James Cagney
Known for Acting · 139 credits
- Born
- 1899-07-17
- Died
- 1986-03-30
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Jimmy Cagney · James Francis Cagney · Джеймс Кэгни · James Francis Cagney Jr. · Джеймс Фрэнсис Кэгни-младший
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.
Known For
TV Shows (9)
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
as George Bridgeman
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self / Self (uncredited)
The Oscars
1953
as Self
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978
as Self
MGM Parade
1955
as self
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Legends
2006
as Martin Snyder (archive footage) (uncredited)
Movies (130)
Footlight Parade
1933
as Chester Kent
One, Two, Three
1961
as C.R. MacNamara
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935
as (uncredited)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942
as George M. Cohan
White Heat
1949
as Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
as (in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938
as Rocky Sullivan
What Price Glory
1952
as Captain Flagg
The Public Enemy
1931
as Tom Powers
Vaudeville
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Run for Cover
1955
as Matt Dow
The Gallant Hours
1960
as Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
'G' Men
1935
as ‘Brick' Davis
The Roaring Twenties
1939
as Eddie Bartlett
Short Cut to Hell
1957
as Himself (prologue)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935
as Bottom
The Millionaire
1931
as Schofield
Love Me or Leave Me
1955
as Martin Snyder
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976
as Self (archive footage)
Jimmy the Gent
1934
as Jimmy Corrigan
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976
as (archive footage)
Blood on the Sun
1945
as Nick Condon
That's Dancing!
1985
as From 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941
as Steve Collins
Tupac: Resurrection
2003
as Self (archival)
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
A Lion Is in the Streets
1953
as Hank Martin
Other Men's Women
1931
as Ed 'Eddie' Bailey
James Cagney: Top of the World
1992
as Self (Archive footage)
Tribute to a Bad Man
1956
as Jeremy Rodack
This Is Bob Hope...
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957
as Lon Chaney
White Heat: Top of the World
2005
as Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
1976
as Self (archive footage)
The Mayor of Hell
1933
as Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
Picture Snatcher
1933
as Daniel Patrick "Danny" Kean
The Oklahoma Kid
1939
as Jim Kincaid
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950
as Ralph Cotter
Shake Hands with the Devil
1959
as Sean Lenihan
Night of 100 Stars
1982
as Self
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
Warner at War
2008
as (archive footage)
Remembering Ragtime
2004
as NY Police Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1941
1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Strawberry Blonde
1941
as Biff Grimes
Ragtime
1981
as New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Captains of the Clouds
1942
as Brian MacLean
I Don't Even Like Apple Pie...
1989
as Self (Archive Footage)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
2008
as Self (archive footage)
The Fighting 69th
1940
as Jerry Plunkett
Devil Dogs of the Air
1935
as Tommy O'Toole
City for Conquest
1940
as Danny Kenny
Smart Money
1931
as Jack
Parkinson at 50
2021
as Self (archive footage)
13 Rue Madeleine
1947
as Robert Emmett 'Bob' Sharkey
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006
as Self (archive footage) (voice)
The Time of Your Life
1948
as Joseph
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy
1981
Mister Roberts
1955
as Captain Morton
Each Dawn I Die
1939
as Frank Ross
The Seven Little Foys
1955
as George M. Cohan
Arizona Bushwhackers
1968
as Narrator
Terrible Joe Moran
1984
as Joe Moran
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
2003
as Self (archive footage)
Boy Meets Girl
1938
as Robert Law
Showbiz Goes to War
1982
as (archive footage)
Lady Killer
1933
as Dan
These Wilder Years
1956
as Steve Bradford
Show-Business at War
1943
as Self
Frisco Kid
1935
as Bat Morgan
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985
as Self (archive footage)
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Come Fill the Cup
1951
as Lew Marsh
Johnny Come Lately
1943
as Tom Richards
Taxi!
1932
as Matt Nolan
The West Point Story
1950
as Elwin Bixby
Something to Sing About
1937
as Terry Rooney
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
2008
as Self (archive footage)
The Crowd Roars
1932
as Joe Greer
Doris Day: It's Magic
1998
as Self
Here Comes the Navy
1934
as Chesty O'Conner
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
as (archive footage)
The Irish in Us
1935
as Danny O'Hara
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
1956
as Himself
You, John Jones!
1943
as John Jones
Winner Take All
1932
as Jim 'Jimmy' Kane
The Doorway to Hell
1930
as Steve Mileaway
Blonde Crazy
1931
as Albert 'Bert' Harris
Dynamite Chicken
1971
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
as Self (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934
as Himself
Ceiling Zero
1936
as Dizzy Davies
Torrid Zone
1940
as Nick Butler
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935
as Self
Becoming Marilyn
2022
as (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys
1991
as Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1936
1936
as Self
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934
as Self (uncredited)
The St. Louis Kid
1934
as Eddie Kennedy
Great Guy
1936
as Johnny 'Red' Cave
The Road to the Wall
1962
as Narrator
The Voice That Thrilled the World
1943
as Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1939
1939
as Self
Okay for Sound
1946
as Tommy Powers (archive footage)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
1982
as Self (archive footage)
A Dream Comes True
1935
as Himself (uncredited)
Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
1975
as (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Singing Fool
1928
as Handsy Patron at Blackie Joe's (uncredited)
Routine Pleasures
1986
as Ed "Eddie" Bailey (archive footage)
Intimate Interviews: James Cagney
1931
as Himself
He Was Her Man
1934
as Flicker Hayes, aka Jerry Allen
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947
as Self
Never Steal Anything Small
1959
as Jake MacIllaney
Hard to Handle
1933
as Lefty Merrill
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009
as Self (archive footage)
Sinners' Holiday
1930
as Harry Delano
Starlift
1951
as James Cagney
About 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 ro… With 139 credits spanning from 1928 to 2022, James Cagney has appeared in 130 films and 9 TV shows.
Fans searching for James Cagney movies, James Cagney filmography, or the latest projects starring James Cagney can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular James Cagney Movies
- Footlight Parade (1933) — as Chester Kent
- One, Two, Three (1961) — as C.R. MacNamara
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) — as (uncredited)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) — as George M. Cohan
- White Heat (1949) — as Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Where to Watch James Cagney Films
Most James Cagney movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring James Cagney, check our movies catalogue and browse page.