James Cagney
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Born:July 17, 1899 |
Born as:James Francis Cagney |
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Died:March 30, 1986 |
Remarkable:
James made 38 films for Warners between 1930 and 1941.
Biography:
Cagney did a variety of odd jobs to help support his family, including working as a waiter, and a poolroom racker.
He studied at Columbia, and made his Broadway debut in the chorus of the musical revue Pitter Patter in 1920. After 10 years as an actor and dancer in vaudeville, his film performance as the gangster in The Public Enemy (1931) brought him stardom.
His career continued with Smart Money (1931), his only film with Edward G. Robinson, Blonde Crazy (1931), Hard to Handle (1933) and two films with Humphrey Bogart, Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and The Roaring Twenties (1939).
James displayed equal vigor in sympathetic parts, appearing in numerous comedies and musicals. He won an Oscar playing George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG, an American labor union) from 1942 to 1944.
In 1974, fifteen years after retiring, Cagney was the first actor to receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. He published his autobiography, -Cagney by Cagney a year later.
James emerged from retirement to star in Ragtime (1981).
Academy awards:
1956 Nominated Best Actor for: Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
1943 Won Best Actor for: Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
1939 Nominated Best Actor for: Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Selected movies:
- White Heat (1949)
- Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
- The Roaring Twenties (1939)
- One, Two, Three (1961)
- Mister Roberts (1955)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
- The Public Enemy (1931)
Bibliography » Books: