James Cagney
Acting
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.
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
as Self (archive footage)
Age 109 (now 86)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
as Self (archive footage)
Age 109 (now 86)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
as Self (archive footage)
Age 109 (now 86)
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
as Self (archive footage)
Age 108 (now 86)
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
as Self (archive footage)
Age 105 (now 86)
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
as Self (archive footage)
Age 105 (now 86)White Heat: Top of the World
as Self (archive footage)
Age 105 (now 86)
Remembering Ragtime
as NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
Age 105 (now 86)
James Cagney: Top of the World
as Self (Archive footage)
Age 92 (now 86)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age 88 (now 86)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
Age 85 (now 86)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
Age 85 (now 86)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age 83 (now 86)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Age 82 (now 86)
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)
Age 77 (now 86)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
Age 76 (now 86)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
as (archive footage)
Age 76 (now 86)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
Age 76 (now 86)
The Voice That Thrilled the World
as Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Age 44 (now 86)
Breakdowns of 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age 42 (now 86)
Things You Never See on the Screen
as Self
Age 36 (now 86)
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
as Himself (uncredited)
Age 35 (now 86)
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
as Himself
Age 32 (now 86)
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
as Himself
Age 32 (now 86)
The Singing Fool
as Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
Age 29 (now 86)
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
as Self
Age 73 (now 86)
Robert Montgomery Presents
as George Bridgeman
Age 50 (now 86)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Jimmy Cagney, James Francis Cagney, Джеймс Кэгни, James Francis Cagney Jr., Джеймс Фрэнсис Кэгни-младший
IMDB
nm0000010