James Cagney
Acting
Born: July 17, 1899 · New York City, New York, USA
Died: March 30, 1986 (aged 86)
Highest Rated
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
White Heat
1949
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
One, Two, Three
1961
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935
The Public Enemy
1931
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938
The Roaring Twenties
1939
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942
Ragtime
1981
Mister Roberts
1955
Tupac: Resurrection
2003
Footlight Parade
1933
Photos (11)
Movies (80)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
The Fighting 69th
Jerry Plunkett
Mutiny on the Bounty
(uncredited)
The Public Enemy
Tom Powers
The Roaring Twenties
Eddie Bartlett
White Heat
Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
One, Two, Three
C.R. MacNamara
Angels with Dirty Faces
Rocky Sullivan
Footlight Parade
Chester Kent
The Gallant Hours
Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
The Strawberry Blonde
Biff Grimes
Mister Roberts
Captain Morton
Yankee Doodle Dandy
George M. Cohan
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bottom
'G' Men
‘Brick' Davis
What Price Glory
Captain Flagg
That's Dancing!
From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
Man of a Thousand Faces
Lon Chaney
Run for Cover
Matt Dow
The Oklahoma Kid
Jim Kincaid
Love Me or Leave Me
Martin Snyder
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Ralph Cotter
The Seven Little Foys
George M. Cohan
Ragtime
New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
The Millionaire
Schofield
Each Dawn I Die
Frank Ross
Blood on the Sun
Nick Condon
Other Men's Women
Ed 'Eddie' Bailey
Tribute to a Bad Man
Jeremy Rodack
Lady Killer
Dan
Captains of the Clouds
Brian MacLean
Picture Snatcher
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Hard to Handle
Lefty Merrill
Frisco Kid
Bat Morgan
These Wilder Years
Steve Bradford
Jimmy the Gent
Jimmy Corrigan
Torrid Zone
Nick Butler
The Mayor of Hell
Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
13 Rue Madeleine
Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey
Smart Money
Jack
The Bride Came C.O.D.
Steve Collins
City for Conquest
Danny Kenny
Warner at War
(archive footage)
Becoming Marilyn
(archive footage)
Devil Dogs of the Air
Tommy O'Toole
Shake Hands with the Devil
Sean Lenihan
Something to Sing About
Terry Rooney
Remembering Ragtime
NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
A Lion Is in the Streets
Hank Martin
He Was Her Man
Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
Great Guy
Johnny 'Red' Cave
The West Point Story
Elwin Bixby
Blonde Crazy
Albert 'Bert' Harris
Terrible Joe Moran
Joe Moran
Winner Take All
Jim 'Jimmy' Kane
Ceiling Zero
Dizzy Davies
The Irish in Us
Danny O'Hara
Showbiz Goes to War
(archive footage)
Boy Meets Girl
Robert Law
The Time of Your Life
Joseph
Taxi!
Matt Nolan
The Crowd Roars
Joe Greer
Here Comes the Navy
Chesty O'Conner
Starlift
James Cagney
Come Fill the Cup
Lew Marsh
The St. Louis Kid
Eddie Kennedy
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
Routine Pleasures
Ed "Eddie" Bailey (archive footage)
The Doorway to Hell
Steve Mileaway
You, John Jones!
John Jones
Arizona Bushwhackers
Narrator
Okay for Sound
Tommy Powers (archive footage)
The Singing Fool
Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
Never Steal Anything Small
Jake MacIllaney
Johnny Come Lately
Tom Richards
Sinners' Holiday
Harry Delano
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
Narrator (voice)
The Day of the Oath
Narrator
The Road to the Wall
Narrator
TV Shows (2)
Self / Appearances (51)
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · 2 eps
The Oscars
Self · 2 eps
What's My Line?
Self · 1 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · 3 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self (uncredited) · 1 eps
MGM Parade
self · 2 eps
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self · 1 eps
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self · 1 eps
Tupac: Resurrection
Self (archival)
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
Vaudeville
Self (archive footage)
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Self (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Night of 100 Stars
Self
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Short Cut to Hell
Himself (prologue)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Self (archive footage) (voice)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
Self (archive footage)
I Don't Even Like Apple Pie...
Self (Archive Footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Show-Business at War
Self
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
Dynamite Chicken
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
Doris Day: It's Magic
Self
Bogart: The Untold Story
Self (archive footage)
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Self
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
James Cagney: Top of the World
Self (Archive footage)
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
Self (archive footage)
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
Himself (uncredited)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)
The Hollywood Gad-About
Self (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1939
Self
Movie Tough Guys
Self (archive footage)
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
Himself
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Himself
Breakdowns of 1940
Self
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Self (archive footage)
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
Himself