1899-07-17 New York City, New York, USA
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.
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Parkinson at 50 | Self (archive footage) | 2021-08-28 |
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This Is Bob Hope... | Self (archive footage) | 2017-12-29 |
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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year | Self (archive footage) | 2009-07-02 |
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression | Self (archive footage) | 2009-01-01 |
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Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film | Self (archive footage) | 2008-10-21 |
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You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story | Self (archive footage) | 2008-05-15 |
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White Heat: Top of the World | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
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Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
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Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say? | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
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Los Angeles Plays Itself | Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (archive footage) | 2004-07-28 |
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Remembering Ragtime | NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage) | 2004-11-16 |
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Tupac: Resurrection | Self (archival) | 2003-11-14 |
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Complicated Women | Self (archive footage) | 2003-05-06 |
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Doris Day: It's Magic | Self | 1998-10-18 |
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Bogart: The Untold Story | Self (archive footage) | 1997-01-05 |
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James Cagney: Top of the World | Self (Archive footage) | 1992-07-05 |
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Movie Tough Guys | Self (archive footage) | 1991-01-01 |
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Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC | Self (archive footage) | 1988-05-16 |
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That's Dancing! | From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage) | 1985-01-18 |
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Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers | Self (archive footage) | 1985-01-01 |
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Terrible Joe Moran | Joe Moran | 1984-03-26 |
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Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
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Showbiz Ballyhoo | Self (archive footage) | 1982-05-05 |
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Showbiz Goes to War | (archive footage) | 1982-12-31 |
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | (in "White Heat") (archive footage) | 1982-05-21 |
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Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
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James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy | 1981-12-01 | |
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Ragtime | New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo | 1981-11-20 |
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Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years | Self | 1979-12-13 |
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That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
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Hooray for Hollywood | Self (archive footage) | 1976-01-01 |
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It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
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Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television | (archive footage) | 1975-10-24 |
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
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Dynamite Chicken | Self (archive footage) | 1971-01-20 |
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Arizona Bushwhackers | Narrator | 1968-03-01 |
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Ballad of Smokey the Bear | Narrator (voice) | 1966-11-24 |
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The Day of the Oath | Narrator | 1965-01-01 |
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The Road to the Wall | Narrator | 1962-01-01 |
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One, Two, Three | C.R. MacNamara | 1961-12-15 |
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The Gallant Hours | Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey | 1960-06-13 |
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Shake Hands with the Devil | Sean Lenihan | 1959-06-24 |
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Never Steal Anything Small | Jake MacIllaney | 1959-02-11 |
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Short Cut to Hell | Himself (prologue) | 1957-09-01 |
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Man of a Thousand Faces | Lon Chaney | 1957-08-15 |
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Tribute to a Bad Man | Jeremy Rodack | 1956-03-30 |
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These Wilder Years | Steve Bradford | 1956-08-17 |
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The Bob Hope Chevy Show | Himself | 1956-10-21 |
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The Seven Little Foys | George M. Cohan | 1955-09-30 |
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Run for Cover | Matt Dow | 1955-04-29 |
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Love Me or Leave Me | Martin Snyder | 1955-05-26 |
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Mister Roberts | Captain Morton | 1955-07-10 |
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A Lion Is in the Streets | Hank Martin | 1953-09-23 |
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What Price Glory | Captain Flagg | 1952-08-22 |
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Starlift | James Cagney | 1951-12-14 |
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Come Fill the Cup | Lew Marsh | 1951-10-24 |
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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye | Ralph Cotter | 1950-08-19 |
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The West Point Story | Elwin Bixby | 1950-11-25 |
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White Heat | Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett | 1949-09-02 |
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The Time of Your Life | Joseph | 1948-09-03 |
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13 Rue Madeleine | Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey | 1947-01-15 |
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Blow-Ups of 1947 | Self | 1947-12-31 |
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Okay for Sound | Tommy Powers (archive footage) | 1946-09-07 |
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Blood on the Sun | Nick Condon | 1945-04-26 |
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Johnny Come Lately | Tom Richards | 1943-09-03 |
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Show-Business at War | Self | 1943-05-21 |
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You, John Jones! | John Jones | 1943-01-14 |
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The Voice That Thrilled the World | Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage) | 1943-10-16 |
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Calling All Girls | Himself (archive footage) | 1942-01-24 |
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Captains of the Clouds | Brian MacLean | 1942-02-12 |
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Yankee Doodle Dandy | George M. Cohan | 1942-05-29 |
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Breakdowns of 1941 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1941-11-14 |
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The Strawberry Blonde | Biff Grimes | 1941-02-21 |
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The Bride Came C.O.D. | Steve Collins | 1941-07-12 |
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City for Conquest | Danny Kenny | 1940-09-21 |
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The Fighting 69th | Jerry Plunkett | 1940-01-27 |
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Breakdowns of 1940 | Self | 1940-12-31 |
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Torrid Zone | Nick Butler | 1940-05-18 |
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Hollywood Hobbies | Self (uncredited) | 1939-05-03 |
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Breakdowns of 1939 | Self | 1939-12-31 |
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The Oklahoma Kid | Jim Kincaid | 1939-03-11 |
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Each Dawn I Die | Frank Ross | 1939-08-19 |
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The Roaring Twenties | Eddie Bartlett | 1939-10-28 |
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Boy Meets Girl | Robert Law | 1938-08-27 |
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Angels with Dirty Faces | Rocky Sullivan | 1938-11-26 |
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Something to Sing About | Terrence 'Terry' Rooney | 1937-09-30 |
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Breakdowns of 1936 | Self | 1936-12-30 |
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Great Guy | Johnny 'Red' Cave | 1936-12-01 |
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Ceiling Zero | Dizzy Davies | 1936-01-16 |
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A Dream Comes True | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-12-31 |
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Mutiny on the Bounty | (uncredited) | 1935-11-22 |
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Things You Never See on the Screen | Self | 1935-12-01 |
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'G' Men | ‘Brick' Davis | 1935-05-04 |
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Devil Dogs of the Air | Tommy O'Toole | 1935-02-09 |
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A Midsummer Night's Dream | Bottom | 1935-10-09 |
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Frisco Kid | Bat Morgan | 1935-11-30 |
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Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8 | 1935-04-12 | |
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The Irish in Us | Danny O'Hara | 1935-07-31 |
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A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-02-02 |
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He Was Her Man | Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen | 1934-06-16 |
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Screen Snapshots No. 11 | Himself | 1934-01-01 |
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Here Comes the Navy | Chesty O'Conner | 1934-07-21 |
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The Hollywood Gad-About | Self (uncredited) | 1934-10-04 |
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The St. Louis Kid | Eddie Kennedy | 1934-11-10 |
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Jimmy the Gent | Jimmy Corrigan | 1934-03-09 |
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Footlight Parade | Chester Kent | 1933-10-21 |
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Lady Killer | Dan | 1933-12-09 |
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Picture Snatcher | Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean | 1933-05-06 |
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Hard to Handle | Lefty Merrill | 1933-01-28 |
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The Mayor of Hell | Richard 'Patsy' Gargan | 1933-06-24 |
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The Crowd Roars | Joe Greer | 1932-04-16 |
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Winner Take All | Jim 'Jimmy' Kane | 1932-07-16 |
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Taxi! | Matt Nolan | 1932-01-23 |
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Other Men's Women | Ed 'Eddie' Bailey | 1931-01-17 |
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How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 11: 'Practice Shots' | Himself | 1931-04-15 |
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Intimate Interviews: James Cagney | Himself | 1931-10-24 |
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The Millionaire | Schofield | 1931-05-01 |
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Blonde Crazy | Albert 'Bert' Harris | 1931-09-16 |
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The Public Enemy | Tom Powers | 1931-04-23 |
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Smart Money | Jack | 1931-06-11 |
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The Doorway to Hell | Steve Mileaway | 1930-10-18 |
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Sinners' Holiday | Harry Delano | 1930-10-11 |
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The Singing Fool | Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited) | 1928-09-29 |
