The actor's official Twitter account announced the news on Thursday:. The GM and coach seem to be more cohesive than Ryan Pace was with Matt Nagy and John Fox. Hip hop artist Derek Lee, who went by the stage name Doc Rapper, intervened, at which point, according to Lee, Caan pointed a pistol at Lee. Fox News' Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report. James Caan died at 82 years old, . Caan was born in the Bronx in 1940. From 1982 to 1987, Caan suffered from depression over his sister's death from leukemia, a growing problem with cocaine, and what he described as "Hollywood burnout," and did not act in any films. Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie Brians Song, an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26. Instead, Joel Grey took home the award for "Cabaret." From 1990 to 1995 Caan was married to model Ingrid Hajek, who was 20 years younger than him. Caan, who was nominated for an Oscar, was perfect as the hedonistic and volatile heir apparent to the Corleone family, whose bloody ways end in his own death. The actor had to leave Hawaii and go to LA to get an ACL injury treated. When Caan was going through a difficult divorce from wife Sheila Ryan in 1976, Hefner offered him a place to stay until he got back on his feet. Three years later luck would strike again when Caan's old Hofstra classmate Francis Ford Coppola cast him as a former football player in the road trip drama "The Rain People" opposite Shirley Knight and Robert Duvall. "I've got 14 screws in my left shoulder, six in my right, and three in my elbow," he boasts. Legal Statement. Caan was 82 years old when he died. Entertainment, Caan said that he lived with cocaine addiction after turning to the drug when his sister died from leukemia. After leaving Las Vegas, James went on to feature in hit movies like New York, I Love You, Blood Ties, and The Good Neighbor. I can't take it easy. "Then I felt there was this stigma to doing a TV series. In 1987, Caan linked back up with Coppola in the dramatic film Gardens of Stone. In 1993, a man named Mark Schwartz died when trying to climb up to the balcony of an apartment where the actor was staying. Soon after The Godfather, Caan was wallowing in violence again as the embittered hero of Rollerball (1975). James Caan. Then his friend Coppola gave him the lead in Gardens of Stone (1987). In the early 60s, Caan made his off-Broadway debut in Schnitzlers La Ronde and started to appear on television, mostly as juvenile delinquents, in series including Naked City, Route 66, The Untouchables and Dr Kildare. Those legal run-ins did little to slow James Caan's career momentum, as he settled into serving as an elder statesman for a new generation of actors and audiences who grew up watching him in his 1970s heyday. His character rose to become boss of the Montecito but remained the tough guy who had learned judo in an undercover division of the U.S. government. He eventually agreed to direct, though, saying, "But it took a year from my life." If Im asked about the best movies ever made in Chicago, the most CHICAGO of Chicago movies . James disappeared from Hollywood on several occasions, intermittently working as a children's sports coach. It's an importantjob, but can she resist the tug pulling her away? And the violent, anti-woman propaganda appearing in its place. Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Market data provided by Factset. End of tweet" (via Twitter). The Godfather star James Caan dies aged 82 Actor who played Sonny Corleone in the groundbreaking 1972 epic engineered a comeback after his career went off the rails in the early 1980s A life in. James Caan death updates Fans also mourn mobster movie stars Ray Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. The actor's family announced . Caan was divorced four times. All Rights Reserved. His work should be remembered, and his flaws do not mean his movies will hold any less relevance to fans. The Associated Press wrote: an acquaintance [of Caans] fell eight stories to his death [from a fire escape] while trying to reach an apartment where Caan was staying. The New York Times reported that at the time, [t]he police questioned him at length. Caan told the police he was asleep when it happened, and the death was deemed accidental. In 1993, Caan was questioned in relation to 25-year-old Mark Alan Schwartz death in Los Angeles. Straight talk from James Caan - CBS News "Jimmy was one of the greatest," Del Piano said in a statement. 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. The football star played for Michigan State University before transferring to Hofstra University where he discovered his talent as an actor and was accepted into the New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre (via Walk of Fame). Above all, as seen in the many tributes that have been published since his death, he was a generous artist and professional whose work continues to inspire. "Birnam Wood," by Eleanor Catton(FSG, fiction):The Booker Prizewinning author of The Luminaries returns with a gripping thriller, pitting an activist gardening collective against an enigmatic billionaire who offers the group access to his land but to what end? The full statement reads, "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. I just want the opportunity, while I'm still walking, to do something that will have you calling me and saying, 'Jimmy, that was really good,'" he toldThe Independent. And I get respect, too sometimes.". According to the death certificate obtained by TMZ, Caan died from a heart attack and coronary artery disease. However, his rough language betrayed violent thoughts. James was best known for playing Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather," which won him both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. There was something I especially liked about it and it was the form that it took. ", 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. James Caan Ditched 'The Godfather' Screening Due to Cut Scene | IndieWire James Caan was a bona fide A-lister in the 1970s, but in the years following "The Godfather" he took a more eclectic route with his stardom, acting in films like Sam Peckinpah's ninjas-vs-spies mash-up "The Killer Elite" and the turn-of-the-century caper "Harry and Walter Go to New York." "The thing I most cherish, as far as my whole career was the respect I felt from these young kids, really good actors," he said. Copyright 2023 Distractify. A brilliant director. Barbra Streisand said, He was so talented. Maria Shriver called him a legend. There were several contributing factors, starting with a bad experience filming the 1982 romantic comedy "Kiss Me Goodbye," co-starring Sally Field and Jeff Bridges. He was 82. Godfather actor James Caan dies 82 | Daily Mail Online Caan studied and performed at the acting school for five years, working closely with famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner, whose technique revolved reaction rather than calculated performance. The fun of it was taken away, he told an interviewer in 1981. As a storyteller, Mann's aesthetic of crooks and cops driving rain-soaked urban streets, pulsing to the beat of dreamy synths (courtesy of Tangerine Dream here) is already fully formed and on display. He reportedly had back surgery last . But coaching Little League doesn't pay the bills, and due to some financial chicanery on the part of his accountant, Caan's financial situation took a significant hit. I was doing this thing with Marsha Mason [Note: Chapter Two] and some guy was sitting there on a little wooden chair and he had this script and asked me to read it. By the mid-1990s, James Caan was back on top, thanks to a string of hits and notable films like "Misery" and the 1992 romantic comedy "Honeymoon in Vegas." . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone. By the mid-1990s, James Caan was back on top, thanks to a string of hits and notable films like "Misery" and the 1992 romantic comedy "Honeymoon in Vegas." Short on cash, Caan was hired by Coppola for the leading role in the 1987 film Gardens of Stone. The movie, about life at Arlington National Cemetery, proved too grim for most audiences, but it renewed Caans acting career. In 1996 the Tampa Bay Times called him a legendary carouser who rose to fame in the '70s as a macho leading man. On July 7 actor Martin Kove, known for his role as the villain in The Karate Kid, admiringly called Caan an original bad ass. Harry and Meghan news - latest: Duke of Sussex says marijuana 'really However, the many superb portrayals he gave in scores of films and TV episodes will. The spotlight on Caans minor brushes with the law (the Associated Press) has been dim. He was also willing to take supporting roles in movies such as Get Smart (2008), Mercy (2009), which was written by and starred his son Scott, Middle Men (2009), The Outsider (2014) and The Good Neighbor (2016). Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. James Caan has died at age 82 | CTV News He earned one nickname, Shoulders, due to his broad physique. He was sued by a woman who claimed he had tried to strangle her. The actor's rep told The Hollywood Reporter that Caan died Wednesday night at 82, confirming a Twitter post from his family. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. One such project included the 2018 biopic/federal crime "Con Man.". James Caan, who has died aged 82, sought satisfaction in extreme sports, drugs and a colourful personal life. James Caan 's portrayal of Ed Deline, the head of security at the Montecito Resort and Casino, was the main reason many viewers switched on their TV every Monday to catch a new episode of Las Vegas . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. I am Joe the boss of my own body, so what the f--- do I have to work for you for?, Caan said Frank never uses a contraction throughout the movie, and speaks in deliberate, measured tones so he is never misunderstood. James Caan Death at 82: 'The Godfather' To 'Elf', Much More - Decider The guys nuts.. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. (Michael Kovac), The tweet was completed withCaan's famous Twitter phrase, "End of tweet.". A 1999 article in The Guardian states the LAPD arrested Caan at the time and interrogated him for 10 hours over Schwartz death. Don't miss out on the latest news. Hollywood great James Caan, who had recently undergone back surgery, appeared frail as his son Jacob pushed him around in a wheelchair back in 2020. Poles needs to make sure Eberflus maintains significant input. Her 2019 short story collection "Staten Island Stories" was a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards. A character actor with movie star swagger, or perhaps the other way around, Caan got his start on television in the 1960s before becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1970s, thanks in large part to his immortal turn as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." Given that James fell for so many women, some fans may wonder how many kids the actor fathered. As the actor described in a previous interview with Today, the creators were very open to his suggestions granting him plenty of opportunities to get involved in the creative process. Based on the life of 1980s Ponzi schemer turned Evangelical minister Barry Minkow, the film went into production in 2009 with Minkow producing and even playing himself. In later years, Caan was content to have the security of a popular TV series, Las Vegas (2003-07), appearing as a former CIA agent now the head of security at the fictional Montecito resort and casino. There were several flops, undeservedly in the case of Michael Manns Thief (1981), released as Violent Streets in the UK, and deservedly with the whimsical Kiss Me Goodbye (1982) Caans attempts at comedy were slow to be appreciated. His second wife, Sheila Marie Ryanwho dated Elvis and appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in 1973 was 12 years his junior and died in 2012 (m. 1976-1977). Enter your email below to sign in or become a 4W member and join the conversation. Playing Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather" earned James Caan a Golden Globe nomination and his sole Academy Award nod; he might have won if the Academy had not pitted him against co-stars Robert Duvall and Al Pacino in the Best Supporting Actor category. On top of this, he walked off the set of The Holcroft Covenant (1985) and was replaced by Michael Caine. Private funeral services for Barbara Emily Caan Licker, who died Monday, Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of the week, Olivia Newton-John's daughter Chloe reveals 'promise' she made to mother before her death, Emma Stones 'And' co-star Willem Dafoe had her slap him 20 times to get scene right, Prince Harry's 'attacks' on 'villain' Camilla led to Frogmore Cottage eviction: expert, Film industry reacts to death of 'Saving Private Ryan' star Tom Sizemore: 'You're a legend', Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves take bumpy second flight after 'CHAOS' on Lufthansa plane: 'Wish me luck'. James Caan: 'I was always cast as Mister Tough Guy - they wouldn't let It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history and Caan and co-star Billy Dee Williams, who played Piccolos teammate and best friend Gale Sayers, were nominated for best actor Emmys. According to the death certificate obtained by TMZ, Caan died from a heart attack and coronary artery disease. 5 Sister of actor James Caan dies Desert Sun 24 November 1981 On 26-3-1940 James Caan (nickname: James) was born in The Bronx, New York, United States. He has five children and four grandchildren, three from his eldest daughter Tara and one from his son Scott. I enjoy working. James Caan Dead at 82: 'The Godfather,' 'Misery - TVLine Legendary actor James Caan died on the evening of July 6, 2022. Caan arranged to meet and pay the kidnappers, then arrived with Fiato and his crew with guns and baseball bats. His manager Matt DelPiano said he died Wednesday. While his roles in "Redemption" and "Acre Beyond the Rye" had only been announced and could be re-cast, "Fast Charlie" is in post-production and slated for a 2023 release. 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. However, the many superb portrayals he gave in scores of films and TV episodes will outlive the gossip and sensational headlines. All titles are on sale Tuesday. Whether or not Caan gets his wish, he will be remembered as a shining star of American cinema. I have more fun when I'm working, and I have a lot of laughs. His first and last directorial effort, Hide in Plain Sight (1980), in which he starred as a man in search of his ex-wife and children, was generally given a chilly critical reception. "The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time. Then came the morning when he woke up in a friends flat to find 10 Los Angeles policemen standing over him with guns drawn. I mean, I woke up and this whole thing had happened while I was asleep.