he died — which was shortly after Tracy finished filming the pair's last movie together, 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner — but didn't attend his funeral out of respect for his family. 

It's a love story made for the movies and almost made it to the big screen. Per Deadline, Tracy and Hepburn was in development in 2014, but further details have been kept under wraps.

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