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.
Filmography
Parkinson at 50
as Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
as Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
as Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
as Self (archive footage)
Warner at War
as (archive footage)
Warner at War
as (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
as Self (archive footage) (voice)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
as Self (archive footage) (voice)
Remembering Ragtime
as NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
Remembering Ragtime
as NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
Tupac: Resurrection
as Self (archival)
Tupac: Resurrection
as Self (archival)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
Doris Day: It's Magic
as Self
Doris Day: It's Magic
as Self
Movie Tough Guys
as Self (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys
as Self (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
Ragtime
as New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Ragtime
as New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
as Self
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
as Self
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
as (archive footage)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
as (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
Dynamite Chicken
as Self (archive footage)
Dynamite Chicken
as Self (archive footage)
Arizona Bushwhackers
as Narrator
Arizona Bushwhackers
as Narrator
The Day of the Oath
as Narrator
The Day of the Oath
as Narrator
The Road to the Wall
as Narrator
The Road to the Wall
as Narrator
Short Cut to Hell
as Himself (prologue)
Short Cut to Hell
as Himself (prologue)
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
as Himself
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
as Himself
The Seven Little Foys
as George M. Cohan
The Seven Little Foys
as George M. Cohan
Mister Roberts
as Captain Morton
Mister Roberts
as Captain Morton
What Price Glory
as Captain Flagg
What Price Glory
as Captain Flagg
Come Fill the Cup
as Lew Marsh
Come Fill the Cup
as Lew Marsh
The West Point Story
as Elwin Bixby
The West Point Story
as Elwin Bixby
White Heat
as Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
White Heat
as Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Okay for Sound
as Tommy Powers (archive footage)
Okay for Sound
as Tommy Powers (archive footage)
Blood on the Sun
as Nick Condon
Blood on the Sun
as Nick Condon
Johnny Come Lately
as Tom Richards
Johnny Come Lately
as Tom Richards
Show-Business at War
as Self
Show-Business at War
as Self
Captains of the Clouds
as Brian MacLean
Captains of the Clouds
as Brian MacLean
City for Conquest
as Danny Kenny
City for Conquest
as Danny Kenny
Torrid Zone
as Nick Butler
Torrid Zone
as Nick Butler
The Roaring Twenties
as Eddie Bartlett
The Roaring Twenties
as Eddie Bartlett
Hollywood Hobbies
as Self (uncredited)
Hollywood Hobbies
as Self (uncredited)
The Oklahoma Kid
as Jim Kincaid
The Oklahoma Kid
as Jim Kincaid
Angels with Dirty Faces
as Rocky Sullivan
Angels with Dirty Faces
as Rocky Sullivan
Boy Meets Girl
as Robert Law
Boy Meets Girl
as Robert Law
Breakdowns of 1936
as Self
Breakdowns of 1936
as Self
Great Guy
as Johnny 'Red' Cave
Great Guy
as Johnny 'Red' Cave
Ceiling Zero
as Dizzy Davies
Ceiling Zero
as Dizzy Davies
A Dream Comes True
as Himself (uncredited)
A Dream Comes True
as Himself (uncredited)
Things You Never See on the Screen
as Self
Things You Never See on the Screen
as Self
Mutiny on the Bounty
as (uncredited)
Mutiny on the Bounty
as (uncredited)
Here Comes the Navy
as Chesty O'Conner
Here Comes the Navy
as Chesty O'Conner
He Was Her Man
as Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
He Was Her Man
as Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
Lady Killer
as Dan
Lady Killer
as Dan
Picture Snatcher
as Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
Picture Snatcher
as Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
Taxi!
as Matt Nolan
Taxi!
as Matt Nolan
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
as Himself
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
as Himself
The Doorway to Hell
as Steve Mileaway
The Doorway to Hell
as Steve Mileaway