He was 82 years old. James disappeared from Hollywood on several occasions, intermittently working as a children's sports coach. I did the fight scene with stuntman Paul Baxley. My heart felt condolences to your family. Thinking of his family and sending my love., Actor and long-time friend Gary Sinise has shared his condolences. Loved him very much. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage), "That was when I came back!" Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for El Dorado (DVD, 2005 JOHN WAYNE,ROBERT MITCHUM,JAMES CAAN,CHARLENE HOLT at the best online prices at eBay! In the film, based on Stephen Kings novel, Caan is an author taken captive by an obsessed fan who breaks his ankles to keep him from leaving. He wrote: I named my son after Santino Corleone in the Godfather and the man who infamously played him passed away today on my sons birthday. ", JAMES CAAN, 'GODFATHER' STAR, DEAD AT 82, FAMILY SAYS, James Caan and Barbra Streisand starred in Funny Lady circa 1975. So happy I got to know him. My heart has a deep sorrow this day for your passing. "When she died, passion became this whole thing with me. "I really want to work. Jimmy made it so funny, Duvall told THR about filming the scene where his character Vito examines Sonnys corpse. The Oscar-nominated icon of Seventies cinema first appeared on the big screen in the mid-Sixties with roles in Howard Hawks-directed films like the auto-racing drama Red Line 7000 and the hit 1966 western El Dorado, where he starred alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Other later films included Flesh and Bone, Bottle Rocket and Mickey Blue Eyes. He introduced himself to a new generation playing Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddys Will Ferrell in Elf., Adam Sandler, who acted with him in Bulletproof and Thats My Boy tweeted that he, Loved him very much. 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. Russo claimed Caan wasn't amicable to him since the pair attended the first Godfather rehearsal. "Tough, Smart, a mans man. There was an incident where his team's weakest player hit a home run that won a game. It might be variable, the corners could be rounded with urban irony, but there was a line and it was non-fungible. I said you havent got enough money to make me go to work every day with a director I dont like.". Legal Statement. The actor has been seen in a wheelchair in more recent years as his health has declined since the incident. Between 1982 and 1987, he went on what he would later call the Hollywood burnout. Its hard to believe that he wont be in the world anymore because he was so alive and daring. No cause was given and Caans family, who requests privacy, said that no further details would be released at this time. So if you could make him laugh, all the tension disappears. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, 'All Good Here!' After appearing in the daytime program from 1978 to 1981, he moved toLos Angeles,Californiain favor of a motion picture career. Now, Caan cleared up the altercation, telling THR that Russo was mistaken. Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola since the 1960s, when Coppola cast him for the lead in Rain People. He was primed for a featured role in The Godfather as Sonny, the No. He wrote: "We were lucky enough to work with James Caan on Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The late actor's passing comes as two other legends from gangster genre movies have died this year: Ray Liotta and Tony Sirico. Fox News' Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report. Film producer Christopher Miller shared a tribute posting to "legend" James Caan. Caan then joined the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre; his first significant acting credit was a small role in the 1961 Broadway production of Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole, a second world war play by William Goldman and his brother James. His movies were best of the best. He later married Ingrid Hajek in 1990. It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6, the family tweeted. does james caan wear a back brace does james caan wear a back brace (No Ratings Yet) . It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history. ". In remembrance of the legendary James Caan. He starred as a self-destructive gambling addict in the 1974s now-cut classic The Gambler, the foil to Barbra Streisands Fanny Brice in the Funny Girl sequel Funny Lady and as a superstar athlete-turned-revolutionary in the 1974 sci-fi sports film Rollerball. Scott Caan also grew up to be an actor. In 1990, he starred in both "Dick Tracy" and "Misery." From there, he appeared in numerous memorable movies, including "Eraser," "Elf" and. The actor tied the knot for the final time in 1995 to a woman named Linda Stokes, and the couple welcomed two sons, James Arthur Caan and Jacob Nicholas Caan. The actors family announced Caans death Thursday on social media. Caan is survived by sons Scott, James, Jacob and Alexander, as well as daughter Tara. Always wanted to be like him. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. He was never satisfied. Caan died from a heart attack in early July. James Caan first worked with director Francis Ford Coppola in 'The Rain People' in 1969. He also appeared in more traditional vehicles, such as the Barbra Streisand musical Funny Lady and the second world war epic A Bridge Too Far. The following year he played a tongue-in-cheek version of Sonny Corleone in the comedy Honeymoon in Vegas, tricking Nicolas Cage into betting his girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker, in a high-stakes poker game so he can spirit her away and try to persuade her to marry him. The character and the man like his Sonny in The Godfather were made for each other. "The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time. We want to hear it. All rights reserved. So happy I got to know him. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Caan then went on to star in string of high-profile films in the 1970s that bracketed him firmly in the new generation of American acting talent, including The Gambler (directed by Karel Reisz), buddy cop comedy Freebie and the Bean alongside Alan Arkin, and dystopian sci-fi parable Rollerball. Caan played Sonny Corleone, the eldest son of mafia don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). I loved him, gonna miss him. Robert De Niro also wrote that he was, very very sad to hear about Jimmys passing.. The athletically gifted Caan played football at Michigan State University while studying economics, holds a black belt in karate and for several years was even a regular on the rodeo circuit, where he was nicknamed "The Jewish Cowboy". He toldThe Post: "The biggest thorn in his side was, 'Whos Gianni Russo? This guy, he studied with Stella Adler, you name it. His father was a meat dealer and butcher. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA THOUGHT GODFATHER WAS GOING TO BE A SPECIAL FAILURE, RECEIVES WALK OF FAME STAR, Kathy Bates And James Caan paired up for the chilling Misery flick in 1990 (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection). "Godfather" star James Caan's cause of death has been revealed. 'Godfather' actor James Caan died on Wednesday, July 7. Says Adam Driver, Defending Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis' Set, Damien Chazelle Compared Diego Calva to Al Pacino During 'Babylon' Casting, 22 Great Erotic Thrillers, from Adrian Lyne to Brian De Palma, 45 Great Films That Failed at the Box Office. or redistributed. The action-crime-thriller is listed as in post-production, and costars Morena Baccarin and Pierce Brosnan. Actor: The Godfather. I cant do a little of anything. Thinking of his family and sending my love., James Caan. The character is a real ballbreaker, Caan told Rolling Stone in 1981. Alert: Missing Persons Unit, with Monday night's double-episode finale, tracked down the woman . The film star received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe for his performance. Old friend from Sunnyside, collaborator and one of the funniest people Ive ever known., His Funny Lady co-star Barbra Streisand tweeted a picture of the pair together and wrote: Im so sorry to hear about Jimmy. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. James career began when he played Brian Piccolo in Brians Song. A statement read: It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The first episode of the crime drama aired on Sept. 22, 2003 and it was an immediate hit. His output slowed in the Eighties as the actor dealt with personal problems, addiction and burnout. I taught an acting class for a couple of years here, which was fun and rewarding, but it's not as much fun as doing it. "Jimmy was one of the greatest," Del Piano said in a statement. Snubbing the King: Why Don't Big Stars Want to Perform at Charles' Coronation? ", 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. Following his celebrated turn as a bedridden author tormented by a psychotic Kathy Bates in Misery, Caan returned to Hollywood in the Nineties as a prolific character actor, often playing roles that tapped into the macho bravado he utilized as Sonny decades earlier: He starred as a win-at-all-costs college football coach in The Program, a duplicitous federal agent in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick The Eraser, a low-level crime boss in Wes Andersons directorial debut Bottle Rocket and, in a nod to The Godfather, the patriarch of a crime family in the mob comedy Mickey Blue Eyes. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. I was so pissed off, I couldnt watch the rest of the film., Caan added, But otherwise, [Coppola] gave me a great honor., Caan also dismissed the rumor that he butted heads with co-star Gianni Russo on set. Sending my love to his family., Coppola shared a statement with Deadline that read: Jimmy was someone who stretched through my life longer and closer than any motion picture figure Ive ever known. When Michael [Al Pacino] tells me he is going to take care of the cop and Sollozzo [Al Lettieri], I say, Youll get brains all over your nice Ivy League suit. There was a scene before in the same room that I had with Bobby [Duvall] that was like 10 pages long and Francis cut all of it out! Caan told The Hollywood Reporter in honor of The Godfathers 50th anniversary. 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Caan's family announced his passing on his Twitter account. Besides being a talented instinctive actor, he was the only Jew I knew who could rope a calf with the best of them. ", At the times, his dad James, said: "He saw me when I was a little rough around the edges. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his sons Little League games. He told the magazine in 2003: "I never saw my dad cry. He reprised the role for several flashback scenes in the sequel The Godfather Part II (1974) and then moved on to several very diverse projects. James Caan's son Scott went on to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. And I didnt have to wait six months for them to put music to it.". He also lent his voice to animated shows likeFamily Guyand American Dad. He improvised a few things like that little billy club he threw at me when I came off the stoop. Keen not to follow his father into the meat trade, Caan initially aimed for a career as a football player, but got interested in acting after studying at Hofstra University in New York state where he met future collaborator Francis Ford Coppola. Robert Duvall, James Caan, The Godfather. ", JAMES CAAN, GODFATHER STAR, DEAD AT 82, FAMILY SAYS, 'Godfather' actor James Caan died on Wednesday, July 7. Photo: Matt Carr/Getty. A great actor, a brilliant director and my dear friend. I was so saddened to hear about Jimmy leaving us, he wrote in a statement. An earlier version mistakenly listed Things to Do in Denver When Youre Dead among Caans film credits. For more on James Caan, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. They wouldn't let me do much else. Caan played . My son saw me cry. (CBS via Getty Images), "I had great, great times as a Little League coach," he told Esquire. James Caan R.I.P: So Much More Than A "Tough Guy" Actor. While his Sixties films werent box office successes, Caans return to television he guest-often starred on TV shows before making it on the big screen in 1971s Brians Song catapulted Caan to stardom: In that Movie of the Week, Caan portrayed terminally ill Chicago Bears football player Brian Piccolo. more ups and downs than the average rollercoaster and whose selection Caan didnt take a starring role in a TV series until 2003 but his first effort, Las Vegas, was an immediate hit. Caan was cast by a then-little-regarded Robert Altman in the 1967 space film Countdown, but his first significant association with the Hollywood new wave came with the 1969 film The Rain People, directed by Coppola, in which Caan played a hitchhiking former college football star who is picked up by Shirley Knights dissatisfied middle class housewife. In 1990, he starred in both "Dick Tracy" and "Misery." James Caan's son on 'dysfunctional' relationship with dad. The Best Picture Race Got a Lot More Confusing This Week, Tom Cruise Made the Rounds This Week, but Other Oscar Nominees Got More Applause Than Top Gun: Maverick, These Oscar Categories Are the Hardest to Predict, Translating the Unconscious Into Images: The Cinematography of Bardo, Poker Face Takes Viewers on a Cross-Country Road Trip Without Leaving New York, Why TR Looks Different from Every Other Movie of 2022, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed and accepted at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. Entertainment, Caan said that he lived with cocaine addiction after turning to the drug when his sister died from leukemia. Actors James Caan and Scott Caan attend the Los Angeles premiere HBO's "His Way" at Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios lot on March 22, 2011, in Hollywood, California. HEARTFELT tributes to James Caan are pouring out from fans and old friends alike following his death at the age of 82. We kept him laughing, and he kept us laughing.. No cause of death was provided. Jen Juneau is a digital news writer for PEOPLE since 2016. Caan spent the remainder of the Seventies as a leading man, headlining films like Sam Peckinpahs The Killer Elite, Richard Attenboroughs war epic A Bridge Too Far and the adaptation of Neil Simons Chapter Two. S double-episode finale, tracked down the woman the greatest, '' he told Esquire Godfather '' james! Further details would be released at what happened to james caan's back time he improvised a few like! The greatest, '' Del Piano said in a wheelchair in more recent years as his health has declined the. 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