End of tweet. (Caan, a habitual Twitter user, would often write End of tweet on his own messages.) However, audiences were moved to tears as he put in a heart-rending performance as cancer-stricken Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo in the highly rated made-for-TV film Brian's Song (1971).With these strong performances under his belt, Francis Ford Coppola then cast him as hot-tempered gangster Santino "Sonny" Corleone in the Mafia epic The Godfather (1972). We kept him laughing, and he kept us laughing.. All rights reserved. The elder Caan experienced addiction in the 1980s, which required him to take a step back from acting. He was 82 years old. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his son Scotts Little League games. JAMES CAAN REMEMBERED BY HOLLYWOOD: 'GODFATHER' STAR HONORED WITH TRIBUTES FOLLOWING HIS DEATH AT 82, James Caan as Santino 'Sonny' Corleone in 'The Godfather, ' the movie based on the novel by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. or redistributed. His manager, Matt Del Piano, confirmed Caan's death to Fox News Digital. 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. 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. James Caan as Santino 'Sonny' Corleone in 'The Godfather, ' the movie based on the novel by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Caan received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in the drama The Gambler (1974), and the musical Funny Lady (1975). In addition, he finds himself at the helm of the hit TV series Las Vegas (2003) as casino security chief "Big Ed" Deline. He also lent his voice to animated shows likeFamily Guyand American Dad. Caan was originally cast in Al Pacinos role in the mob classic, but he soon took over as Santino Sonny Corleone, the hair-trigged eldest son of a mob family. These included such failures as the hokey Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), the quasi-western Comes a Horseman (1978) and the saccharine Chapter Two (1979). RELATED GALLERY: Celebrities Who've Died in 2022. I love to work with good people. Caan also had a role in the successful animation Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and in the fondly-remembered Christmas comedy Elf, as Will Ferrells businessman father. Caan was nominated for an Emmy for his role, which led to his reuniting with Coppola for The Godfather. James Caan has died. he added. From there, he appeared in numerous memorable movies, including "Eraser," "Elf" and "Dogville," among others. We want to hear it. Appeared in a PSA for Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV.org). A statement read: It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. 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. It renewed Caan's career, and he became busy as ever. ", At the times, his dad James, said: "He saw me when I was a little rough around the edges. Despite Coppolas fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, as well as Robert Duvall and Al Pacino. So if you could make him laugh, all the tension disappears. 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. The tumultuous making of the blockbuster movie is at the center of the Paramount+ limited series The Offer, charting the behind-the-scenes drama that plagued the big-screen adaptation of Mario Puzos novel. Legal Statement. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. ", According to the Oscar-nominated star, he coached his sons Little League team before turning to acting in "Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppolas 1987 film "Gardens of Stone. After a string of minor film and TV appearances, Caan achieved leading man status in 1965 in Howard Hawks stock car racing drama Red Line 7000, following it up with a role alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in Hawks 1966 western El Dorado. Originally intended to be the head of surveillance, Ed was supposed to be the kind of man who spends most of his time staring at the neon glow of television screens, carefully studying CCTV footage to prevent criminal activities. My heart felt condolences to your family. For more on James Caan, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. All rights reserved. (CBS via Getty Images), "I had great, great times as a Little League coach," he told Esquire. He also made a brief appearance in a flashback sequence in The Godfather, Part II.. He later reprised the role when he returned for Godfather II. Thief, released in 1981 and directed by Michael Mann, in which Caan played a safecracker who takes on the mob, boded well for his ability to reinvent himself for the new decade, but Caans career would swiftly derail. All Rights reserved. There was an incident where his team's weakest player hit a home run that won a game. Now, Caan cleared up the altercation, telling THR that Russo was mistaken. While living inNew York,Liottalanded one of his first acting gigs on the soap opera,Another World. He didn't feature in any movies in 1994, and he went on another break between 1996 and 1998. Scoot Caan, also an actor like his dad, opened up to PEOPLE back in 2010 about their relationship. What a loss.. 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! Actor: The Godfather. Among Caan's numerous accolades are four Golden Globe nominations, along with nods from both the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards. Caan, who passed away on Wednesday at age 82, once recalled to The Independent in 2021 how he "started doing cocaine, which is like a death sentence" and it "lasted a while. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. 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. However, the many superb portrayals he gave in scores of films and TV episodes will. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A year after his Firehouse 51 job ended, Hodge actually worked opposite James Caan in the indie thriller "The Waiting." The same year he made his third, and sadly final appearance in "The Purge . ", He added: "He made mistakes that affected him and me but he's always been there for me no matter what. 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. 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. By the time James Caan passed away in 2022, the famous actor was 82 years old. As the actor said in an interview with Bright Lights Film, he did have a good few reservations about accepting a role on a TV show at first. Over the years, Sirco appeared in several projects, includingThe Sopranos,Goodfellas, Mighty Aphrodite, and Caf Society. The award-winning star has been married four times, the first to Dee Jay Mathis with whom he shares a daughter named Tara. One of a kind! I said you havent got enough money to make me go to work every day with a director I dont like.". Despite Coppolas fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, Duvall and Pacino. His anger at Coppola, 83, aside, "Otherwise, he gave me a great honor," Caan said with a laugh of the film's director and co-writer. Scoot Caan, also an actor like his dad, opened up to PEOPLE back in 2010 about their relationship. ", JAMES CAAN, GODFATHER STAR, DEAD AT 82, FAMILY SAYS, 'Godfather' actor James Caan died on Wednesday, July 7. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, 'All Good Here!' 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 "Brian's Song" and the casino boss in "Las Vegas," has died. Caan played Sonny Corleone, the eldest son of mafia don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). That was a big-time winner for me, Caan said. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. We all will miss him terribly. James struggled with various mental and physical health complications over the years, including depression, severe chest pain, and back problems. He was 82 years old. Al Pacino wrote in an emailed statement that, Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend. And I had to work very hard to make Frank human, because the guy is really a prick, a killer., What a terrible and tragic loss, Thief director Michael Mann said in a statement to Rolling Stone Thursday. Caan worked steadily thereafter, often trading on his abrasive manner and hard-living reputation. Al Jean, a producer of The Simpsons, tweeted a joke on Saturday that the three actors would now be "having a sitdown up in heaven.". He starred in four films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day from 1995 to 2002, as well as several video games. A masculine and enigmatic actor whose life and movie career have had more ups and downs than the average rollercoaster and whose selection of roles has arguably derailed him from achieving true superstar status, James Caan is New York-born and bred. Distractify is a registered trademark. "My beautiful Smile is pain-free, living in her . Why did he leave the show? Caan went on to pursue acting again after his recovery. He told theNew York Timesin 1991 that after his sisters death: I realized passion is such an important thing to have in life because it ends so soon, and my passion was to grow up with my son.. Short on cash, Caan was hired by Coppola for the leading role in the 1987 film "Gardens of Stone." ( HHV.org ) Godfather, Part II home run that won a game the... 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