Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. After Brians Song and The Godfather, he was one of Hollywoods busiest actors, appearing in Hide in Plain Sight (which he also directed), Funny Lady (opposite Barbra Streisand), The Killer Elite and Neil Simons Chapter Two, among others. Broadway Shows In March 1994, Caan was arrested in North Hollywood for brandishing a weapon (a gun) at rap artist Derek Lee (aka Doc Rapper) during an argument, but the charges were dropped the following August. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. James was best known for playing Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather," which won him both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Caan left the show during the fourth season and it was later canceled. James Caan (@James_Caan) July 7, 2022. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Those ones I would watch more than once. Although presented as the moral centre of the film, Caans character, Jonathan E, is as sadistic as everyone else around him. FILE - James Caan attends the 2016 Summer TCA "Hallmark Event" on July 27, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Caan, whose roles included "The Godfather," "Brian's Song" and "Misery," died Wednesday, July 6, 2022, at age 82. . I am Joe the boss of my own body, so what the f--- do I have to work for you for?, Caan said Frank never uses a contraction throughout the movie, and speaks in deliberate, measured tones so he is never misunderstood. Married and divorced four times, Caan had a daughter, Tara, and sons Scott, Alexander, James and Jacob. The late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas contributed biographical information to this report. All Rights Reserved. Many reporters have ignored or downplayed his behavior toward women and used euphemisms, particularly in reference to prostituted women, sometimes calling them girls. The Washington Post, for example, referred to Caans decadent lifestyle as an habitue of the Playboy Mansion., Celebrity memorials of Caan on Twitter and in the media would leave most readers completely unaware of the actors darker side. Jimmy and I are not friends at all, believe me. The generous support of our readers allows 4W to pay our all-female staff and over 50 writers across the globe for original articles and reporting you cant find anywhere else. James Caan says that he walked out of an initial " The Godfather " screening after realizing director Francis Ford Coppola cut a key scene involving Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his son Scotts Little League games. Instead of a passive, relatively one-sided character, he wanted to play someone able to walk around the casino and engage in small talk with its most eccentric customers. Many actors become associated with one particular role, and this was certainly true for Caan, especially in his later years; many of his roles in the 1990s and 2000s like "Mickey Blue Eyes" and "The Way of the Gun" played on the audience's familiarity with Sonny Corleone. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The top entertainment stories, features and must-read reviews sent to you weekly. (The matter was settled out of court.) Caan's character spends the film searching for his wife and children, who have entered the witness protection program after Jack testifies against the Mafia. As Mr. Henry, a charming con-man sought out by Dignan, the unflappably optimistic would-be criminal played by Owen Wilson, Caan got the rare opportunity to do an outright comedy, and to show off his skills at karate, which he studied for decades. At the end of July, TMZ obtained Caan's death certificate revealing that his official cause of death was a combination of heart issues, including a heart attack. Above all, as seen in the many tributes that have been published since his death, he was a generous artist and professional whose work continues to inspire. When Caan was going through a difficult divorce from wife Sheila Ryan in 1976, Hefner offered him a place to stay until he got back on his feet. As at home as Caan felt at the Playboy Mansion, he seems to have felt just as welcome in the magazine's pages. Alexis Cosio-Read more. "A Most Intriguing Lady," bySarah Ferguson (Avon, fiction): The Duchess of York pens a new historical romance about a duke's daughter who's also secretly an amateur sleuth in Victorian London. "Not only was he one of the best actors our business has ever seen, he was funny, loyal, caring and beloved. I would kill. On being perceived as a macho he said, If macho means I wear the pants, then Im macho. It wasnt just women who were the targets of Caans violence and abuse. ", CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER, The actor was born in the Bronx and later made his on-screen debut in 1963 with "Irma la Douce. In keeping with the tone of the picture, I thought the ending was kind of cool., By subscribing, you agree with Revues Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. James Caan: the hard-working star who mixed the rough with the smooth, James Caan: some of The Godfather star's most memorable scenes video, TheGodfather star James Caan dies aged 82, James Caan: The studio thought The Godfather was a piece of garbage. In the early 1990s, Caan appeared in a number of hit movies, including 1991's big budget spectacle, For the Boys. But when we chatted via Zoom on Monday, helooked strong and healthy, was brimming with good spirit and was hurling enough expletives to make Sonny Corleone blush. He hadnt done any motion pictures but hed done a TV movie, The Jericho Mile, and that was pretty good, so I read the script for Thief and it was fantastic. In the early 60s, Caan made his off-Broadway debut in Schnitzlers La Ronde and started to appear on television, mostly as juvenile delinquents, in series including Naked City, Route 66, The Untouchables and Dr Kildare. Yep. When the series debuted, he was a casino surveillance chief dealing with cheaters and competitors of the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! A character actor with movie star swagger, or perhaps the other way around, Caan got his start on television in the 1960s before becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1970s, thanks in large part to his immortal turn as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." The guys nuts.. After an uncredited bit as a sailor with a radio in Billy Wilders Irma la Douce (1963), he rose to stardom remarkably quickly. By the time James Caan passed away in 2022, the famous actor was 82 years old. James Caan and Gianni Russo in the fight scene from The Godfather, in which Russo claims he broke two ribs. The story of how this pulpy, gossipy, and occasionally offensive book was turned into one of the greatest films of all time has been written and told time and again, most recently in the Paramount Plus miniseries "The Offer.". His official Twitter account confirmed the American actor's passing in a brief message posted to the social media platform on July 7. That should have been the final straw, but it is only just the beginning of trans activism. For Women. He made his movie debut in a brief uncredited role in 1963 in Billy Wilders Irma La Douce, then landed a role as young thug who terrorizes Olivia de Havilland in Lady in a Cage. He also appeared opposite John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in the 1966 Western El Dorado and Harrison Ford in the 1968 Western Journey to Shiloh.. I had a couple of guys show me all the stuff, it was unbelievable, the stuff these guys could do, said Caan And I pulled it off and [made a convincing thief] and I was really proud of myself and so were my parents.. While James Caan will be remembered for his prolific acting career, he also directed one feature film, 1980's "Hide in Plain Sight." Short on cash, Caan was hired by Coppola for the leading role in the 1987 film Gardens of Stone. The movie, about life at Arlington National Cemetery, proved too grim for most audiences, but it renewed Caans acting career. J ames Caan is showing off his war wounds. Caan never admitted to hurting his co-star, claiming that he worked with a stunt double . It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history and Caan and co-star Billy Dee Williams, who played Piccolos teammate and best friend Gale Sayers, were nominated for best actor Emmys. The legendary actor starred in 'Misery' and 'Elf," in addition to hundreds of other roles. ". Tough insouciance was his style, well suited to handsome but rather emotionless features. And yet, a recurring adjective used to describe Caan in articles is intimidating. In a 1994 appearance on Late Show, David Letterman mentioned that Caan gave him the finger from the wings and made several comments about fearing the actor, giving viewers the impression Caan was wild, unpredictable, and possibly dangerous. Sonny Corleone, a violent and reckless man who conducted many killings, met his own end in one of the most jarring movie scenes in history. So happy I got to know him. Caan was best known for his role as Sonny Corleone in " The Godfather " and "The Godfather II," but before the iconic film series . I just want the opportunity, while I'm still walking, to do something that will have you calling me and saying, 'Jimmy, that was really good,'" he toldThe Independent. Caan arranged to meet and pay the kidnappers, then arrived with Fiato and his crew with guns and baseball bats. Finding a new gravitas, Caan was utterly convincing as a stiff-necked but compassionate army sergeant who feels that there is nothing to win, and no way of winning it in Vietnam. Then came the morning when he woke up in a friends flat to find 10 Los Angeles policemen standing over him with guns drawn. film world was stunned by the death of actor and filmmaker James Caan, his immortal turn as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather. Selena Gomez Documentary Highlights Mental Health Struggles. "Jimmy was one of the greatest," Del Piano said in a statement. Many well-known actors have trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse over the years, including Caan's "Godfather" co-star Robert Duvall and "Elf" co-star Mary Steenburgen. Hollywood great James Caan, who had recently undergone back surgery, appeared frail as his son Jacob pushed him around in a wheelchair back in 2020. "Godfather" star James Caan's cause of death has been revealed. He was most known for playing the "tough guy" character, with notable examples in films like "Mickey Blue Eyes," where he starred alongsideHugh Grant, and "Honeymoon in Vegas," where he appeared oppositeSarah Jessica Parker. In Carol Morleys Out of Blue (2018), an adaptation of Martin Amiss 1997 novel Night Train, he was the intimidating father of a murdered astrophysicist daughter, and his movie work continued up to the time of his death. Caan bonded with Brando, Robert Duvall and other cast members and made it a point to get everyone laughing during an otherwise tense production, sometimes dropping his pants and mooning a fellow actor or crew member. Great! Paramount Pictures hired Coppola to adapt and direct the film, feeling that having an Italian-American at the helm would ensure that the film was authentic, and would protect them against charges of racism. That work ethic, whether due to artistic passion or financial need, resulted in a very busy 21st century for the actor. Behind the scenes, Caan and his character were not too far apart, as Ferrell once noted on a 2018 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden." The film critic Pauline Kael wrote of Caan at that stage in his career that hes not all of a piece as a performer: hes never quite himself you feel hes concealing himself rather than revealing a character. And if youre my girl and someones smart to you, Ill slap him in the mouth. He also told Rolling Stone: The one thing that gets me most is having my intelligence underestimated. In 1994 Fleiss told Vanity Fair she was having an affair with her longtime crush, James Caan. In a 1999 interview Caan said of his involvement with the prostituted women working for Fleiss: Hookers? "Ruthy Ramirez" is Jimenez's first novel. He was 82. End of tweet. Caan explained that some jerk at MGM altered the movie. Less cut and dried, however, was an altercation just a few months later when Caan allegedly pulled a gun on a man during an argument. Entertainment, Caan said that he lived with cocaine addiction after turning to the drug when his sister died from leukemia. If macho means Im going to drive the car, then Im macho. In 1996 the Tampa Bay Times called him a legendary carouser who rose to fame in the '70s as a macho leading man. On July 7 actor Martin Kove, known for his role as the villain in The Karate Kid, admiringly called Caan an original bad ass. Offscreen, Caan's personal life was a bit of a rollercoaster. Perhaps surprising to some, Caan could also sing, dance, and deliver a comedic line with precision (via theLos Angeles Times). In later years, Caan was content to have the security of a popular TV series, Las Vegas (2003-07), appearing as a former CIA agent now the head of security at the fictional Montecito resort and casino. A car accident in 1985 sidelined him further, and soon it had been a full five years since he'd appeared in a movie. He alsohad five children, including "Varsity Blues" and "Hawaii Five-O" actor Scott Caan, per Closer Weekly. Become a monthly donor! Caan studied and performed at the acting school for five years, working closely with famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner, whose technique revolved reaction rather than calculated performance. (Michael Kovac), The tweet was completed withCaan's famous Twitter phrase, "End of tweet.". When his brother Ronnie was held at gunpoint by gangsters, Caan enlisted the help of his mafia pal Anthony the Animal Fiato. He also showed a tender side as a naive sailor who falls for a prostitute in Cinderella Liberty (1973) and in Karel Reiszs The Gambler (1974), in which Caan, intense and sympathetic, gives one of his finest performances as a university professor addicted to gambling. Based on the life of 1980s Ponzi schemer turned Evangelical minister Barry Minkow, the film went into production in 2009 with Minkow producing and even playing himself. Before he can escape he is cut down by a seemingly endless fusillade of machine-gun fire. "The thing I most cherish, as far as my whole career was the respect I felt from these young kids, really good actors," he said. "If there's anything I can attribute my success to," Caan told Roger Ebert in 1988, "it's that I said 'no.'" Following the film's release, Caan placed his acting career at the front-and-center of his professional pursuits. On 26-3-1940 James Caan (nickname: James) was born in The Bronx, New York, United States. On top of this, he walked off the set of The Holcroft Covenant (1985) and was replaced by Michael Caine. We had a scene where he goes to Malibu [to be with his family] at the end, but Michael decided against it, said Caan. Caans first wife was actress Dee Jay Mattis, and they were married from 1961 to 1966. The actor's rep told The Hollywood Reporter that Caan died Wednesday night at 82, confirming a Twitter post from his family. Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie Brians Song, an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26. I dont really care about much else. A few years earlier, when he was still bankable, Caan had turned down three Oscar winners, M*A*S*H, Kramer vs Kramer (it was such middle-class, bourgeois baloney) and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. James Caan, the curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as the hotheaded Sonny Corleone of The Godfather and to television audiences as both the dying football player in the classic weeper Brians Song and the casino boss in Las Vegas, has died. Share. Unfortunately, he passed [] First among those was "Thief," the 1981 debut feature of writer-director Michael Mann, who would go on to revolutionize the crime drama on television and film with "Miami Vice," "Manhunter," and "Heat," among many others. The women he abused will remember a different man than the one widely praised by Hollywood for "being a legend.". Theres no isnt or wasnt with this guy. My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family during this difficult time. Caan was well teamed with Genevive Bujold in Claude Lelouchs romance set in the US, Another Man, Another Chance (1977), and with Jane Fonda in the western Comes a Horseman (1978). When 13-year-old Ruthy disappeared after track practice, it left the Ramirez family scarred. The first episode of the crime drama aired on Sept. 22, 2003 and it was an immediate hit. As per Cigar Aficionado, the early morning before his classes he would pull a shift at a meatpacking plant. From 1990 to 1995 Caan was married to model Ingrid Hajek, who was 20 years younger than him. With all due respect to Sonny Corleone, "Thief" is arguably Caan's finest performance. Scott Caan also grew up to be an actor. The 45-year-old told the news outlet: "To say our relationship wasn't dysfunctional would be a lie." At the times, his dad James, said: "He saw me when I was a little rough around the . He was 82. And it was one of the main reasons, at least for me, the movie worked.". Caan would have faced up to six months in jail, but it appears that the charges against him were eventually dropped. When [Mann] came to me with the script [for Thief], I bought three tomatoes, I didnt know what the hell he was selling, cracked Caan.
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