One of the screen's Best Tough Guy's. He played it all,nad he was beleiveable in everything he did. One of my Favorites-Strawberry Blonde.

When you think of a GANGSTER who comes to mind? Exactly. Yet so versatile, he turns around and plays George M. Cohan. His dancing was incredible and I,m surprised he wasn,t in more musicals!

Among the classic greats in American cinema: Tracy, Bogart, Stewart, Grant, Wayne and Fonda.

Entertaining....yes. One of the best ever....no.

His acting appeal was that he wasn,t acting. He became the character and you could feel his emotions come through the screen!

What a great actor, for me it was not a gangster movie with out Cagney. He did do other rolls and played them very well. Another Movie legend.

fantastic

Maybe the greatest movie gangster ever, but he was so much more. He was also a dancer and he got to strut his stuff in Yankee Doodle Dandy. Nobody could play a bad guy with a heart of gold, better than Cagney.

Simply the best of the best. Compare the best that American cinema has to offer today against Cagney and the best of today will always fail. Cagney could dance, he could do light comedy, and he was the most menacing, and charming, of tough guys. White Heat is one of my favorite movies, but it's essentially a comic-book. Yet Cagney is able to transcend the prosaic limits of the film and invest his improbable character with a life and vitality that can still strike a chord with audiences all these years later. There'll never be another actor like him.

White Heat is a great preformance and in what is suppose to be a B-movie. It is better done than todays first rate films. Cagney is also great in the Roaring Twenties and anything else with Bogart.

Great range. Never failed to hook me.

James Cagney had great range as an actor. Cagney had so much energy about him. He was usually always entertaining to watch. Sure he did great in his gangster roles and they are fun to watch, but his best work in his non-gangster roles. He poured everything into the role of George M Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy, that it is no surprise that he won the Academy Award. He also did a remarkable job in his portrayal of Lon Chaney in Man of a Thousand Faces. In order to fully appreciate Cagney's talent one should watch one of his gangster/tough guy roles and one of his non-gangster roles and see how versatile and talented he was with this acting.

He could play gangsters as well as sing, dance and speak Yiddish. His one-punch kayo of real-life Hall of Fame boxer Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom in Each Dawn I Die proves he was the toughest actor of all time.

The greatest tough-guy actor ever...of course. White Heat, Roaring Twenties, Angels with Dirty faces were all great. He had the best punch of any actor I've seen. My favorite is when he squished a grapefruit into Mae Clark's face. They say that he totally ad-libbed that. But Cagney's versatility is displayed in such movies as Yankee Doodle Dandy (he was an extraordinary dancer and excellent singer) and Mister Roberts. I have found memories of my brother and I watching Cagney flicks the afternoon cinema TV shows (that was in the pre-Oprah/Springer days). Outstanding!

One of Hollywood's great stars, but as an actor, just so-so. Like many other stars of his era, he played the same role time and time again. He never really came off too convincing as a tough guy because he was so physically small and not inherently sinister enough. His efforts in comic parts were just OK. However, he did display great range in Yankee Doodle Dandy, and put in a truly magnificent performance as Cody Jarrett in White Heat.

One of the Best along with (Tracy, Cagney, Fonda, J.Wayne, G.C. Scott, Stewert, Grant.)

Anyone who makes a wisecrack about Jimmy Cagney should get it...There was no better actor and he was a gentleman//

liked his gangster roles but really liked him in Mister Roberts. He was so funny

I want to take this moment to tell you about this time cagney did my mom and knocked her up and didn't take responsibility for being my father. That jewish creep won't pay child support or nothing. He says i can't be his son. I'm to ugly. do you know what that does to your self esteem. I'll tell you waht that does it kills it. in fact i've a got a running blow dryer and bath tub full of water to attend to. see you guys in my nest life when wally beavers my old man

I would really give James Cagney a 4.5. I have not seen too many of his movies but the ones I have seen he was great in. I especially liked him in Yankee Doodle Dandy, where he played George M. Cohan. He showed that not only was he a good actor, he is also a great dancer. He did an admirable job in the movie The Man with a Thousand Faces portraying Lon Chaney. he was good in Love Me or Leave Me too.Even though he was known for his tough guy roles, he has proved himself good in other types of roles.

If you don't think Cagney was both a great "hoofer" and a great dramatic actor then you really should not be rating anything. He was not only one of the very few REAL tough guys on film but had a ability to change his style to fit any movie from musicals to comedy. He was one of the greats!

A great actor, he played a good gangster, but my favorite movie of his is ol' Capt. Morton in Mister Roberts,... "Alright, whoo did it, whooo did it?"

He starred in several of my All-Time Favorite movies

He could sing, he could dance, but the thing he was best at was making you believe what he was saying. In some movies he would convince you that he was a saint. In the next picture you saw him in, he would make you believe he was a cold blooded killer. I still get chills when I watch him in WHITE HEAT. And I have a hard time hearing him beg for mercy at the end of DEAD END. These are classic moments in motion pictures and Jimmy Cagney brought us many of them.

I suggest that it is virtually impossible to watch any scene that James Cagney is in without one's eyes being drawn to his character - a pretty good sign of greatness in a screen actor. Castlebee's superb review in these pages is spot on!

A big mistake would be to compare the work of James Cagney to today's films and acting styles. There’s no denying that those things have really changed since his day. But, if you can put him in the proper perspective you may see that he was a very versatile performer. Not only a good actor and dancer but he also did some directing and producing. His energy level was incredible, his mannerisms unique and he was just a fascinating performer to watch. He no doubt drew the inspiration for his work from a rough and difficult New York childhood. I have also always been impressed with the fact that once he gained success in show business he apparently didn’t let his ego rule him. He had sense enough to live away from the Hollywood scene choosing instead to make a life with his family on a horse farm in Connecticut. He was a class act in every way!

He was fun to see. But the same person for all his characters

Hi! I have a little bit of news for RateItAll: James Cagney is dead. (just thought you'd like to know)

Cagney is one of the all-time greats...The George M. Cohen Story is my favorite, not just a great actor, what a song and dance man...his legs had to be part rubber.

james cagney is my favorite actor. the man has immense talent.