US actor. His physical dynamism and staccato vocal delivery made him one of the first stars of talking pictures. Often associated with gangster roles, as in The Public Enemy (1931) and White Heat (1949), he was equally adept at playing comedy, singing, and dancing, as in Blonde Crazy (1931), Footlight Parade (1933), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).