Acting
James Cagney
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.
Movies with James Cagney
One, Two, Three
1961
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942
White Heat
1949
Footlight Parade
1933
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935
That's Dancing!
1985
The Public Enemy
1931
Mister Roberts
1955
Vaudeville
1997
'G' Men
1935
Picture Snatcher
1933
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
Warner at War
2008
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938
The Gallant Hours
1960
Ragtime
1981
Night of 100 Stars
1982
Love Me or Leave Me
1955
What Price Glory
1952
The Roaring Twenties
1939
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976
It's Showtime
1976
The Millionaire
1931
Run for Cover
1955
Blood on the Sun
1945
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957
100 Years at the Movies
1994
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976
Each Dawn I Die
1939
Parkinson at 50
2021
Jimmy the Gent
1934
Breakdowns of 1941
1941
This Is Bob Hope...
2017
Tupac: Resurrection
2003
White Heat: Top of the World
2005
City for Conquest
1940
Short Cut to Hell
1957
The Mayor of Hell
1933
Come Fill the Cup
1951
Smart Money
1931
Shake Hands with the Devil
1959
Terrible Joe Moran
1984
Tribute to a Bad Man
1956
The Oklahoma Kid
1939
Other Men's Women
1931
Captains of the Clouds
1942
Lady Killer
1933
I Don't Even Like Apple Pie...
1989
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985
Here Comes the Navy
1934
Becoming Marilyn
2022
The Fighting 69th
1940
The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941
The Strawberry Blonde
1941
Frisco Kid
1935
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
2008
Taxi!
1932
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997
James Cagney: Top of the World
1992
The West Point Story
1950
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
2008
The Seven Little Foys
1955
13 Rue Madeleine
1947
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009
Blonde Crazy
1931
Great Guy
1936
Breakdowns of 1936
1936
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
Dynamite Chicken
1971
Complicated Women
2003
Torrid Zone
1940
Showbiz Goes to War
1982
Hard to Handle
1933
A Dream Comes True
1935
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
1981
Show-Business at War
1943
Arizona Bushwhackers
1968
The Doorway to Hell
1930
Boy Meets Girl
1938
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
The Time of Your Life
1948
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
Johnny Come Lately
1943
Hooray for Hollywood
1976
Winner Take All
1932
The Crowd Roars
1932
Doris Day: It's Magic
1998
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
2005
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947
These Wilder Years
1956
He Was Her Man
1934
Starlift
1951
You, John Jones!
1943
The Irish in Us
1935
A Lion Is in the Streets
1953
Something to Sing About
1937
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
1979
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
The Voice That Thrilled the World
1943
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
1935
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935
Movie Tough Guys
1991
Remembering Ragtime
2004
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
1966
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006
Never Steal Anything Small
1959
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
Devil Dogs of the Air
1935
Ceiling Zero
1936
Okay for Sound
1946
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
1931
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934
Breakdowns of 1939
1939
The St. Louis Kid
1934
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
1975
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
1956
Breakdowns of 1940
1940
The Road to the Wall
1962
Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934
Showbiz Ballyhoo
1982
The Singing Fool
1928
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
2005
The Day of the Oath
1965
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
1931
Routine Pleasures
1986
Sinners' Holiday
1930
Calling All Girls
1942
Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8
1935
