George M. Cohan

George M. Cohan (born July 3, 1878, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.—died November 5, 1942, New York, New York) was an American actor, composer, playwright, and producer, especially of musical comedies, who became famous in the early 20th century as the “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “the man who owned Broadway.” Cohan was an important figure in the development of American theater, having produced more than 50 musicals and published hundreds of popular songs, many of them evoking the themes of patriotism, nostalgia, and the indomitable American spirit. Along with “Yankee Doodle Boy,” his enduring tunes include “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and “Over There.”

The son of Irish immigrants

Cohan was the son of Irish immigrants, Jerry and Nellie (née Costigan) Cohan. His paternal grandparents had changed the spelling of the family name from O’Caomhan to Keohane, which was changed again, to Cohan, when they arrived in the United States. Although George Cohan’s birth certificate has July 3 as his birthday, his parents maintained that he was born on July 4, the same date as their adopted country’s celebration of independence.

The Four Cohans

At an early age Cohan performed with his parents and sister, Josephine, as the Four Cohans, subsequently taking comedy roles in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage. He quickly developed a confident and cocky stage presence. At the end of each of their performances, George would step forward and tell the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you.”

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By 1893 Cohan was writing vaudeville skits and popular songs. His first full-length play opened in New York in 1901. A description of his early experiments and the stage career of the Four Cohans is in his autobiography, Twenty Years on Broadway and the Years It Took to Get There (1925).

The man who owned Broadway

Among Cohan’s productions were The Governor’s Son (1901), Forty-five Minutes from Broadway (1906), The Talk of New York (1907), Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1910), Broadway Jones (1912), Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), The Tavern (1921), The Song and Dance Man (1923), and American Born (1925). He made his name, however, with Little Johnny Jones (1904), a smash hit on Broadway that featured the hits “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Boy.” The lyrics of the latter song, which is also called “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” tell of a patriotic figure who could very well be Cohan himself:

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam’s
Born on the Fourth of July.

Among Cohan’s best-known appearances were those in Ah, Wilderness! (1933) and I’d Rather Be Right (1937). He composed numerous other popular songs, including “Mary’s a Grand Old Name” and the famous “Over There” of World War I, for which Congress authorized him a special medal in 1940.

Personal life and legacy

Cohan was married twice. In 1899 he wed the actress and dancer Ethel Levy, with whom he had a daughter, Georgette, before divorcing in 1907. Shortly afterward he married Agnes Nolan, who had performed as a chorus girl in Little Johnny Jones. They had three children: Mary, Helen, and George, Jr.

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Cohan’s career was the subject of a motion picture, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), starring James Cagney as Cohan. (Cagney won the Academy Award for best actor for his exuberant performance.) He was played by Joel Grey in the Broadway musical George M! (1968).

Discover more

The Great American Songbook

Tin Pan Alley

List of songs about America

The history of Broadway