Things you may not know about James Cagney
Cagney's first job as an entertainer was as a female dancer in a chorus line.
According to his authorized biography, Cagney, although of Irish and Norwegian extraction, could speak Yiddish since he had grown up in a heavily Jewish area in New York. He used to converse in Yiddish with Jewish performers like Sylvia Sidney.
Ranked #45 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Brother of actor-producer William Cagney and of actress Jeanne Cagney.
Films co-starring James Cagney and 'Pat O'Brien' were these 9: Here Comes the Navy (1934), Devil Dogs of the Air (1935), The Irish in Us (1935), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Torrid Zone (1940), The Fighting 69th (1940), Ceiling Zero (1936), as well as their finale together, four decades later, Ragtime (1981).
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award [1974]
President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG). [1942-1944]
Convinced decorated war hero Audie Murphy to go into acting.
His widow Frances (nicknamed 'Bill') outlived Cagney by eight years, dying aged 95 in 1994.
Father of actor James Cagney Jr.
Pictured on a 33¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 22 July 1999.
Had two adopted children, Casey and James Jr.
Was best friends with actors Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh.
He was voted the 14th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
His electric acting style was a huge influence on future generations of actors. Actors as diverse as Clint Eastwood and Malcolm McDowell point to him as their number one influence to become actors.
Lived in a Gramercy Park building in New York City that was also occupied by Margaret Hamilton and now boasts Jimmy Fallon as one of its tennants.
Though most Cagney imitators use the line "You dirty rat!", Cagney never actually said it in any of his films.
from imdb.com
According to his authorized biography, Cagney, although of Irish and Norwegian extraction, could speak Yiddish since he had grown up in a heavily Jewish area in New York. He used to converse in Yiddish with Jewish performers like Sylvia Sidney.
Ranked #45 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Brother of actor-producer William Cagney and of actress Jeanne Cagney.
Films co-starring James Cagney and 'Pat O'Brien' were these 9: Here Comes the Navy (1934), Devil Dogs of the Air (1935), The Irish in Us (1935), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Torrid Zone (1940), The Fighting 69th (1940), Ceiling Zero (1936), as well as their finale together, four decades later, Ragtime (1981).
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award [1974]
President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG). [1942-1944]
Convinced decorated war hero Audie Murphy to go into acting.
His widow Frances (nicknamed 'Bill') outlived Cagney by eight years, dying aged 95 in 1994.
Father of actor James Cagney Jr.
Pictured on a 33¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 22 July 1999.
Had two adopted children, Casey and James Jr.
Was best friends with actors Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh.
He was voted the 14th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
His electric acting style was a huge influence on future generations of actors. Actors as diverse as Clint Eastwood and Malcolm McDowell point to him as their number one influence to become actors.
Lived in a Gramercy Park building in New York City that was also occupied by Margaret Hamilton and now boasts Jimmy Fallon as one of its tennants.
Though most Cagney imitators use the line "You dirty rat!", Cagney never actually said it in any of his films.
from imdb.com
James Cagney at a Glance
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." McGilligan, page 11 In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time.
For his first performing role, he danced dressed as a woman in the chorus line of the 1919 revue Every Sailor. After several years in vaudeville, Cagney continued as a hoofer and comedian until his first major acting role in 1925. He secured several other roles, receiving good...
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- Ray Maniaci Ray Maniaci Oct 13, 2009 @ 10:33 pm
- Vote for James Cagney on www.TheBestActorEver.com - part of the new TBWE.com network.
Spread The Word and Vote Every Day to see him #1.
Best Regards Ever,
Ray Maniaci
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"Building a Better World One Vote at a Time"
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- (*-denotes OSCAR) Jeff L. Shannon, I know of a grand lady that actually met *James Cagney in the late1960's agyer she got lost in upstate N.Y. (*-denotes OSCAR) Jeff L. Shannon, I know of a grand lady that actually met *James Cagney in the late1960's agyer she got lost in upstate N.Y. Jun 13, 2009 @ 10:09 am | in reply to d. b. edwards
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- d. b. edwards d. b. edwards Jun 27, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
- Hi there!
I have a very unique piece of James Cagney memorabilia. It is a autographed (twice signed,
front and back) university registration card dated 9/24/1918 Mr. Cagney enrolled in this well known
ivy league university after World War I. He signed his name JAMES FRANCIS CAGNEY and listed his address as 420 E. 78th Street, N. Y. C.
The card is in good condition and is about the size of an index card. If you are interested, I can provide photos, e-mail me at dbedwards2003@yahoo.com.
James Cagney is one of the all time Hollywood greats. Why not own a unique piece of him, before he became famous?
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- Maureen Smith Maureen Smith Jan 12, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
- I'm a big fan of the late and great James Cagney. I wrote to him many years ago to express my gratitude and happiness in the many films he made. To my surprise he actually wrote me back with a small autographed postcard of a copy of one of his paintings.
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