 His first American film role was in the comedy "It's a Date" (1940) with Deanna Durbin.The first big hit of his American career was "Ball of Fire" (1941) with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.Later, he signed a contract with Warner Bros., where he had a number of other small roles, including one in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942) with James Cagney.