James Cagney Net Worth

What was James Cagney's Net Worth?

James Cagney was an American actor who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death in 1986. That's the same as around $60 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.

One of the biggest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, he starred in such films as "The Public Enemy," "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "White Heat," and "Love Me or Leave Me," winning the Best Actor Oscar for "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Cagney retired in 1961, but returned to the big screen 20 years later to appear in his final film, "Ragtime."

Early Life and Education

James Cagney Jr. was born on July 17, 1899 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. He was the second of seven children of Carolyn and James Sr., although two of his siblings died shortly after their births. Cagney himself was a sickly child due to his family's poverty. Growing up, he tap-danced, did amateur boxing, and played semi-professional baseball for a local team. To help his family's financial situation, he took a number of odd jobs, including junior architect, newspaper copy boy, bellhop, doorman, and New York Public Library book custodian. Cagney was educated at Stuyvesant High School, graduating in 1918. He subsequently enrolled at Columbia College, but dropped out after one semester when his father died during the flu pandemic.

Career Beginnings on Stage

Cagney began his entertainment career behind the scenes, working as a scenery boy for a Chinese pantomime show at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where his brother Harry performed. However, when Harry fell ill one night, Cagney stepped in and played his role. He went on to give his first professional acting performance in 1919, playing a woman in the revue "Every Sailor." Cagney soon landed a chorus part in the musical "Pitter Patter," launching his successful vaudeville career. With his fellow chorus line performer Billie Vernon, who would later become his wife, he performed comedy routines and musical numbers on tour for a number of years. In 1925, Cagney had his first major non-dancing role in the play "Outside Looking In." After that, he returned to vaudeville, and also founded a professional dance school. Cagney appeared in such productions as "Women Go On Forever," "Grand Street Follies of 1928" and "Grand Street Follies of 1929," "Maggie the Magnificent," and "Penny Arcade."

Rise to Fame at Warner Bros., 1930-1935

Cagney made his film debut in the 1930 Warner Bros. crime drama "Sinners' Holiday," an adaptation of the play "Penny Arcade" he had starred in with Joan Blondell. The film established his onscreen reputation for playing sympathetic tough guys. Cagney went on to appear in "The Doorway to Hell" and "Other Men's Women." He subsequently had his breakthrough role in William A. Wellman's 1931 gangster film "The Public Enemy," starring as the ruthless Tom Powers. Particularly notable was a scene in which he shoved half of a grapefruit into actress Mae Clarke's face. Following the huge commercial success of "The Public Enemy," Cagney starred in such films as "The Millionaire," "Smart Money," "Blonde Crazy," "Taxi!," "Winner Take All," and "The Crowd Roars."

Following a holdout due to his frustration with his Warner Bros. contract, and a consequent suspension from the studio, Cagney secured a more equitable deal and returned to Warner Bros. in 1933. He went on to star in a mix of comedies, crime dramas, and musicals, with credits including "Hard to Handle," "Lady Killer," "Footlight Parade," "The Mayor of Hell," "He Was Her Man," "Here Comes the Navy," and "Jimmy the Gent." In 1935, Cagney starred in such films as "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "G Men," and "Frisco Kid." However, that year, tensions between him and Warner Bros. re-emerged after the shooting of "Ceiling Zero," which violated Cagney's contract terms by giving his co-star Pat O'Brien top billing. Cagney ultimately sued the studio, resulting in a lengthy legal dispute and his departure from Warner Bros.

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Further Career at Warner Bros.

In 1937, the courts ruled in favor of Cagney in his lawsuit against Warner Bros. The studio subsequently offered him a better contract, and he returned with the screwball comedy "Boy Meets Girl," released in 1938. Later in the year, Cagney starred in Michael Curtiz's crime drama "Angels with Dirty Faces," a critical hit that earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1939, he had further hits with the Western "The Oklahoma Kid" and the gangster films "Each Dawn I Die" and "The Roaring Twenties." After that, Cagney took a break from playing gangsters. He kicked off the 1940s with the epic drama "City for Conquest," the adventure film "Torrid Zone," and the World War I drama "The Fighting 69th." The next year, Cagney starred in two romantic comedies: "The Bride Came C.O.D.," opposite Bette Davis, and "The Strawberry Blonde," opposite Olivia de Havilland.

In 1942, Cagney starred in two films directed by Michael Curtiz: the war film "Captains of the Clouds" and the musical biopic "Yankee Doodle Dandy." The latter was a major success, earning Cagney the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of famed entertainer George M. Cohan. It would be his final film for Warner Bros. until 1949, when he returned to the studio after years of doing independent productions. Cagney came back with one of his most acclaimed films, "White Heat," which was also his first gangster film in a decade. He followed that in 1950 with the musical comedy "The West Point Story" and the film noir "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye." Cagney's subsequent credits included "Come Fill the Cup" and "A Lion is in the Streets." He had a big year in 1955, appearing in four films, including "Mister Roberts" and "Love Me or Leave Me." For the latter, a romantic musical drama with Doris Day, Cagney received his third and final Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Independent Films in the 1930s and '40s

After leaving Warner Bros. the first time, Cagney signed a contract with Edward L. Alperson of the newly created independent studio Grand National Pictures. He made "Great Guy" and "Something to Sing About" for Grand National before returning to Warner Bros. Cagney's second stint at Warner Bros. lasted until 1942, when he and his brother William established Cagney Productions to release films through the independent studio United Artists. Cagney went on to star in UA's "Johnny Come Lately" and "Blood on the Sun."

Late Career

Following his final departure from Warner Bros. in 1955, Cagney starred in the MGM films "Tribute to a Bad Man" and "These Wilder Years." He next portrayed legendary actor Lon Chaney in the 1957 Universal-International film "Man of a Thousand Faces." That same year, Cagney stepped behind the camera for his first and only film as a director, the film noir "Short Cut to Hell." He returned to acting at the end of the decade with "Never Steal Anything Small" and "Shake Hands with the Devil," the former his final musical film.

In 1960, Cagney starred as World War II US Navy admiral William Halsey Jr. in the docudrama "The Gallant Hours." He subsequently starred as a Coca-Cola executive in Billy Wilder's 1961 political comedy "One, Two, Three." Exhausted with acting after the completion of that film, Cagney retired. However, he went on to narrate the Western film "Arizona Bushwhackers" in 1968. Cagney briefly came out of retirement in 1981 for one last big-screen role, in Miloš Forman's "Ragtime," which he took to aid his recovery from a stroke. Later, in 1984, he starred in the television film "Terrible Joe Moran."

Personal Life

In 1922, Cagney married Frances 'Billie' Vernon, the two having danced in the chorus of the stage musical "Pitter Patter." They adopted a son named James in 1940, and later adopted a daughter named Cathleen. Both children were estranged from Cagney during the final years of his life.

Cagney and his wife lived on farms in Martha's Vineyard and Stanford, New York. In Stanford, Cagney expanded his property into a 750-acre working farm. He also loved to paint and was a sailing enthusiast, owning several boats.

Death

On March 30, 1986, Cagney died from a heart attack at his farm in Stanford. He was buried in a crypt in the Garden Mausoleum at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

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