James Erle "Jimmy" Malone (1862–1930) was a fictional Irish cop in the blockbuster Academy Award-winning 1987 movie The Untouchables. He is played by the late Sean Connery. The Malone character was inspired by a real life FBI agent Martin J. "Marty" LaHart, a Chicago native, who was one of the nine agents known as "The Untouchables", (which included Eliot Ness) which worked together in fighting organized crime and outlaws such as John Dillinger in Chicago as well as much of that immediate Midwest region.
History
Early life
James Malone was born in Hell's Kitchen New York to Irish Catholic parents. He never attended a school; instead, he helped his father run his grocery store. At an early age, Malone gained a hatred for Italians because the local Mafia extorted money from his father's store.
Move To Chicago
In 1880, when Malone was eighteen years old, the family moved to Chicago, where James Malone Sr. was brutally murdered by the local Mafia. After this his hatred for Italians was cemented; at this point Malone had decided to become a cop.
The Force
Malone soon became known in the force as a strict cop, as the crooked police chiefs never promoted him from beat cop. He and his then good friend Mike Dorsett crusaded around town arresting every lawbreaker important or not. Dorsett soon began accepting bribes, which led to friction between the once good friends. Dorsett was then promoted to police chief; his suspicious promotion effectively ended the friendship between the two men.
The Untouchables
Malone had been employed on the force for nearly 40 years before he met Eliot Ness (who was portrayed in the film by Kevin Costner); the two then recurited a number of decorated cops in the attempt to bust Capone.
Death
After a few daring raids Malone was shot brutally by Frank Nitti. He was 68 years old.
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Eliot Ness | Jimmy Malone | George Stone | Oscar Wallace |