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James Francis Cagney, Jr. (July 17, 1899March 30, 1986)〔 was an American actor and dancer, both on stage and in film,〔Obituary ''Variety'', April 2, 1986.〕 though he had his greatest impact in film. Known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing, he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances. He is best remembered for playing multifaceted tough guys in movies such as ''The Public Enemy'' (1931), ''Taxi!'' (1932), ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and ''White Heat'' (1949) and was even typecast or limited by this view earlier in his career.〔McGilligan, page 11〕 In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth among its list of greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Orson Welles said of Cagney, "(was ) maybe the greatest actor who ever appeared in front of a camera", and Stanley Kubrick considered him to be one of the best actors of all time.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Remembering Stanley Kubrick - Spielberg on Kubrick - YouTube )〕 In his first professional acting performance, Cagney danced costumed as a woman in the chorus line of the 1919 revue ''Every Sailor''. He spent several years in vaudeville as a dancer and comedian, until he got his first major acting part in 1925. He secured several other roles, receiving good notices, before landing the lead in the 1929 play ''Penny Arcade''. After rave reviews, Warner Bros. signed him for an initial $500-a-week, three-week contract to reprise his role; this was quickly extended to a seven-year contract. Cagney's seventh film, ''The Public Enemy'', became one of the most influential gangster movies of the period. Notable for a famous scene in which Cagney pushes a grapefruit against his co-star's face, the film thrust him into the spotlight. He became one of Hollywood's biggest stars and one of Warner Bros.' biggest contracts. In 1938, he received his first Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, for ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' for his subtle portrayal of the tough guy/man-child Rocky Sullivan. In 1942, Cagney won the Oscar for his energetic portrayal of George M. Cohan in ''Yankee Doodle Dandy''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=FilmSite.org )〕 He was nominated a third time in 1955 for ''Love Me or Leave Me''. Cagney retired from acting and dancing in 1961 to spend time on his farm with his family. He exited retirement, 20 years later, for a part in the 1981 movie ''Ragtime'', mainly to aid his recovery from a stroke. Cagney walked out on Warner Bros. several times over the course of his career, each time returning on much improved personal and artistic terms. In 1935, he sued Warners for breach of contract and won. This was one of the first times an actor prevailed over a studio on a contract issue. He worked for an independent film company for a year while the suit was being settled—and established his own production company, Cagney Productions, in 1942, before returning to Warners four years later. In reference to Cagney's refusal to be pushed around, Jack L. Warner called him "the Professional Againster". Cagney also made numerous morale-boosting troop tours before and during World War II, and was president of the Screen Actors Guild for two years. ==Early life== Cagney was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. His biographers disagree as to the actual location: either on the corner of Avenue D and 8th Street〔McGilligan, page 14〕 or in a top-floor apartment at 391 East Eighth.〔McCabe, page 5〕 His father, James Francis Cagney, Sr., was of Irish descent. By the time of his son's birth, he was a bartender〔Warren, page 4〕 and amateur boxer, though on Cagney's birth certificate, he is listed as a telegraphist.〔 His mother was Carolyn (née Nelson); her father was a Norwegian ship captain〔 while her mother was Irish. Cagney was the second of seven children, two of whom died within months of birth. He was sickly as a young child—so much so that his mother feared he would die before he could be baptized. He later attributed his sickness to the poverty his family had to endure.〔〔Cagney, page 2〕 The family moved twice while he was still young, first to East 79th Street, and then to East 96th Street.〔Cagney, page 3〕 He was confirmed at St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan, where he would eventually have his funeral service.〔 The red-haired, blue-eyed Cagney graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, in 1918, and attended Columbia College of Columbia University, where he intended to major in Art.〔McGilligan, page 16〕 He also took German and joined the Student Army Training Corps〔Cagney, page 23〕 but dropped out after one semester, returning home upon the death of his father during the 1918 flu pandemic.〔 Cagney held a variety of jobs early in his life, giving all his earnings to his family: junior architect, copy boy for ''The New York Sun'', book custodian at the New York Public Library, bellhop, draughtsman, and night doorman.〔McGilligan, page 15〕 While Cagney was working for the New York Public Library, he met Florence James, who helped him into an acting career.〔James, pg. 45〕 Cagney believed in hard work, later stating, "It was good for me. I feel sorry for the kid who has too cushy a time of it. Suddenly he has to come face-to-face with the realities of life without any mama or papa to do his thinking for him."〔 He started tap dancing 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.〔 He was a good street fighter, defending his older brother Harry, a medical student, when necessary.〔〔Cagney, page 8〕 He engaged in amateur boxing, and was a runner-up for the New York State lightweight title. His coaches encouraged him to turn professional, but his mother would not allow it.〔Warren, pages 23–24〕 He also played semiprofessional baseball for a local team,〔 and entertained dreams of playing in the Major Leagues.〔Warren, page 22〕 His introduction to films was unusual. 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 became involved in amateur dramatics, starting as a scenery boy for a Chinese pantomime at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, one of the first settlement houses in the nation, where his brother Harry performed and his soon-to-be friend, Florence James, directed.〔 He was initially content working behind the scenes and had no interest in performing. One night, however, Harry became ill, and although Cagney was not an understudy, his photographic memory of rehearsals enabled him to stand in for his brother without making a single mistake.〔Warrens, pg. 45〕 Therefore, Florence James has the unique distinction of being the first director to put him on a stage.〔 Afterward, he joined a number of companies as a performer in a variety of roles.〔McGilligan, page 18〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Cagney」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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