James Cagney
Actor, Film actor
1899 – 1986
Who was James Cagney?
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor and dancer, both on stage and in film, though he had his greatest impact in film. 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. He is best remembered for playing multi-faceted tough guys in movies like The Public Enemy, Taxi!, Angels with Dirty Faces and White Heat and was even typecast or limited by this view earlier in his career. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among its 50 Greatest American Screen Legends. No less a student of drama than Orson Welles said of Cagney that he was "maybe the greatest actor who ever appeared in front of a camera."
In his first professional acting performance, Cagney danced costumed as a woman in the chorus line of the 1919 revue Every Sailor. He spent several years in vaudeville as a dancer and comedian, until he got his first major acting part in 1925. He secured several other roles, receiving good notices, before landing the lead in the 1929 play Penny Arcade.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Jul 17, 1899
New York City - Also known as
- James Francis Cagney, Jr.
- James Francis Cagney
- The Professional Againster
- Jimmy
- Cellar-Door Cagney
- Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Frances Willard "Billie" Vernon
(1922/09/28 - 1986/03/30)
- Frances Willard "Billie" Vernon
- Children
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Ethnicity
- Irish American
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Stuyvesant High School
( - 1913) - Columbia University
- Stuyvesant High School
- Lived in
- New York City
- Died
- Mar 30, 1986
Stanfordville - Resting place
- Gate of Heaven Cemetery
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"James Cagney." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/james_cagney>.
Discuss this James Cagney biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In