Edward Woods

After graduating from the University of Southern California, Woods became an actor. He appeared at the old Salt Lake Theatre in "The Copperhead," as Lionel Barrymore's teenage son. In New York City, he appeared in many successful Broadway productions then began a movie career. He worked with Cary Grant, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, John Barrymore, and Clark Gable.

His most famous role was playing "Matt Doyle" opposite James Cagney's "Tom Powers" in The Public Enemy (1931), a seminal and arguably the most widely acclaimed gangster movie. Although initially cast in the lead role as Powers, director William Wellman switched Woods' role with Cagney's after viewing Cagney's electrifying performance in the dailies. In the flashback sequences at the beginning of the film, the children's appearances are reversed because those scenes were filmed before the switch and the studio opted not to pay to refilm them, which has confused viewers ever since. The studio had promised to make the role switch up to him with later parts but reneged and dropped him when his contract expired. Woods soon wound up working at the worst B-picture studios, terminally damaging his movie career. Read Less