6 MORE Actors Who Broke Typecasting In The Most Epic Way

2. James Cagney - Yankee Doodle Dandy

His Type

Right from the start of his career, James Cagney was somewhat let down by his own success. He did so well playing complex tough guys in films like The Public Enemy, Angels with Dirty Faces and White Heat that he found himself typecast and his options limited.

Even when he was adding unprecedented depth and exceptional performances to his bad guys - as he did in White Heat - he was primarily a gangster movie actor. That was his brand and it had its claws into him.

How He Broke It

Cagney's breakout was as unexpected as it is joyful. After a run of dramas, adventure films and playing the same sort of tough guy roles he'd always been known for, Cagney was cast as entertainer George M. Cohan in Michael Curtiz's musical Yankee Doodle Dandy.

It was a role that took Cagney back to his musical entertainment roots, but he still had to fight to be cast. He proved himself right by dazzling the world and winning an Oscar for Best Actor in the process.