James Cagney
Biography
James Francis Cagney, Jr. (July 17, 1899 – March 30, 1986) was an American film actor. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of roles, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys". In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time. In his first performing role, Cagney danced dressed as a woman in the chorus line of the 1919 revue Every Sailor. He spent several years in vaudeville as a hoofer and comedian until his first major acting role in 1925. He secured several other roles, receiving good reviews before landing the lead in the 1929 play Penny Arcade. After rave reviews for his acting, Warners signed him for an initial $500 a week, three-week contract to reprise his role; this was quickly extended to a seven year contract. Cagney's seventh film, The Public Enemy, became one of the most influential gangster movies of the period. Notable for its famous grapefruit scene, the film thrust Cagney into the spotlight, making him one of Warners' and Hollywood's biggest stars. In 1938, he received his first Academy Award Best Actor nomination for Angels with Dirty Faces, before winning in 1942 for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy. He was nominated a third time in 1955 for Love Me or Leave Me. Cagney retired for 20 years in 1961, spending time on his farm before returning for a part in Ragtime mainly to aid his recovery from a stroke. Cagney walked out on Warners several times over his career, each time coming back on improved personal and artistic terms. In 1935, he sued Warners for breach of contract and won; this marked one of the first times an actor had beaten a studio over a contract issue. He worked for an independent film company for a year while the suit was settled, and also established his own production company, Cagney Productions, in 1942 before returning to Warners again four years later. Jack Warner called him "The Professional Againster", in reference to Cagney’s refusal to be pushed around. Cagney also made numerous morale-boosting troop tours before and during World War II, and was President of the Screen Actors Guild for two years.
Known For
C.R. MacNamara
One, Two, Three
Self (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
George M. Cohan
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Self (archive footage)
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
Self (archive footage)
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Self (archive footage)
White Heat: Top of the World
Danny Kenny
City for Conquest
Ed 'Eddie' Bailey
Other Men's Women
New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Ragtime
(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
George M. Cohan
The Seven Little Foys
Brian MacLean
Captains of the Clouds
Steve Mileaway
The Doorway to Hell
‘Brick' Davis
'G' Men
Rocky Sullivan
Angels with Dirty Faces
Chester Kent
Footlight Parade
Martin Snyder
Love Me or Leave Me
Frank Ross
Each Dawn I Die
(uncredited)
Mutiny on the Bounty
Steve Collins
The Bride Came C.O.D.
Albert 'Bert' Harris
Blonde Crazy
Lon Chaney
Man of a Thousand Faces
Dan
Lady Killer
Eddie Bartlett
The Roaring Twenties
Captain Morton
Mister Roberts
Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
White Heat
Steve Bradford
These Wilder Years
Johnny 'Red' Cave
Great Guy
Jack
Smart Money
Tom Powers
The Public Enemy
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
Picture Snatcher
Jim Kincaid
The Oklahoma Kid
Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey
13 Rue Madeleine
Ralph Cotter
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Bottom
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Himself (prologue)
Short Cut to Hell
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1941
(archive footage)
Showbiz Goes to War
Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (archive footage)
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Jimmy Corrigan
Jimmy the Gent
Elwin Bixby
The West Point Story
Matt Nolan
Taxi!
Jim 'Jimmy' Kane
Winner Take All
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Captain Flagg
What Price Glory
Jerry Plunkett
The Fighting 69th
Jeremy Rodack
Tribute to a Bad Man
Chesty O'Conner
Here Comes the Navy
Dizzy Davies
Ceiling Zero
Nick Condon
Blood on the Sun
Terrence 'Terry' Rooney
Something to Sing About
Biff Grimes
The Strawberry Blonde
Joseph
The Time of Your Life
Nick Butler
Torrid Zone
Matt Dow
Run for Cover
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
The Mayor of Hell
Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
The Gallant Hours
Joe Greer
The Crowd Roars
Hank Martin
A Lion Is in the Streets
Lew Marsh
Come Fill the Cup
Robert Law
Boy Meets Girl
Self (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Tom Richards
Johnny Come Lately
Self
Doris Day: It's Magic
Self (archive footage)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Bat Morgan
Frisco Kid
Lefty Merrill
Hard to Handle
NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
Remembering Ragtime
Harry Delano
Sinners' Holiday
Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
Self
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
He Was Her Man
James Cagney
Starlift
Eddie Kennedy
The St. Louis Kid
Danny O'Hara
The Irish in Us
Schofield
The Millionaire
John Jones
You, John Jones!
Jake MacIllaney
Never Steal Anything Small
Narrator
The Road to the Wall
Self (uncredited)
Hollywood Hobbies
(archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Sean Lenihan
Shake Hands with the Devil
Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
The Singing Fool
Tommy O'Toole
Devil Dogs of the Air
Joe Moran
Terrible Joe Moran
Self (Archive footage)
James Cagney: Top of the World
Self
Breakdowns of 1936
Himself (archive footage)
Calling All Girls
Himself
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
Self
Blow-Ups of 1947
Himself
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
Self (archive footage)
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Himself (uncredited)
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
Narrator (voice)
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
Self (uncredited)
The Hollywood Gad-About
Self
Things You Never See on the Screen
Himself (uncredited)
A Dream Comes True
Self
Breakdowns of 1940
Self
Breakdowns of 1939
Self
Show-Business at War
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
Bogart: The Untold Story
Narrator
Arizona Bushwhackers
Tommy Powers (archive footage)
Okay for Sound
Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
The Voice That Thrilled the World
From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
It's Showtime
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
Himself
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Self
Night of 100 Stars
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
(archive footage)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
Himself
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
Self (archival)
Tupac: Resurrection
Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8
Self (archive footage)
Dynamite Chicken
Self (archive footage)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Narrator
The Day of the Oath
(archive footage)
Warner at War
Devenir Marilyn
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
126
Gender
Male
Birthday
1899-07-17
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As
Jimmy Cagney