James Cagney

Known for ActingBorn 1899-07-17Died 1986-03-30New York City, New York, USA

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Parkinson at 50

Movie Tough Guys

Showbiz Goes to War

James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy

Going Hollywood: The '30s

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story

Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?

MGM Parade

James Cagney: Top of the World

This Is Bob Hope...

Vaudeville

Tupac: Resurrection

Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public

Becoming Marilyn

Never Steal Anything Small

Hooray for Hollywood

White Heat: Top of the World

Los Angeles Plays Itself

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

It's Showtime

The Kennedy Center Honors

The Millionaire

White Heat

One, Two, Three

Warner at War

Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film

Complicated Women

That's Dancing!

Angels with Dirty Faces

The Roaring Twenties

The Irish in Us

Terrible Joe Moran

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Ragtime

That's Entertainment, Part II

Mutiny on the Bounty

Mister Roberts

Night of 100 Stars

The Public Enemy

Tribute to a Bad Man

What's My Line?

The Mayor of Hell

The Oscars

Come Fill the Cup

How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Frisco Kid