| James Cagney, who was born in New York in 1899, started his career in acting on Broadway. Warner Brothers gave him his initial break at the movies, when they obtained the rights for the film Penny Arcade and took on both James Cagney and Joan Blondell. The movie was re-titled Sinner’s Holiday. He starred in several movies such as The Public Enemy, Smart Money, Blonde Crazy and many others and was nicknamed “tough guy” as he acted in a string of crime thrillers. He went on to become an Academy Award winner and won awards for several of his roles, which included his earliest movie The Public Enemy. In 1942, James Cagney got the Best Actor Oscar Award for his character of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy. However, he went back to his gangster roles with White Heat and Mister Roberts.
James Cagney was as popular as James Stewart and was called Jimmy Cagney by his fans. He was ranked amongst the eight Greatest Male Stars of All Time by the American Film Institute in 1999. William, his brother was a producer and his sister Jeanne an actor.
James Cagney's health started failing him and he passed away on 30th March 1986. His last movie was Ragtime in 1981 after a gap of 20 years. During this period he rejected several offers including a meaty part in My Fair Lady. |
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