James Cagney
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
133
Gender
Male
Birthday
1899-07-17
Day of death
1986-03-30 (86 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
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
The Mike Douglas Show
Torrid Zone
Robert Montgomery Presents
What's My Line?
The Oscars
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Kennedy Center Honors
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
White Heat
Mister Roberts
Remembering Ragtime
Taxi!
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Ceiling Zero
Tupac: Resurrection
Frisco Kid
Picture Snatcher
Ragtime
Legends
Arizona Bushwhackers
Smart Money
'G' Men
Tribute to a Bad Man
Sinners' Holiday
Lady Killer
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Angels with Dirty Faces
Blonde Crazy
Great Guy
Bogart: The Untold Story
Mutiny on the Bounty
Blow-Ups of 1947
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
One, Two, Three
The Public Enemy
Man of a Thousand Faces
Jimmy the Gent
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
13 Rue Madeleine
Love Me or Leave Me
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Run for Cover
Hard to Handle
Short Cut to Hell
The Gallant Hours
The Roaring Twenties
That's Dancing!
The West Point Story
The Mayor of Hell
Each Dawn I Die
A Lion Is in the Streets
Night of 100 Stars
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Blood on the Sun
The Time of Your Life
Parkinson at 50
The Singing Fool
Shake Hands with the Devil
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Things You Never See on the Screen
The St. Louis Kid
The Bride Came C.O.D.
A Dream Comes True
The Crowd Roars
Showbiz Goes to War
Here Comes the Navy
Breakdowns of 1939
It's Showtime
Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
This Is Bob Hope...
Hooray for Hollywood
The Seven Little Foys
Never Steal Anything Small
Something to Sing About
Breakdowns of 1936
Come Fill the Cup
The Strawberry Blonde
That's Entertainment, Part II
Terrible Joe Moran
What Price Glory
These Wilder Years
Captains of the Clouds
The Doorway to Hell
The Millionaire
Johnny Come Lately
The Fighting 69th
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Doris Day: It's Magic
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
Going Hollywood: The '30s
He Was Her Man
The Hollywood Gad-About
Devil Dogs of the Air
The Oklahoma Kid
Other Men's Women
The Irish in Us
City for Conquest
Footlight Parade
You, John Jones!
Winner Take All
Breakdowns of 1941
Show-Business at War
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Complicated Women
Breakdowns of 1940
Calling All Girls
Boy Meets Girl
White Heat: Top of the World
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie Tough Guys
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Dynamite Chicken
Okay for Sound
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Starlift
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
James Cagney: Top of the World
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
Hollywood Hobbies
The Day of the Oath
The Road to the Wall
