James Cagney
Sign in to saveAmerican actor and dancer (1899–1986)
AI overview
James Cagney was an American actor and dancer who lived from 1899 to 1986 and became one of the most recognizable figures in film history. He is remembered as a versatile performer whose work in movies helped shape entertainment during Hollywood's classic era.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1899-07-17
- Died
- 1986-03-30
- Works
- 8
Top works
- Cagney by Cagney
- James Cagney in the Spotlight
- Patrice Lumumba Anthology
- Analog Poet Blues
- Throat and Nose, and Their Diseases
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Film & TV
Acting · 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…
Known for
- Becoming Marilyn2022
- Parkinson at 50 — Self (archive footage)2021
- This Is Bob Hope... — Self (archive footage)2017
- 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year — Self (archive footage)2009
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression — Self (archive footage)
Article
James Francis Cagney Jr. (/ˈkæɡni/; July 17, 1899 – March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances.
Cagney is remembered for playing multifaceted tough guys in films such as The Public Enemy (1931), Taxi! (1932), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939), City for Conquest (1940) and White Heat (1949), finding himself typecast in the early years of his career. He was able to negotiate dancing opportunities in his films and ended up winning the Academy Award for his role of George M. Cohan in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth on its list of greatest male stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Orson Welles described him as "maybe the greatest actor who ever appeared in front of a camera".
Gallery (13)
Connections
Categories
1899 births1986 deaths20th-century American male actors20th-century American singers20th-century American trade unionists20th-century Roman CatholicsAFI Life Achievement Award recipientsAmerican male dancersAmerican male film actorsAmerican male musical theatre actorsAmerican male Shakespearean actorsAmerican male singers