James Cagney
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
Robert Montgomery Presents
George Bridgeman
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest
The Oscars
Self
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
The Time of Your Life
Joseph
The Crowd Roars
Joe Greer
The Mayor of Hell
Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
Johnny Come Lately
Tom Richards
Here Comes the Navy
Chesty O'Conner
The Irish in Us
Danny O'Hara
The Roaring Twenties
Eddie Bartlett
Taxi!
Matt Nolan
Terrible Joe Moran
Joe Moran
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Smart Money
Jack
One, Two, Three
C.R. MacNamara
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
The Seven Little Foys
George M. Cohan
Legends
Martin Snyder (archive footage) (uncredited)
Run for Cover
Matt Dow
Short Cut to Hell
Himself (prologue)
Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8
The St. Louis Kid
Eddie Kennedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bottom
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (archive footage)
Come Fill the Cup
Lew Marsh
Warner at War
(archive footage)
White Heat
Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Mutiny on the Bounty
(uncredited)
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
The Singing Fool
Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
George M. Cohan
Angels with Dirty Faces
Rocky Sullivan
Remembering Ragtime
NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
Ragtime
New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Mister Roberts
Captain Morton
What Price Glory
Captain Flagg
Never Steal Anything Small
Jake MacIllaney
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
Ceiling Zero
Dizzy Davies
Frisco Kid
Bat Morgan
The Hollywood Gad-About
Self (uncredited)
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Public Enemy
Tom Powers
Tupac: Resurrection
Self (archival)
Parkinson at 50
Self (archive footage)
The Gallant Hours
Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
13 Rue Madeleine
Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey
Sinners' Holiday
Harry Delano
Jimmy the Gent
Jimmy Corrigan
James Cagney: Top of the World
Self (Archive footage)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Arizona Bushwhackers
Narrator
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
Breakdowns of 1939
Self
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars
Self
The Millionaire
Schofield
Blonde Crazy
Albert 'Bert' Harris
White Heat: Top of the World
Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1940
Self
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Ralph Cotter
These Wilder Years
Steve Bradford
He Was Her Man
Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Footlight Parade
Chester Kent
'G' Men
‘Brick' Davis
Great Guy
Johnny 'Red' Cave
Shake Hands with the Devil
Sean Lenihan
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
The Bride Came C.O.D.
Steve Collins
Tribute to a Bad Man
Jeremy Rodack
City for Conquest
Danny Kenny
The Strawberry Blonde
Biff Grimes
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Self (archive footage)
Love Me or Leave Me
Martin Snyder
Winner Take All
Jim 'Jimmy' Kane
Lady Killer
Dan
Other Men's Women
Ed 'Eddie' Bailey
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Self (archive footage)
Hard to Handle
Lefty Merrill
Devil Dogs of the Air
Tommy O'Toole
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
Man of a Thousand Faces
Lon Chaney
The Fighting 69th
Jerry Plunkett
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Movie Tough Guys
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
Boy Meets Girl
Robert Law
Torrid Zone
Nick Butler
The Doorway to Hell
Steve Mileaway
Captains of the Clouds
Brian MacLean
A Lion Is in the Streets
Hank Martin
Bogart: The Untold Story
Self (archive footage)
The West Point Story
Elwin Bixby
The Oklahoma Kid
Jim Kincaid
Blood on the Sun
Nick Condon
Each Dawn I Die
Frank Ross
Picture Snatcher
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
Starlift
James Cagney
Showbiz Goes to War
(archive footage)
The Road to the Wall
Narrator
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
You, John Jones!
John Jones
Something to Sing About
Terrence 'Terry' Rooney
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Self (archive footage)
Show-Business at War
Self
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Himself
Doris Day: It's Magic
Self
Hooray for Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Dynamite Chicken
Self (archive footage)
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
Himself (uncredited)
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
Calling All Girls
Himself (archive footage)
Okay for Sound
Tommy Powers (archive footage)
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Self (archive footage)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
(archive footage)
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
Self (archive footage)
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
Himself
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
Himself
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
Narrator (voice)
The Day of the Oath
Narrator
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Self
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
Himself
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self (uncredited)