A diminutive dynamo born in New York City July 17, 1899, James Cagney spent a decade in vaudeville and on Broadway before debuting on film in Sinner's Holiday (1930). His star-making turn came portraying a bootlegger in 1931's The Public Enemy; the role established his tough-guy screen persona, and he went on to headline a series of gangster movies.By 1935, Cagney had moved in a new direction with crime dramas such as "G" Men, but he was back playing hoods three years later, earning an Oscar nod for Angels with Dirty Faces. Cagney's protean talent extended to comedy and musicals, as he proved by winning an Academy Award for his stylish performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).
In the 1950s, he made notable appearances in Love Me or Leave Me (1955), Mister Roberts (also '55) and Man of a Thousand Faces (1957). The ebullient star retired in 1961 and died of a heart attack March 30, 1986.
Yankee Doodle DandyJames Cagney won the Best Actor Oscar for his lively portrayal of "Mr. Broadway," George M. Cohan, in this lavish screen biography that highlights Cagney in some of his finest song-and-dance routines. Cohan, a playwright, entertainer, composer and patriot, made his mark on the vaudeville stage and... Read More
White Heat"Made it, Ma, top of the world!" James Cagney is riveting as homicidal gangster Cody Jarrett (complete with an "insane mother" complex) in this hard-boiled movie that costars Virginia Mayo as his two-timing wife. Edmond O'Brien's the cop who infiltrates Cody's gang to bring him down -- and that he... Read More
A Midsummer Night's DreamJames Cagney leads an all-star cast in this Academy Award-winning adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play about mismatched lovers, mischievous fairies and amusing mishaps. Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle direct the 1935 film, a cinematic version of Reinhardt's famed Hollywood Bowl production,... Read More
The Public EnemyCrime doesn't pay, as James Cagney learns in this vintage Warner Brothers gangster movie that's become a much-imitated classic of the genre. Cagney plays hot-headed Tom Powers, who's on the fast track running illegal hooch during Prohibition. Directed by William A. Wellman, the film is famous for... Read More
Angels with Dirty FacesTough guy Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) plays Pied Piper to a gang of teenage hoods (the Dead End Kids) while boyhood pal turned priest Jerry Connelly (Pat O'Brien) tries to save their souls in this gangster classic from director Michael Curtiz. The two vie for control of the neighborhood, but when... Read More
NR | ||
NR | ||
Hollywood Rivals (2005) | NR | |
Blushing Bloopers (2002) | NR | |
Vaudeville (1997) | NR | |
Ragtime (1981) | PG | |
NR | ||
Hooray for Hollywood (1975) | NR | |
One, Two, Three (1961) | NR | |
The Gallant Hours (1960) | TV-PG | |
Short Cut to Hell (1957) | NR | |
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) | NR | |
Run for Cover (1955) | NR | |
Mister Roberts (1955) | NR | |
Love Me or Leave Me (1955) | NR | |
The Seven Little Foys (1955) | NR | |
What Price Glory (1952) | NR | |
The West Point Story (1950) | NR | |
White Heat (1949) | NR | |
NR | ||
13 Rue Madeleine (1947) | NR | |
Blood on the Sun (1945) | NR | |
NR | ||
NR | ||
NR | ||
Captains of the Clouds (1942) | NR | |
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) | NR | |
NR | ||
WWII: War on the Homefront (1941) | NR | |
City for Conquest (1940) | NR | |
The Fighting 69th (1940) | NR | |
The Torrid Zone (1940) | NR | |
The Roaring Twenties (1939) | NR | |
Each Dawn I Die (1939) | NR | |
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) | NR | |
NR | ||
The Great Guy (1936) | NR | |
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) | NR | |
G-Men (1935) | NR | |
Footlight Parade (1933) | NR | |
Lady Killer (1933) | NR | |
The Mayor of Hell (1933) | NR | |
Picture Snatcher (1933) | NR | |
The Public Enemy (1931) | NR | |
NR | ||
Smart Money (1931) | NR | |
 | | |