James Cagney (1899-1986) started acting, singing, and dancing in vaudeville while working other odd jobs to support his family. He became known for playing tough gangsters in films such as The Public Enemy, Angels With Dirty Faces, and White Heat. However, his musical training landed him a number of musical roles, including in Yankee Doodle Dandy, for which he won an Academy Award. Orson Welles once called him “the greatest actor ever to appear in front of a camera.”