Cagney played Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder, a lame Jewish-American gangster from Chicago, a part Spencer Tracy had turned down. [43], Cagney had built a reputation as an innovative teacher; when he was cast as the lead in Grand Street Follies of 1928, he was also appointed choreographer. [36] They were not successful at first; the dance studio Cagney set up had few clients and folded, and Vernon and he toured the studios, but there was no interest. [50] Cagney received good reviews, and immediately played another colorful gangster supporting role in The Doorway to Hell (1930) starring Lew Ayres. Fun watching Doris Day as an aspiring actress. He turned it into a working farm, selling some of the dairy cattle and replacing them with beef cattle. James Cagney, whose feisty, finger-jabbing portrayals of the big city tough guy helped create a new breed of Hollywood superstarbut won his only Oscar playing a song-and-dance mandied Easter. I was very flattered. [192] Cagney was cleared by U.S. Representative Martin Dies Jr. on the House Un-American Activities Committee. Cagney denied this, and Lincoln Steffens, husband of the letter's writer, backed up this denial, asserting that the accusation stemmed solely from Cagney's donation to striking cotton workers in the San Joaquin Valley. Already he had acquired the nickname "The Professional Againster". They married on September 28, 1922, and the marriage lasted until his death in 1986. Filming on Midway Island and in a more minor role meant that he had time to relax and engage in his hobby of painting. in 1932, Angels. He became one of Hollywood's leading stars and one of Warner Bros.' biggest contracts. Cagney's skill at mimicry, combined with a physical similarity to Chaney, helped him generate empathy for his character. Jimmy has that quality. James Cagney, 86, who rose from a hard-knocks youth on New York's East Side to achieve enduring movie fame as a brash, intrepid, irrepressible image of urban masculinity, and whose gallery of. The accusation in 1934 stemmed from a letter police found from a local Communist official that alleged that Cagney would bring other Hollywood stars to meetings. Warner Bros. disagreed, however, and refused to give him a raise. He regarded his move away from liberal politics as "a totally natural reaction once I began to see undisciplined elements in our country stimulating a breakdown of our system Those functionless creatures, the hippies just didn't appear out of a vacuum. [122] According to Cagney, the film "made money but it was no great winner", and reviews varied from excellent (Time) to poor (New York's PM). Caan died at the age of 82 on Wednesday, his family announced on Twitter . Ironically, the script for Angels was one that Cagney had hoped to do while with Grand National, but the studio had been unable to secure funding.[97]. Cagney cut short his imminent tirade, saying "When I started this picture, you said that we would tangle asses before this was over. American Film Institute Life Achievement Award (1974). In 1959 Cagney played a labor leader in what proved to be his final musical, Never Steal Anything Small, which featured a comical song and dance duet with Cara Williams, who played his girlfriend. Al Jolson, sensing film potential, bought the rights for $20,000. He won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances. [73][74] Warner Bros. refused, so Cagney once again walked out. [208] In 1984, Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [104] In 1939 Cagney was second to only Gary Cooper in the national acting wage stakes, earning $368,333.[105]. [187], This somewhat exaggerated view was enhanced by his public contractual wranglings with Warner Bros. at the time, his joining of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, and his involvement in the revolt against the so-called "Merriam tax". [174][172] Cagney's daughter Cathleen was also estranged from her father during the final years of his life. James Jr. died before James Sr. and Frances. James Cagney was born in New York City, New York in July 1899 and passed away in March 1986. "[56] He received top billing after the film,[57] but while he acknowledged the importance of the role to his career, he always disputed the suggestion that it changed the way heroes and leading men were portrayed: He cited Clark Gable's slapping of Barbara Stanwyck six months earlier (in Night Nurse) as more important. [27] This did not stop him from looking for more stage work, however, and he went on to audition successfully for a chorus part in the William B. Friedlander musical Pitter Patter,[3][28] for which he earned $55 a week. The Cagneys were among the early residents of Free Acres, a social experiment established by Bolton Hall in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. O'Brien received top billing, which was a clear breach of Cagney's contract. [29] Cagney appreciated the $35 a week he was paid, which he later remembered as "a mountain of money for me in those worrisome days. He learned "what a director was for and what a director could do. Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, White Heat is based on a story by Virginia Kellogg, and is considered to be one of the best gangster movies of all time. As it turned out, a ricocheting bullet passed through exactly where his head would have been. James Arness, best known for his role as a towering Dodge City lawman in Gunsmoke, died at home in his sleep Friday. [197], By 1980, Cagney was contributing financially to the Republican Party, supporting his friend Ronald Reagan's bid for the presidency in the 1980 election. [172][173] James III had become estranged from him, and they had not seen or talked to one another since 1982. In 1942 Cagney won the Oscar for his energetic portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites Tracy had to go the rest of the way on foot. In 2003, it was added to the National Film Registry as being "culturally . [89] Not only did he win, but Warner Bros. also knew that he was still their foremost box office draw and invited him back for a five-year, $150,000-a-film deal, with no more than two pictures a year. Upon hearing of the rumor of a hit, George Raft made a call, and the hit was supposedly canceled. Majoring in French and German, she was a cum laude graduate of Hunter College (now part of City University of New York) and a . [58] Night Nurse was actually released three months after The Public Enemy. [182] His joy in sailing, however, did not protect him from occasional seasicknessbecoming ill, sometimes, on a calm day while weathering rougher, heavier seas[183] at other times. [citation needed], Despite the fact that Ragtime was his first film in 20 years, Cagney was immediately at ease: Flubbed lines and miscues were committed by his co-stars, often simply through sheer awe. Burns Mantle wrote that it "contained the most honest acting now to be seen in New York. Cagney's last movie in 1935 was Ceiling Zero, his third film with Pat O'Brien. "[212] Warner Bros. arranged private screenings of Cagney films for Winston Churchill. Alan Hale Sr., Frank McHugh and Dick Foran also appear. Tracy's involvement ensured that Cagney accepted a supporting role in his close friend's movie, although in the end, Tracy did not take part and Henry Fonda played the titular role instead. [96], Cagney's two films of 1938, Boy Meets Girl and Angels with Dirty Faces, both costarred Pat O'Brien. One of the qualities of a brilliant actor is that things look better on the screen than the set. [26] This was enough to convince the producers that he could dance, and he copied the other dancers' moves and added them to his repertoire while waiting to go on. Despite this outburst, the studio liked him, and before his three-week contract was upwhile the film was still shooting[51]they gave Cagney a three-week extension, which was followed by a full seven-year contract at $400 a week. "[42], The Cagneys had run-of-the-play contracts, which lasted as long as the play did. The film was swiftly followed by The Crowd Roars and Winner Take All. Cunard Line officials, who were responsible for security at the dock, said they had never seen anything like it, although they had experienced past visits by Marlon Brando and Robert Redford. [176][177] Cagney loved that no paved roads surrounded the property, only dirt tracks. [12][22] He engaged in amateur boxing, and was a runner-up for the New York state lightweight title. [34][35], In 1924, after years of touring and struggling to make money, Cagney and Vernon moved to Hawthorne, California, partly for Cagney to meet his new mother-in-law, who had just moved there from Chicago, and partly to investigate breaking into the movies. His earlier insistence on not filming with live ammunition proved to be a good decision. Adopted along with his sister Catherine at birth to James Cagney and his wife Frances. It was agreed so we put in all those fits and headaches. [92][96] How far he could have experimented and developed will never be known, but back in the Warner fold, he was once again playing tough guys. I said 'I don't give a shit what you tell him, I'm not going to say that line.'" She still lives at the estate, Verney Farm in Standfordville. As an adult, well after horses were replaced by automobiles as the primary mode of transportation, Cagney raised horses on his farms, specializing in Morgans, a breed of which he was particularly fond. Lemmon was shocked; he had done it on a whim, and thought no one else had noticed. When visiting an aunt who lived in Brooklyn, opposite Vitagraph Studios, Cagney would climb over the fence to watch the filming of John Bunny movies. He grew up on East 82nd St and 1st Avenue. Some day, though, I'd like to make another movie that kids could go and see. Warner Brothers' succession of gangster movie hits, in particular Little Caesar with Edward G. Robinson,[53] culminated in the 1931 film The Public Enemy. "[62], Cagney's stubbornness became well known behind the scenes, especially after he refused to join in a 100% participation-free charity drive[63] pushed by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Cagney did not object to donating money to charity, but he did object to being forced to give. Cagney, who suffered from diabetes, had been in declining health in recent days. This was one of the first times an actor prevailed over a studio on a contract issue. While compared unfavorably to White Heat by critics, it was fairly successful at the box office, with $500,000 going straight to Cagney Productions' bankers to pay off their losses. In 1935 he sued Warner for breach of contract and won. [85][119] Free of Warner Bros. again, Cagney spent some time relaxing on his farm in Martha's Vineyard before volunteering to join the USO. Cagney received calls from David Selznick and Sam Goldwyn, but neither felt in a position to offer him work while the dispute went on. [18], Cagney held a variety of jobs early in his life: junior architect, copy boy for the New York Sun, book custodian at the New York Public Library, bellhop, draughtsman, and night doorkeeper. The well-received film with its shocking plot twists features one of Cagney's most moving performances. He had done what many thought unthinkable: taking on the studios and winning. Almost a year after its creation, Cagney Productions produced its first film, Johnny Come Lately, in 1943. He gave several performances a day for the Army Signal Corps of The American Cavalcade of Dance, which consisted of a history of American dance, from the earliest days to Fred Astaire, and culminated with dances from Yankee Doodle Dandy. The NRA tweeted out that any and all gun control measures issued and demanded by voters of this country are unconstitutional. [129][130], Cagney Productions was in serious trouble; poor returns from the produced films, and a legal dispute with Sam Goldwyn Studio over a rental agreement[129][130] forced Cagney back to Warner Bros. He later said, "I would have kicked his brains out. Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 - April 29, 1992) was an American actress.She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, and for being on the receiving end of James Cagney's halved grapefruit in The Public Enemy. The cause of death. [10], James Francis "Jimmy" Cagney was born in 1899 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Birthday: July 17, 1899. [76][77] He regularly sent money and goods to old friends from his neighborhood, though he did not generally make this known. Al Jolson saw him in the play and bought the movie rights, before selling them to Warner Bros. with the proviso that James Cagney and Joan Blondell be able to reprise their stage roles in the movie. In Day, he found a co-star with whom he could build a rapport, such as he had had with Blondell at the start of his career. His biographers disagree as to the actual location: either on the corner of Avenue D and 8th Street,[2] or in a top-floor apartment at 391 East 8th Street, the address that is on his birth certificate. [205][206], In 1974, Cagney received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. He was so goddamned mean to everybody. [145], In 1955 Cagney replaced Spencer Tracy on the Western film Tribute to a Bad Man for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [46] While the critics panned Penny Arcade, they praised Cagney and Blondell. He came out of retirement 20 years later for a part in the movie Ragtime (1981), mainly to aid his recovery from a stroke. This was followed by a steady stream of crowd-pleasing films, including the highly regarded Footlight Parade,[79] which gave Cagney the chance to return to his song-and-dance roots. Father: James Francis Cagney, Sr. (bartender, d. 1918) Mother: Carolyn Brother . [165], This film was shot mainly at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, and on his arrival at Southampton aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, Cagney was mobbed by hundreds of fans. Though Irish and not a Jew, Cagney was fluent in Yiddish. He was divorced from Jill Lisbeth Inness who was from Maine. After he had turned down an offer to play Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady,[158][159] he found it easier to rebuff others, including a part in The Godfather Part II. [209], In 1999, the United States Postal Service issued a 33-cent stamp honoring Cagney. The second movie Cagney's company produced was Blood on the Sun. They had two children: James Cagney IV, and Cynthia Cagney. He had worked on Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential campaigns, including the 1940 presidential election against Wendell Willkie. The overriding message of violence inevitably leading to more violence attracted Cagney to the role of an Irish Republican Army commander, and resulted in what some critics would regard as the finest performance of his final years. He became known for playing tough guys in the films The Public Enemy in 1931, Taxi! The first thing that Cagney asked Lemmon when they met was if he was still using his left hand. I have tremendous admiration for the people who go through this sort of thing every week, but it's not for me. Zimmermann then took it upon herself to look after Cagney, preparing his meals to reduce his blood triglycerides, which had reached alarming levels. [27] He did not find it odd to play a woman, nor was he embarrassed. Gabriel Chavat, Himself in the Pre-Credit Scene (Uncredited), Aired on NBC on September 10, 1956, in the first episode of Season 6 of Robert Montgomery Presents, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 22:31. [24], His introduction to films was unusual. "[113], Filming began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the cast and crew worked in a "patriotic frenzy"[109] as the United States' involvement in World War II gave the workers a feeling that "they might be sending the last message from the free world", according to actress Rosemary DeCamp. [136] Cagney was still struggling against his gangster typecasting. [20] He was a good street fighter, defending his older brother Harry, a medical student, when necessary. James Caan, the prolific actor known for his role in "The Godfather" films, has died, his family said Thursday. "[142], Cagney's next film was Mister Roberts, directed by John Ford and slated to star Spencer Tracy. The younger Cagney died Friday of a heart attack in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Marge Zimmermann, the 84-year-old actor's secretary, said Cagney had become estranged from his son in a. The film was a financial hit, and helped to cement Cagney's growing reputation. In August of 2022, a poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows 71% of . james cagney cause of death. Cagney announced in March 1942 that his brother William and he were setting up Cagney Productions to release films though United Artists. A close friend of James Cagney, he appeared in more Cagney movies than any other actoreleven films between 1932 and 1953. He said 'Just die!' [86], In 1955, having shot three films, Cagney bought a 120-acre (0.49km2) farm in Stanfordville, Dutchess County, New York, for $100,000. [171], Cagney's son died from a heart attack on January 27, 1984, in Washington, D.C., two years before his father's death. [198] As he got older, he became more and more conservative, referring to himself in his autobiography as "arch-conservative". [156] One of the few positive aspects was his friendship with Pamela Tiffin, to whom he gave acting guidance, including the secret that he had learned over his career: "You walk in, plant yourself squarely on both feet, look the other fella in the eye, and tell the truth. [90][91], The courts eventually decided the Warner Bros. lawsuit in Cagney's favor. [159] He made few public appearances, preferring to spend winters in Los Angeles, and summers either at his Martha's Vineyard farm or at Verney Farms in New York. It wasn't even written into the script.". Appeared in The Gallant Hours (1960) in a cameo appearance as a Marine. [72], In his opening scene, Cagney spoke fluent Yiddish, a language he had picked up during his boyhood in New York City. A third film, Dynamite, was planned, but Grand National ran out of money. Vernon was in the chorus line of the show, and with help from the Actors' Equity Association, Cagney understudied Tracy on the Broadway show, providing them with a desperately needed steady income. Cagney (as well as Jean Harlow) publicly refused to pay[188][189] and Cagney even threatened that, if the studios took a day's pay for Merriam's campaign, he would give a week's pay to Upton Sinclair, Merriam's opponent in the race. ucla environmental science graduate program; four elements to the doctrinal space superiority construct; woburn police scanner live. While Cagney was not nominated, he had thoroughly enjoyed the production. He later attributed his sickly health to the poverty his family endured. Two of her brothers were film actor James Cagney and actor/producer William Cagney. St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, Laurel Award for Top Male Comedy Performance, "James Cagney Is Dead at 86; Master of Pugnacious Grace", "If You're Thinking of Living In / Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Quiet Streets Near River and Mountain". He received excellent reviews, with the New York Journal American rating it one of his best performances, and the film, made for Universal, was a box office hit. "[26][27] In deference to his mother's concerns, he got a job as a brokerage house runner. [100] (He also lost the role of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne in Knute Rockne, All American to his friend Pat O'Brien for the same reason. [16] His pallbearers included boxer Floyd Patterson, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov (who had hoped to play Cagney on Broadway), actor Ralph Bellamy, and director Milo Forman. [37][38] Both the play and Cagney received good reviews; Life magazine wrote, "Mr. Cagney, in a less spectacular role [than his co-star] makes a few minutes silence during his mock-trial scene something that many a more established actor might watch with profit." The New York Times reported that at the time of his death he was 42 years old. I could just stay at home. "[152] For the first time, Cagney considered walking out of a film. Such was Cagney's enthusiasm for agriculture and farming that his diligence and efforts were rewarded by an honorary degree from Florida's Rollins College. He took a role in the Guild's fight against the Mafia, which had begun to take an active interest in the movie industry. Saroyan himself loved the film, but it was a commercial disaster, costing the company half a million dollars to make;[129] audiences again struggled to accept Cagney in a nontough-guy role. Cagney Productions, which shared the production credit with Robert Montgomery's company, made a brief return, though in name only. This donation enhanced his liberal reputation. [64][65], Warner Bros. was quick to team its two rising gangster starsEdward G. Robinson and Cagneyfor the 1931 film Smart Money. [25], In 1919, while Cagney was working at Wanamaker's Department Store, a colleague saw him dance and informed him about a role in the upcoming production, Every Sailor. [11] His father, James Francis Cagney Sr. (18751918), was of Irish descent. The show's management insisted that he copy Broadway lead Lee Tracy's performance, despite Cagney's discomfort in doing so, but the day before the show sailed for England, they decided to replace him. [68] The line was nominated for the American Film Institute 2005 AFI's 100 Years100 Movie Quotes[69], As he completed filming, The Public Enemy was filling cinemas with all-night showings. The ruse proved so successful that when Spencer Tracy came to visit, his taxi driver refused to drive up to the house, saying, "I hear they shoot!" In reference to Cagney's refusal to be pushed around, Jack L. Warner called him "the Professional Againster". He was hand-picked by Billy Wilder to play a hard-driving Coca-Cola executive in the film One, Two, Three. I simply forgot we were making a picture. He wanted more money for his successful films, but he also offered to take a smaller salary should his star wane. As with Pitter Patter, Cagney went to the audition with little confidence he would get the part. Their train fares were paid for by a friend, the press officer of Pitter Patter, who was also desperate to act. TCM also notes that the scene made Clarke's ex-husband, Lew Brice, very happy. While Cagney was working for the New York Public Library, he met Florence James, who helped him into an acting career. How crazy is that? [3] Cagney is remembered for playing multifaceted tough guys in films such as The Public Enemy (1931), Taxi! The closest he got to it in the film was, "Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!" He almost quit show business. Connolly pleads with Rocky to "turn yellow" on his way to the chair so the Kids will lose their admiration for him, and hopefully avoid turning to crime. The actor's cause of death was a heart attack, and he died in 1986. [178][179] He expanded it over the years to 750 acres (3.0km2). This experience was an integral reason for his involvement in forming the Screen Actors Guild in 1933. He lost to Spencer Tracy in Boys Town. Rather than just "turning up with Ava Gardner on my arm" to accept his honorary degree, Cagney turned the tables upon the college's faculty by writing and submitting a paper on soil conservation. ai thinker esp32 cam datasheet He also became involved in a "liberal groupwith a leftist slant," along with Ronald Reagan. [180], Cagney was a keen sailor and owned boats that were harbored on both coasts of the U.S.,[181] including the Swift of Ipswich. '"a joking reference to a similar misquotation attributed to Cary Grant. frank james family tree; gymnastics calendar 2022; lopez middle school football. Not until One, Two, Three. James Cagney, the cocky and pugnacious film star who set the standard for gangster roles in ''The Public Enemy'' and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in ''Yankee Doodle. Many critics view the scene in which Cagney pushes half a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face as one of the most famous moments in movie history. The film is notable for not only being the first time that Cagney danced on screen, but it was also the last time he allowed himself to be shot at with live ammunition (a relatively common occurrence at the time, as blank cartridges and squibs were considered too expensive and hard to find for use in most motion picture filming). Many in Hollywood watched the case closely for hints of how future contracts might be handled. At this point, he had had no experience with drama. Encouraged by his wife and Zimmermann, Cagney accepted an offer from the director Milo Forman to star in a small but pivotal role in the film Ragtime (1981). [18] He also took German and joined the Student Army Training Corps,[19] but he dropped out after one semester, returning home upon the death of his father during the 1918 flu pandemic. [185] The renowned painter Sergei Bongart taught Cagney in his later life and owned two of Cagney's works. [132] Cagney attributed the performance to his father's alcoholic rages, which he had witnessed as a child, as well as someone that he had seen on a visit to a mental hospital. The elder Mr. Cagney and the son had been estranged for the last two. After The Roaring Twenties, it would be a decade before Cagney made another gangster film. [3][28], The show began Cagney's 10-year association with vaudeville and Broadway. Following the film's completion, Cagney went back to the USO and toured US military bases in the UK. [61], However, according to Turner Classic Movies (TCM), the grapefruit scene was a practical joke that Cagney and costar Mae Clarke decided to play on the crew while the cameras were rolling. Cagney initially had the make-up department put prominent scars on the back of his head for a close-up but the studio demanded that he remove them. She attended Hunter College High School. Cagney greatly enjoyed painting,[184] and claimed in his autobiography that he might have been happier, if somewhat poorer, as a painter than a movie star. James' last role before his death was in a made-for-television feature by the name of Terrible Joe Moran. [210], Cagney was among the most favored actors for director Stanley Kubrick and actor Marlon Brando,[211] and was considered by Orson Welles to be "maybe the greatest actor to ever appear in front of a camera. He was 86. Cast as Father Timothy O'Dowd in the 1944 Bing Crosby film, Going My Way, McHugh later played William Jennings Depew in the . [133] In the 18 intervening years, Cagney's hair had begun to gray, and he developed a paunch for the first time. NEW YORK (AP) _ James Cagney, who won an Oscar as the song and dance man of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" but earned his place in movie history as the pugnacious hoodlum of such classics as "The Public Enemy" and "Angels with Dirty Faces," died Sunday. [92] Additionally, William Cagney was guaranteed the position of assistant producer for the movies in which his brother starred. [161] Charlton Heston opened the ceremony, and Frank Sinatra introduced Cagney. Marguerite and Donald Zimmerman were named executors. [114] Cohan was given a private showing of the film shortly before his death, and thanked Cagney "for a wonderful job,"[115] exclaiming, "My God, what an act to follow! Here is all you want to know, and more! This time, he slapped co-star Evalyn Knapp. [12][14] The family moved twice while he was still young, first to East 79th Street, and then to East 96th Street. [23] He also played semi-professional baseball for a local team,[20] and entertained dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. Fanzines in the 1930s, however, described his politics as "radical". Social Security Administration. [169][170] Cagney was a very private man, and while he was willing to give the press opportunities for photographs, he generally spent his personal time out of the public eye. [111][112] The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three, including Cagney's for Best Actor. [85][86] Cagney made two films for Grand National: Great Guy and Something to Sing About. "[207], He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1980, and a Career Achievement Award from the U.S. National Board of Review in 1981. James Francis Cagney Jr. ( / kni /; [1] July 17, 1899 - March 30, 1986) [2] was an American actor, dancer and film director. He died two years later in 1942. Cagney auditioned for the chorus, although considering it a waste of time, as he knew only one dance step, the complicated Peabody, but he knew it perfectly. [16], The red-haired, blue-eyed Cagney graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, in 1918, and attended Columbia College,[17] where he intended to major in Art. In 1940, Cagney portrayed a boxer in the epic thriller City for Conquest with Ann Sheridan as Cagney's leading lady, Arthur Kennedy in his first screen role as Cagney's younger brother attempting to compose musical symphonies, Anthony Quinn as a brutish dancer, and Elia Kazan as a flamboyantly dressed young gangster originally from the local neighborhood. "[20], He started tap dance as a boy (a skill that eventually contributed to his Academy Award) and was nicknamed "Cellar-Door Cagney" after his habit of dancing on slanted cellar doors. [168] In 1940 they adopted a son whom they named James Francis Cagney III, and later a daughter, Cathleen "Casey" Cagney. Frances Cagney, actor James Cagney's beloved "Billie," his wife for 64 years, died Oct. 10 in the rural Upstate New York farmhouse where she and her husband found respite from his fame.

Banjo Headstock Identification, Difference Between Expansive And Non Expansive Soil, Articles J