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)
White Heat
Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Mutiny on the Bounty
(uncredited)
The Roaring Twenties
Eddie Bartlett
City for Conquest
Danny Kenny
One, Two, Three
C.R. MacNamara
The Public Enemy
Tom Powers
Run for Cover
Matt Dow
Mister Roberts
Captain Morton
The Oklahoma Kid
Jim Kincaid
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Man of a Thousand Faces
Lon Chaney
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Footlight Parade
Chester Kent
The Bride Came C.O.D.
Steve Collins
The West Point Story
Elwin Bixby
The Fighting 69th
Jerry Plunkett
'G' Men
‘Brick' Davis
Ragtime
New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
The Seven Little Foys
George M. Cohan
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bottom
Love Me or Leave Me
Martin Snyder
Angels with Dirty Faces
Rocky Sullivan
Each Dawn I Die
Frank Ross
What Price Glory
Captain Flagg
Devil Dogs of the Air
Tommy O'Toole
Jimmy the Gent
Jimmy Corrigan
The Mayor of Hell
Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
Lady Killer
Dan
Shake Hands with the Devil
Sean Lenihan
Yankee Doodle Dandy
George M. Cohan
Smart Money
Jack
Tribute to a Bad Man
Jeremy Rodack
Hard to Handle
Lefty Merrill
That's Dancing!
From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
The Crowd Roars
Joe Greer
Blood on the Sun
Nick Condon
Becoming Marilyn
(archive footage)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Ralph Cotter
Picture Snatcher
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
Captains of the Clouds
Brian MacLean
Taxi!
Matt Nolan
The Time of Your Life
Joseph
Frisco Kid
Bat Morgan
A Lion Is in the Streets
Hank Martin
Starlift
James Cagney
Torrid Zone
Nick Butler
The Gallant Hours
Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
Johnny Come Lately
Tom Richards
13 Rue Madeleine
Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey
The Irish in Us
Danny O'Hara
Blonde Crazy
Albert 'Bert' Harris
Arizona Bushwhackers
Narrator
Great Guy
Johnny 'Red' Cave
Showbiz Goes to War
(archive footage)
Come Fill the Cup
Lew Marsh
The Doorway to Hell
Steve Mileaway
Terrible Joe Moran
Joe Moran
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
Here Comes the Navy
Chesty O'Conner
Other Men's Women
Ed 'Eddie' Bailey
Something to Sing About
Terry Rooney
The St. Louis Kid
Eddie Kennedy
The Strawberry Blonde
Biff Grimes
Remembering Ragtime
NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
He Was Her Man
Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
These Wilder Years
Steve Bradford
The Singing Fool
Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
The Millionaire
Schofield
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
Narrator (voice)
Never Steal Anything Small
Jake MacIllaney
Okay for Sound
Tommy Powers (archive footage)
You, John Jones!
John Jones
Ceiling Zero
Dizzy Davies
The Day of the Oath
Narrator
Winner Take All
Jim 'Jimmy' Kane
Warner at War
(archive footage)
Routine Pleasures
Ed "Eddie" Bailey (archive footage)
The Road to the Wall
Narrator
Sinners' Holiday
Harry Delano
Boy Meets Girl
Robert Law
TV Shows (2)
Self / Appearances (53)
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · 2 eps
What's My Line?
Self · 1 eps
The Oscars
Self · 2 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · 3 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self (uncredited) · 1 eps
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self · 1 eps
Parkinson
Self - Guest (archive footage) · 1 eps
MGM Parade
self · 2 eps
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self · 1 eps
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
Tupac: Resurrection
Self (archival)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Vaudeville
Self (archive footage)
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Self (archive footage)
Show-Business at War
Self
Night of 100 Stars
Self
Parkinson at 50
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Self (archive footage)
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Self (archive footage) (voice)
Bogart: The Untold Story
Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Self (archive footage)
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
Himself
James Cagney: Top of the World
Self (Archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Self (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
Himself (uncredited)
Dynamite Chicken
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
Doris Day: It's Magic
Self
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
I Don't Even Like Apple Pie...
Self (archive footage)
Short Cut to Hell
Himself (prologue)
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Self
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
Self (archive footage)
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
Himself
The Hollywood Gad-About
Self (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Himself
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
Movie Tough Guys
Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1939
Self
Breakdowns of 1940
Self
Calling All Girls
Himself (archive footage)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)