09/05/2022
James Edmund Caan, a versatile leading man of both big and small screen has passed at age 82.
It is next to impossible to pinpoint the work he is “best” known for, as he leaves behind a prolific body of work across several generations from the 1960s up until the late 2010s. Almost as prolific as the works in which Mr Caan did participate are the roles he turned down, such as M*A*S*H, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Apocalypse Now (directed by his former classmate, Francis Ford Coppola), Blade Runner, and Superman, among others, the latter of which launched the late Christopher Reeve into stardom.
Caan was born March 26, 1940, in the Bronx, New York. While in college at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, he was classmates with Francis Ford Coppola, who would later direct him in “The Godfather”. While studying at Hofstra University he became intrigued by acting and enrolled in New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where he studied under Sanford Meisner.
Graduating college, Caan’s acting career began in off-Broadway plays before making his Broadway debut in “Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole”, which was his first significant acting role. He first worked under his old classmate Francis Ford Coppola in 1969 in the film, “The Rain People”.
Caan continued to work in small, guest star roles in television and supporting roles in film until his starring role as doomed Chicago Bears player Brian Piccolo in the 1971 made-for-TV movie, “Brian's Song - 1971”, based loosely on Gayle sayers’ autobiography, “I Am Third”, earning Caan an Emmy Award nomination.
In 1972, Caan would once again be directed by Coppola in “The Godfather”, playing Sonny Corleone. Initially cast as Michael Corelone, both Caan and director Coppola insisted on Al Pacino ❤️ in the role. Although a different actor was initially to play Sonny, Coppola’s insistence won over the studio executives (not to mention the height similarities of Caan and Pacino, making them more conceivable as brothers).
So closely was Caan associated with his role in “The Godfather” that for years, people would truly believe the Jewish Caan was actually Italian and was thought to be a “made” man, an aspiring mobster. He noted that he won Italian of the Year twice in New York, despite being a Jew and not Italian. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Caan reprised the role (as a flashback) in “The Godfather: Part II”.
Now an established film star, Caan landed roles in “Funny Lady”, “The Gambler”, and “A Bridge Too Far”, among others. He made his directorial debut in 1978 with “Hide in Plain Sight”.
He took off for five years between 1982 to 1987 to deal with depression over his sister’s passing, drug addiction, and burnout, returning to acting under Coppola again in, “Gardens of Stone”. Although this film was not as popular as other Coppola films, Caan found greater success with “Alien Nation”.
His return to film was cemented in the 1990s with a string of successful films: 1990’s “Misery”, 1991’s “For the Boys” (with Bette Middler), 1992’s “Honeymoon in Vegas” (with Sarah Jessica Parker), 1996’s “Eraser” (with Arnold Schwarzenegger), and 1999’s “Mickey Blue Eyes” (with Hugh Grant).
He continued his work in film with “Elf”, with Will Ferrell, among other works, and returned to TV in the series “Las Vegas”, playing Montecito casino owner Ed Deline for four seasons.
Caan returned to film once again, going to television as a guest star on the re-imagined “Hawaii Five-0”, where he would play opposite his son, Scott, and attempting a full return to TV in 2013 before returning once again to films. He was also Chairman of an Internet company called Openfilm, intended to help up-and-coming filmmakers.
Caan was a practicing martial artist. He trained with Takayuki Kubota for nearly 30 years. He was a Master (6 Dan) of Gosoku-ryu Karate and was granted the title of Soke Dai by the International Karate Association.
He also took part in steer roping at rodeos jokingly referring to himself as the "only Jewish cowboy from New York on the professional rodeo cowboy circuit."
On July 6, 2022, Caan died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles from a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease; he was 82. At the time of his death, he also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
Tributes were paid by co-stars Rob Reiner, Kathy Bates, Barbra Streisand, Will Ferrell, Godfather co-stars Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, and Robert Duvall, among others.
