James Caan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Caan
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Caan in 1976
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James Edmund Caan
March 26, 1940 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | July 6, 2022 (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1961–2022 |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 5, including Scott Caan |
James Langston Edmund Caan (March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American movie, stage and television actor. He is known for his role of Sonny Corleone in 1972's The Godfather and for his role as Ed Deline on Las Vegas. He was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe. He also played Frank in Thief, Ed Deline in Las Vegas and Paul Sheldon in Misery.
Caan was the son of Sophie (née Falkenstein) and Arthur Caan, Jewish immigrants from Germany. He was a conservative and supported Donald Trump.
For his contributions to the film industry, Caan was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978 with a motion pictures star located at 6648 Hollywood Boulevard.
Caan died on July 6, 2022 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82.
Contents
Early life
Caan was born on March 26, 1940, in the Bronx, New York to a family of Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father was a meat dealer and butcher. One of three siblings, Caan grew up in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City. He was educated in New York City, but did not graduate. Some of his classmates included Francis Ford Coppola and Lainie Kazan.
While studying at Hofstra University, however, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed for, accepted to, and graduated from, New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where he studied for five years.
Career
After early roles in Howard Hawks' El Dorado (1966), Robert Altman's Countdown (1967) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People (1969), Caan gained acclaim for his portrayal of Brian Piccolo in the 1971 television movie Brian's Song, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nomination. Caan received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in the drama The Gambler (1974), and the musical Funny Lady (1975). He continued to receive significant roles in feature films such as Cinderella Liberty (1973), Rollerball (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Comes a Horseman (1978), Chapter Two (1979) and Thief (1981).
After a five-year break from acting, he returned with roles in Gardens of Stone (1987), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Eraser (1996), episode of Newsradio (1997), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), The Yards (2000), City of Ghosts (2002), Elf (2003), and Get Smart (2008).
Other work
Caan was a practicing martial artist. He trained with Takayuki Kubota for nearly thirty years, earning various ranks. He was a Master (Rank = 6 Dan) of Gosoku Ryu Karate and was granted the title of Soke Dai by the International Karate Association.
Personal life
Caan was married four times. In 1961, he married Dee Jay Mathis; they divorced in 1966. They had a daughter, Tara (born 1964). Caan's second marriage to Sheila Marie Ryan (a former girlfriend of Elvis Presley's) in 1976 was short-lived; they divorced the following year. Their son, Scott Caan, also an actor, was born August 23, 1976.
Caan was married to Ingrid Hajek from September 1990 to March 1994; they had a son, Alexander James Caan, born 1991. He married Linda Stokes on October 7, 1995, they had two sons, James Arthur Caan (born 1995) and Jacob Nicholas Caan (born 1998). Caan filed for divorce on November 20, 2009.
James Caan had five children.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Irma la Douce | Soldier with Radio | Uncredited | |
| 1964 | Lady in a Cage | Randall Simpson O'Connell | ||
| 1965 | The Glory Guys | Pvt. Anthony Dugan | ||
| Red Line 7000 | Mike Marsh | |||
| 1967 | El Dorado | Alan Bourdillion "Mississippi" Traherne | ||
| Games | Paul Montgomery | |||
| 1968 | Countdown | Lee Stegler | ||
| Submarine X-1 | Cmdr. Richard Bolton | |||
| Journey to Shiloh | Buck Burnett | |||
| 1969 | The Rain People | Jimmy Kilgannon | ||
| 1970 | Rabbit, Run | Rabbit Angstrom | ||
| 1971 | T.R. Baskin | Larry Moore | ||
| 1972 | The Godfather | Santino "Sonny" Corleone | ||
| 1973 | Slither | Dick Kanipsia | ||
| Cinderella Liberty | John Baggs Jr. | |||
| 1974 | The Gambler | Axel Freed | ||
| Freebie and the Bean | Freebie | |||
| The Godfather Part II | Santino "Sonny" Corleone | Cameo | ||
| 1975 | Gone with the West | Jud McGraw | Filmed in 1969; also known as "Man Without Mercy" | |
| Funny Lady | Billy Rose | |||
| Rollerball | Jonathan E. | |||
| 1976 | The Killer Elite | Mike Locken | ||
| Silent Movie | Himself | |||
| Harry and Walter Go to New York | Harry Dighby | |||
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Sgt. Eddie Dohun | ||
| Another Man, Another Chance | David Williams | |||
| 1978 | Comes a Horseman | Frank "Buck" Athearn | ||
| 1979 | 1941 | Sailor in Fight | Uncredited | |
| Chapter Two | George Schneider | |||
| 1980 | Hide in Plain Sight | Thomas Hacklin | Also director | |
| 1981 | Thief | Frank | ||
| 1982 | Kiss Me Goodbye | Jolly Villano | ||
| 1984 | Les Uns et les Autres | Jack Glenn / Jason Glenn | ||
| 1987 | Gardens of Stone | SFC Clell Hazard | ||
| 1988 | Alien Nation | Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes | ||
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Spud Spaldoni | ||
| Misery | Paul Sheldon | |||
| 1991 | The Dark Backward | Doctor Scurvy | ||
| For the Boys | Eddie Sparks | |||
| 1992 | Honeymoon in Vegas | Tommy Korman | ||
| 1993 | The Program | Coach Sam Winters | ||
| Flesh and Bone | Roy Sweeney | |||
| 1995 | A Boy Called Hate | Jim | ||
| 1996 | North Star | Sean McLennon | ||
| Bottle Rocket | Mr. Abe Henry | |||
| Eraser | U.S. Marshal Robert Deguerin | |||
| Bulletproof | Frank Colton | |||
| 1997 | Howard Hawks: American Artist | Himself | ||
| 1999 | This Is My Father | Kieran Johnson | ||
| Mickey Blue Eyes | Frank Vitale | |||
| 2000 | The Yards | Frank Olchin | ||
| Luckytown | Charlie Doyles | |||
| The Way of the Gun | Joe Sarno | |||
| 2001 | Viva Las Nowhere | Roy Baker | ||
| In the Shadows | Lance Huston | |||
| Night at the Golden Eagle | Prison Warden | Uncredited | ||
| 2002 | City of Ghosts | Marvin | ||
| 2003 | Dogville | The Big Man | ||
| This Thing of Ours | Jimmy "The Con" | |||
| Jericho Mansions | Leonard Grey | |||
| Elf | Walter Hobbs | |||
| 2005 | Santa's Slay | Darren Mason | Uncredited | |
| 2008 | Wisegal | Salvatore Palmeri | ||
| Get Smart | The President | |||
| New York, I Love You | Mr. Riccoli | Segment: "Brett Ratner" | ||
| 2009 | Middle Men | Jerry Haggerty | ||
| Mercy | Gerry Ryan | |||
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | Tim Lockwood | Voice | ||
| 2010 | Henry's Crime | Max Saltzman | ||
| Minkow | Paul Vinsant | |||
| 2011 | Detachment | Mr. Charles Seaboldt | ||
| 2012 | Small Apartments | Mr. Allspice | ||
| That's My Boy | Father McNally | |||
| For the Love of Money | Mickey | |||
| 2013 | Blood Ties | Leon Pierzynski | ||
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Tim Lockwood | Voice | ||
| The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | The Bamboo Cutter | Voice; English dub | ||
| 2014 | The Outsider | Karl Schuster | ||
| A Fighting Man | Brother Albright | |||
| Preggoland | Walter Huxley | |||
| 2015 | The Throwaways | Lt. Col. Christopher Holden | ||
| Sicilian Vampire | Professor Bernard Isaacs | |||
| 2016 | The Good Neighbor | Harold Grainey | ||
| The Red Maple Leaf | George Lawrence Secord | |||
| 2017 | Undercover Grandpa | Grandpa | ||
| Holy Lands | Harry Rosenmerck | |||
| 2018 | Out of Blue | Col. Tom Rockwell | ||
| Con Man | Agent Gamble | |||
| 2021 | Queen Bees | Dan Simpson | ||
| 2023 | Fast Charlie | Stan | Posthumous release |
Television
| Year1964 | Wagon Train | Outlaw opposite Jack Lord | "The Echo Pass Story", Season 8 Episode 14 which aired on 2/13/1964. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Route 66 | Johnny - street gang leader | Episode: "And the Cat Jumped Over the Moon" |
| The Untouchables | Keir Brannon | Episode: "A Fast of Five" | |
| 1963 | Death Valley Days | Jim McKinney / Bob | 2 episodes |
| Kraft Suspense Theatre | Rick Peterson | Episode: "The Hunt" | |
| 1964 | Combat! | German sergeant | Episode: "Anatomy of a Patrol" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Jay Shaw / Phil Beldone | Episode: "Memos from Purgatory" | |
| 1969 | The F.B.I. | Eugene | Episode "A Life in the Balance" |
| Get Smart | Rupert of Rathskeller (uncredited) | 2 episodes "To Sire, with Love: Parts 1 and 2" | |
| 1971 | Brian's Song | Brian Piccolo | Television film |
| 1996 | NewsRadio | James Caan / Himself | Episode: "Movie Star" |
| 1998 | Poodle Springs | Philip Marlowe | Television film |
| 2001 | Warden of Red Rock | John Flinders | |
| A Glimpse of Hell | Capt. Fred Moosally | ||
| 2002 | Lathe of Heaven | Dr. William Haber | |
| Blood Crime | Sheriff Morgan McKenna | ||
| 2003 | The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie | Harry Dewitt | |
| 2003–2007 | Las Vegas | Ed Deline | Main role, 88 episodes |
| 2004 | Crossing Jordan | Episode: "What Happens in Vegas Dies in Boston"" | |
| The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | Episode: "All's Fair in Oven War" | |
| 2010 | Family Guy | Episode: "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" | |
| Annoying Orange | Jalepeño (voice) | Web series | |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Tony Archer | Episode: "Lekio" |
| 2013 | Magic City | Sy Berman | 5 episodes |
| Back in the Game | Terry "The Cannon" Gannon | 13 episodes | |
| 2015 | Wuthering High School | Mr. Earnshaw | Television film |
| 2016 | The American West | Himself | Episode 8: "The Last Vendetta" |
| JL Ranch | Tap Peterson | Television film | |
| 2020 | JL Ranch: The Wedding Gift |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Godfather | Sonny Corleone (voice) |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Golden Globe Award | New Star of the Year | The Glory Guys | Nominated |
| 1972 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Brian's Song | Nominated |
| 1972 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Godfather | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| 1974 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama | The Gambler | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Funny Lady | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Saturn Award | Best Actor | Rollerball | Won |
| 1990 | Misery | Nominated |
Images for kids
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Caan (left), Karyn Kupcinet, and Roy Thinnes appeared in the "Shadow of Violence" episode of Death Valley Days (1963).
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Caan in 1976 during the filming of A Bridge Too Far
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Caan with Guillaume Canet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013
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Caan at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
See also
In Spanish: James Caan para niños
