Jeanne Carolyn Cagney (March 25, 1919 – December 7, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress.
Early years Born in New York City, Cagney and her four older brothers were raised by their widowed mother, Carolyn Elizabeth Cagney (née Nelson), after the death of their father, James Francis Cagney Sr. Her brothers included actor James Cagney, production manager Edward Cagney, and producer William Cagney. She attended Hunter College High School. Majoring in French and German, she was a cum laude graduate of Hunter College (now part of City University of New York) and a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. She also starred in plays produced by the college's dramatic society. Following her college graduation, she studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Stage
Cagney performed in the original stage production of The Iceman Cometh, which premiered on Broadway on October 9, 1946. The play's author, Eugene O'Neill, cast her in the role of Margie, one of the "street walkers" in his story.
Film
After being heard by a scout while appearing on Bing Crosby's radio program, Cagney had a film test with RKO Pictures. However, she signed a long-term contract with Paramount Pictures. She appeared in 19 films between 1939 and 1965, including four films with her brother James: Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), The Time of Your Life (1948), A Lion Is in the Streets (1953), and Man of a Thousand Faces (1957). Cagney gave a noted performance opposite Mickey Rooney in the film noir crime film Quicksand (1950).
Radio Cagney briefly played the title role in the radio soap opera The Romance of Helen Trent. Most of her other work on radio was as a guest in dramatic programs such as the following:
Year Radio Program Episode/source 1942 Armstrong's Theatre of Today NA 1942 Screen Guild Players Yankee Doodle Dandy 1944 Silver Theater Wanted -- Adventure for Two 1944 The Kate Smith Hour Till We Meet Again 1945 Grand Central Station NA 1946 Grand Central Station A Lion Is in the Streets 1952 Family Theater The Red Head
Television In 1954, Cagney made a television pilot for a mystery series, Satan's Waiting, but it apparently was not sold. Later, she served as the fashion commentator of Queen for a Day, hosted by Jack Bailey on NBC and ABC from 1956 to 1963. This daytime "game show" is regarded as a forerunner of today's reality shows. Cagney hosted segments that provided viewers with tips on style and introduced to them the latest fashions.
Family Cagney married actor Ross Latimer (also known as Kim Spalding) in 1944. She was divorced from him March 9, 1951. They had no children. She married Jack Morrison, a faculty member in theater arts at UCLA, on June 6, 1953; they had two daughters, Mary and Terry.
Death Cagney, at age 65, died of lung cancer in Newport Beach, California, on December 7, 1984. She is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1939 All Women Have Secrets Kay Parker Gregory 1940 Queen of the Mob Ethel Webster Golden Gloves Mary Parker Rhythm on the River Country Cousin 1942 Yankee Doodle Dandy Josie Cohan 1948 The Time of Your Life Kitty Duval 1950 Quicksand Vera 1952 Don't Bother to Knock Rochelle 1953 A Lion Is in the Streets Jennie Brown 1955 Kentucky Rifle Cordie Hay 1957 Man of a Thousand Faces Carrie Chaney 1965 Town Tamer Mary Donley
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