He was 82. James Caan and Barbra Streisand starred in Funny Lady circa 1975. James Caan's son Scott went on to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. The actor died earlier this month due to heart problems, according to a death certificate for the star that was obtained by . Rest In Peace. However, the many superb portrayals he gave in scores of films and TV episodes will. he boasted. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, 'All Good Here!' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Caan left the show during the fourth season and it was later canceled. 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. The elder Caan experienced addiction in the 1980s, which required him to take a step back from acting. For more on James Caan, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. I loved him, gonna miss him. Robert De Niro also wrote that he was, very very sad to hear about Jimmys passing.. James was a core cast member on the show since the very beginning. 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. "He brought a pathos and authenticity to the role of Tim Lockwood that held the film together. According to IMDb, Caan's final film role will be in 2023's Fast Charlie. Brosnan wrote: "On the set of the movie 'Fast Charlie' with the great man himself James Caan. Over a 60-year career, Caan has definitely earned it, playing one memorable role after another, and managing not to be typecast - Sonny, Don Corleone's hothead son in "The Godfather"; a dying. Although his character was dispatched early in the saga, Caans volcanic portrayal of Sonny resulted in an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His output slowed in the Eighties as the actor dealt with personal problems, addiction and burnout. In the early 90s, James married Ingrid Hajek and they had a son together, Alexander James Caan. "I didnt know what to do. ", JAMES CAAN: 'THE GODFATHER' STAR CREATES HOLLYWOOD LEGACY WITH SIGNATURE MOVIE ROLES ACROSS THE DECADES, 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. the actor explained why he hesitated to join the cast of Las Vegas. 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Scott met a young girl named Petra who 1) pretended to only speak German and 2) is the daughter of the woman Scott was to have a job interview with when the L.A. sinkhole opened and concurrent . The actor recently opened up about the lasting legacy of The Godfather in which he played Vito Corleone's (Marlon Brando) oldest son, Sonny for the beloved crime epic's 50th anniversary. Whenever wed go into an Italian restaurant, theyd put onThe Godfathersoundtrack. 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. James Caan, pictured in 2000, has died aged 82. Caan was previously married four times: first to Dee Jay Mattis, from 1961 to 1966, then to Sheila Ryan in 1976. After playing the lead in a disappointing 1970 adaptation of John Updikes celebrated novel Rabbit, Run, Caan achieved a major breakthrough with Coppolas The Godfather. However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed and accepted at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his sons Little League games. 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). Pierce Brosnanis a film producer and actor from Ireland. 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. These included a cop-buddy crime partnership with Alan Arkin in the uneven Freebie and the Bean (1974), a superb performance as a man playing for his life in The Gambler (1974) alongside Lauren Hutton, and pairing with Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady (1975). Kathy Bates And James Caan paired up for the chilling Misery flick in 1990, Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 7/6, death of his younger sister Barbara from leukemia, for a featured role in "The Godfather" as Sonny, Michael B. Jordan apologized to his mom before steamy Calvin Klein underwear ad was released, Kristin Cavallari jokes shes 'heartless' for breaking up with guys over text: 'I know thats horrible', Gisele Bndchen shares tips for when 'life gets challenging': 'Remember that the sun rises everyday', Amy Grant says she leaned on her faith after horrific bike accident: Its helped me not be afraid, Bette Midler confesses to plastic surgery: Time smooths 'everything out', Meghan Markle, Prince Harry 'stunned' by King Charles' 'cruel' Frogmore Cottage eviction, report says. ", "Ive never missed a days work in my life, even through all the st," he remarked. James Caan, who has died aged 82, sought satisfaction in extreme sports, drugs and a colourful personal life. Favreau added, We ended up hanging out a lot off-set. ', "I said, Do you think I would hireJames Caan? ", "She was the only person I was afraid of in the world," he explained. Caan originally auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone that eventually went to Al Pacino, and was favoured by the studio executives, but after Coppola insisted on Pacino, Caan was given another plum role, Corleones older brother Sonny. Who Are James Caan's Children? Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. Other notable roles throughout his career include in films like Brian's Song (1971), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Gambler (1974), Rollerball (1975), Dick Tracy (1990), Bottle Rocket (1996) and Eraser (1996). RAY LIOTTA: A LOOK AT THE 'GOODFELLAS' STAR'S LIFE BEHIND THE CAMERA AND AS A HOLLYWOOD LEGEND, James Caan first worked with director Francis Ford Coppola in 'The Rain People' in 1969. Actor Pierce Brosnan shared a carousel of photos on Instagram to pay tribute to James Caan. One of a kind! Scoot Caan, also an actor like his dad, opened up to PEOPLE back in 2010 about their relationship. It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history. When the series debuted, he was a casino surveillance chief dealing with cheaters and competitors of the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino. He was 82 years old. "The Godfather" star James Caan, who died this week, was infamous for his antics and "excess" namely, cocaine benders and feuds with John Wayne that were much-discussed in the media. According to Yahoo! Why did he leave the show? He also made a brief appearance in a flashback sequence in The Godfather, Part II.. Besides being a talented instinctive actor, he was the only Jew I knew who could rope a calf with the best of them. What a loss.. His movies were best of the best.. ", Caan also told The Independent that Barbara "was like my best friend. The Offer premieres April 28 on the streamer. He appeared in comedies, such as Honeymoon in Vegas, Bulletproof and Mickey Blue Eyes, Hollywood thrillers, including Flesh and Bone and Eraser, and occasional prestige dramas, including The Yards, a sprawling crime epic directed by James Gray, and Lars von Triers Brechtian parable Dogville. Not me, Caan said. He also lent his voice to animated shows likeFamily Guyand American Dad. "Not only was he one of the best actors our business has ever seen, he was funny, loyal, caring and beloved. The two of them appear in the upcoming film Fast Charlie together. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. In remembrance of the legendary James Caan. So, what happened? 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. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. "You were an inspiration to me as young actor starting out and an even greater one as a man watching you work each day against great physical pain and discomfort. I said you havent got enough money to make me go to work every day with a director I dont like.". Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. 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