From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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, he 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 for 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Cagney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movie | AFI Life Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary Special | Self (archive footage) | 2023-12-30 |
Movie | Sly | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2023-09-16 |
Movie | Parkinson at 50 | Self (archive footage) | 2021-08-28 |
Movie | This Is Bob Hope... | Self (archive footage) | 2017-12-29 |
Movie | And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
Movie | 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year | Self (archive footage) | 2009-07-02 |
Movie | You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story | Self (archive footage) | 2008-05-15 |
Movie | Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film | Self (archive footage) | 2008-10-21 |
Movie | Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History | 2008-10-14 | |
Movie | Billy Wilder Speaks | 2006-06-22 | |
Movie | Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
Movie | Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say? | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
Movie | White Heat: Top of the World | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
Movie | Complicated Women | Self (archive footage) | 2003-05-06 |
Movie | The Kid Stays in the Picture | Self (archive footage) | 2002-08-16 |
Movie | Bogart: The Untold Story | Self (archive footage) | 1997-01-05 |
Movie | Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell | Self (archive footage) | 1993-02-06 |
Movie | Movie Tough Guys | Self (archive footage) | 1991-01-01 |
Movie | That's Dancing! | From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage) | 1985-01-18 |
Movie | Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | Terrible Joe Moran | Joe Moran | 1984-03-26 |
Movie | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
Movie | Zelig | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-07-15 |
Movie | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | (in "White Heat") (archive footage) | 1982-05-21 |
Movie | Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
Movie | Showbiz Goes to War | (archive footage) | 1982-12-31 |
Movie | Ragtime | New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo | 1981-11-20 |
Movie | Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years | Self | 1979-12-13 |
Series | The Kennedy Center Honors | Unknown | 1978-12-28 |
Movie | It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
Movie | That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | Arizona Bushwhackers | Narrator | 1968-03-01 |
Movie | The Ballad of Smokey the Bear | Narrator (voice) | 1966-11-24 |
Movie | The Road to the Wall | Narrator | 1962-01-01 |
Movie | One, Two, Three | C.R. MacNamara | 1961-12-15 |
Movie | The Gallant Hours | Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey | 1960-06-13 |
Movie | Never Steal Anything Small | Jake MacIllaney | 1959-02-11 |
Movie | Shake Hands with the Devil | Sean Lenihan | 1959-06-24 |
Movie | Short Cut to Hell | Himself (prologue) | 1957-09-01 |
Movie | Man of a Thousand Faces | Lon Chaney | 1957-08-15 |
Movie | Tribute to a Bad Man | Jeremy Rodack | 1956-03-30 |
Movie | These Wilder Years | Steve Bradford | 1956-08-17 |
Movie | Run for Cover | Matt Dow | 1955-04-29 |
Movie | Love Me or Leave Me | Martin Snyder | 1955-05-26 |
Movie | Mister Roberts | The Captain | 1955-07-10 |
Movie | The Seven Little Foys | George M. Cohan | 1955-09-30 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |
Movie | A Lion Is in the Streets | Hank Martin | 1953-09-23 |
Movie | What Price Glory | Captain Flagg | 1952-08-22 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | Come Fill the Cup | Lew Marsh | 1951-10-24 |
Movie | Starlift | James Cagney | 1951-12-14 |
Movie | Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye | Ralph Cotter | 1950-08-19 |
Series | Robert Montgomery Presents | Unknown | 1950-01-30 |
Movie | The West Point Story | Elwin Bixby | 1950-11-25 |
Movie | White Heat | Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett | 1949-09-02 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Movie | The Time of Your Life | Joseph | 1948-09-03 |
Movie | 13 Rue Madeleine | Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey | 1947-01-15 |
Movie | Blow-Ups of 1947 | Self | 1947-12-31 |
Movie | Okay for Sound | Tommy Powers (archive footage) | 1946-09-07 |
Movie | Blood on the Sun | Nick Condon | 1945-04-26 |
Movie | Show-Business at War | Self | 1943-05-21 |
Movie | Johnny Come Lately | Tom Richards | 1943-09-03 |
Movie | You, John Jones! | John Jones | 1943-01-14 |
Movie | The Voice That Thrilled the World | Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage) | 1943-10-16 |
Movie | Oklahoma Outlaws | Kincaid (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1943-09-14 |
Movie | Captains of the Clouds | Brian MacLean (bush pilot) | 1942-02-12 |
Movie | Yankee Doodle Dandy | George M. Cohan | 1942-05-29 |
Movie | The Strawberry Blonde | Biff Grimes | 1941-02-21 |
Movie | The Bride Came C.O.D. | Steve Collins | 1941-07-12 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1941 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1941-11-14 |
Movie | Torrid Zone | Nick Butler | 1940-05-18 |
Movie | The Fighting 69th | Jerry Plunkett | 1940-01-27 |
Movie | City for Conquest | Danny Kenny | 1940-09-21 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1940 | Self | 1940-12-31 |
Movie | Hollywood Hobbies | Himself (uncredited) | 1939-05-03 |
Movie | The Oklahoma Kid | Jim Kincaid | 1939-03-11 |
Movie | The Roaring Twenties | Eddie Bartlett | 1939-10-28 |
Movie | Each Dawn I Die | Frank Ross | 1939-08-19 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1939 | Self | 1939-12-31 |
Movie | Boy Meets Girl | Robert Law | 1938-08-27 |
Movie | Angels with Dirty Faces | Rocky Sullivan | 1938-11-26 |
Movie | Mother Goose Goes Hollywood | Joe Penner, | 1938-12-23 |
Movie | Something to Sing About | Terrence 'Terry' Rooney | 1937-09-30 |
Movie | Great Guy | Johnny 'Red' Cave | 1936-12-01 |
Movie | Ceiling Zero | Dizzy Davies | 1936-01-16 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1936 | Self | 1936-12-30 |
Movie | 'G' Men | ‘Brick' Davis | 1935-05-04 |
Movie | Devil Dogs of the Air | Tommy O'Toole | 1935-02-09 |
Movie | The Irish in Us | Danny O'Hara | 1935-07-31 |
Movie | A Trip Through A Hollywood Studio | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-02-02 |
Movie | Things You Never See on the Screen | Self | 1935-12-01 |
Movie | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Bottom | 1935-10-09 |
Movie | Frisco Kid | Bat Morgan | 1935-11-30 |
Movie | A Dream Comes True | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-12-31 |
Movie | Mutiny on the Bounty | (uncredited) | 1935-11-22 |
Movie | Jimmy the Gent | Jimmy Corrigan | 1934-03-09 |
Movie | Screen Snapshots No. 11 | Himself | 1934-01-01 |
Movie | He Was Her Man | Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen | 1934-06-16 |
Movie | The Hollywood Gad-About | Self (uncredited) | 1934-10-04 |
Movie | Here Comes the Navy | Chesty O'Conner | 1934-07-21 |
Movie | The St. Louis Kid | Eddie Kennedy | 1934-11-10 |
Movie | Picture Snatcher | Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean | 1933-05-06 |
Movie | Hard to Handle | Lefty Merrill | 1933-01-28 |
Movie | The Mayor of Hell | Richard 'Patsy' Gargan | 1933-06-24 |
Movie | Lady Killer | Dan Quigley | 1933-12-09 |
Movie | Footlight Parade | Chester Kent | 1933-10-21 |
Movie | The Crowd Roars | Joe Greer | 1932-04-16 |
Movie | Winner Take All | Jim 'Jimmy' Kane | 1932-07-16 |
Movie | How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots' | Himself | 1931-04-15 |
Movie | Other Men's Women | Ed 'Eddie' Bailey | 1931-01-17 |
Movie | The Public Enemy | Tom Powers | 1931-04-23 |
Movie | Smart Money | Jack | 1931-06-11 |
Movie | The Millionaire | Schofield | 1931-05-01 |
Movie | Taxi! | Matt Nolan | 1931-12-29 |
Movie | Blonde Crazy | Albert 'Bert' Harris | 1931-09-16 |
Movie | Sinners' Holiday | Harry Delano | 1930-10-11 |
Movie | The Doorway to Hell | Steve Mileaway | 1930-10-18 |