Extraordinarily (for Hollywood), he never cheated on his wife Frances, resulting in a marriage that lasted 64 years (ending with his death). The closest he came was nearly giving into a seduction attempt by Merle Oberon while the two stars were on tour to entertain WWII GIs.
Father of actor James Cagney Jr.
Films co-starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien were these nine: Here Comes the Navy (1934), Devil Dogs of the Air (1935), The Irish in Us (1935), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Torrid Zone (1940), The Fighting 69th (1940), Ceiling Zero (1936), as well as their finale together, four decades later, Ragtime (1981).
Grandfather of actor James Cagney IV.
Great grandfather of actress Fiona Cagney.
Great uncle of Pattee Mack.
Great-great uncle of Brian Harrison Mack.
Had two adopted children, Cathleen "Cassie" and James Jr.
He is the father-in-law of screenplay writer Jack W. Thomas, who married his daughter Cathleen on February 17, 1962.
He once claimed that problems with Horst Buchholz had convinced him to retire from acting.
He refused payment for his cameo in "The Seven Little Foys" (1955) even though he spent ten days learning his complicated tap routine for the film.
He was voted the 11th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
He was voted the 14th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
His electric acting style was a huge influence on future generations of actors. Actors as diverse as Clint Eastwood and Malcolm McDowell point to him as their number one influence to become actors.
His performance as George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) is ranked #6 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (1931) is ranked #57 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His widow Frances (nicknamed 'Bill') outlived Cagney by eight years, dying aged 95 in 1994.
In 1973, he was offered the title role in the comedy Harry and Tonto, but Cagney, who was then 74 year-old and hadn't starred in a feature film since 1961, didn't want to come out of retirement. The role, and the Best Actor Oscar, would go to Art Carney.
In his autobiography, he mentions that while in the chorus of the musical "Pitter Patter", he earned $55 a week, of which he sent $40 a week home to his mother. As his salary increased, so did the amount he sent back home. In The Public Enemy (1931), he earned $400 a week, sending over $300 back home. Until his mother passed, he never kept more than 50% of his earnings.
Inspiration for the Madonna song, "White Heat", from her album, True Blue.