| Birth: | | Jul. 17, 1899 | | Death: | | Mar. 30, 1986 |
Actor. America's quintessential bantam tough guy and a great comedian and song and dance man, James Cagney is in the first rank of Hollywood legends. As might be expected, he was the son of a bartender who grew up in New York and developed into a fine boxer, as well as one of Hollywood's real gentlemen. From "Bottom" in "A Midsummer's Night Dream" to the punk in "The Public Enemy" to the raffish charmer in "The Strawberry Blonde," Cagney could - and did - do it all. He won his only Academy Award as George M. Cohan in "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and was searing as the psychopath in 1949's "White Heat." He literally exploded at the end of the film, crying out, "I'm on top of the world, Ma." And so he was, throughout his legendary career. (bio by: Portia)
Cause of death: Diabetes complicated by heart and lung problems
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