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