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.
137 acting credits · 1 directing credit
Acting · 137
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
What's My Line?
1950
The Oscars
1953
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
MGM Parade
1955
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978
Legends
2006
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935
Mister Roberts
1955
The Public Enemy
1931
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
1935
Ragtime
1981
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
Night of 100 Stars
1982
One, Two, Three
1961
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
'G' Men
1935
The Roaring Twenties
1939
Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004
White Heat
1949
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942
The Fighting 69th
1940
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
2008
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957
Tupac: Resurrection
2003
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
Taxi!
1932
Lady Killer
1933
Blonde Crazy
1931
Complicated Women
2003
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935
Tribute to a Bad Man
1956
The Strawberry Blonde
1941
Becoming Marilyn
2022
Blood on the Sun
1945
The Oklahoma Kid
1939
Hard to Handle
1933
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985
That's Dancing!
1985
Something to Sing About
1937
Frisco Kid
1935
The Seven Little Foys
1955
13 Rue Madeleine
1947
Shake Hands with the Devil
1959
Run for Cover
1955
Smart Money
1931
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976
Jimmy the Gent
1934
The Gallant Hours
1960
Torrid Zone
1940
City for Conquest
1940
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
1975
Footlight Parade
1933
The Mayor of Hell
1933
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
Love Me or Leave Me
1955
A Lion Is in the Streets
1953
Each Dawn I Die
1939
Show-Business at War
1943
Arizona Bushwhackers
1968
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
2008
The Crowd Roars
1932
The Time of Your Life
1948
Captains of the Clouds
1942
It's Showtime
1976
He Was Her Man
1934
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950
The West Point Story
1950
Showbiz Goes to War
1982
Here Comes the Navy
1934
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009
Picture Snatcher
1933
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997
The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941
What Price Glory
1952
Other Men's Women
1931
Never Steal Anything Small
1959
Parkinson at 50
2021
Ceiling Zero
1936
The Millionaire
1931
Come Fill the Cup
1951
This Is Bob Hope...
2017
The Doorway to Hell
1930
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
1981
The St. Louis Kid
1934
Great Guy
1936
The Singing Fool
1928
Short Cut to Hell
1957
Starlift
1951
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
Breakdowns of 1941
1941
Devil Dogs of the Air
1935
Breakdowns of 1936
1936
Hooray for Hollywood
1976
The Irish in Us
1935
The Voice That Thrilled the World
1943
A Dream Comes True
1935
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
1956
These Wilder Years
1956
Winner Take All
1932
Okay for Sound
1946
Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934
Breakdowns of 1939
1939
Showbiz Ballyhoo
1982
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947
Boy Meets Girl
1938
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
1979
Johnny Come Lately
1943
James Cagney: Top of the World
1992
Dynamite Chicken
1971
Warner at War
2008
Movie Tough Guys
1991
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934
Terrible Joe Moran
1984
The Day of the Oath
1965
Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?
2005
You, John Jones!
1943
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
1966
Calling All Girls
1942
Doris Day: It's Magic
1998
Breakdowns of 1940
1940
Vaudeville
1997
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots'
1931
Remembering Ragtime
2004
Sinners' Holiday
1930
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
2005
White Heat: Top of the World
2005
Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8
1935
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
1931
The Road to the Wall
1962