James Caan Biography

James Edmund Caan (born March 26, 1940) is an American actor. After early roles in The Glory Guys (1965), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination, El Dorado (1966), and The Rain People (1969), he came to prominence in the 1970s with significant roles in films such as Brian's Song (1971), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Gambler (1974), Freebie and the Bean (1974), Rollerball (1975), Funny Lady (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), 1941 (1979), and Chapter Two (1979). For his signature role in The Godfather (1972), that of hot-tempered Sonny Corleone, Caan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe.

Caan's subsequent notable performances include roles in Thief (1981), Misery (1990), For the Boys (1991), Eraser (1996), Bottle Rocket (1996) and Elf (2003), as well as the role of "Big Ed" Deline in the television series Las Vegas (2003-08). He also prominently lent his voice to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) as Tim Lockwood, father of Bill Hader's protagonist Flint Lockwood. James Caan also studied Acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City.

Early life

Caan was born on March 26, 1940, in the Bronx, New York, the son of Sophie (ne Falkenstein; June 24, 1915 - January 18, 2016) and Arthur Caan, 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, and later attended Michigan State University. He later transferred to Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, but did not graduate. His classmates at Hofstra 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; one of his instructors was Sanford Meisner.

Career

1961-1969

Caan began appearing off-Broadway before making his Broadway debut in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole.

He appeared in such television series as The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Combat!, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, The Wide Country, Alcoa Premiere, Route 66, and Naked City.

In 1964, he starred as Jewish athlete Jeff Brubaker in the episode "My Son, the All-American" of Channing, a drama about college life. His first substantial film role was as a punk hoodlum in the 1964 thriller Lady in a Cage, which starred Olivia de Havilland. In 1965, he landed his first starring role, in Howard Hawks' auto-racing drama Red Line 7000.

In 1966, Caan appeared as Alan Bourdillion Traherne, a.k.a. Mississippi, in El Dorado, with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. He had a starring role in Robert Altman's second feature film, Countdown, in 1968. In 1969, he had an uncredited role as "Rupert of Rathskeller" on the spy sitcom Get Smart. That same year he won praise for his role as a brain-damaged football player in The Rain People (1969) directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

1970-1981

In 1971, Caan won more acclaim, as dying football player Brian Piccolo, opposite Billy Dee Williams, in the television movie Brian's Song, which was later released theatrically.

The following year, Coppola cast him as the short-tempered Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Originally, Caan was cast as Michael Corleone (Sonny's youngest brother); both Coppola and Caan demanded that this role be played by Al Pacino, so Caan could play Sonny instead. Although another actor, Carmine Caridi, was already signed to play Sonny, the studio insisted on having Caan, so he remained in the production.

Caan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, competing with co-stars Robert Duvall and Pacino. Caan was closely identified with the role for years afterward: "They called me a wiseguy. I won Italian of the Year twice in New York, and I'm not Italian.... I was denied in a country club once. Oh yeah, the guy sat in front of the board, and he says, 'No, no, he's a wiseguy, been downtown. He's a made guy.' I thought, What? Are you out of your mind?"

From 1971-82, Caan appeared in many films, playing a wide variety of roles. His films included T.R. Baskin, Cinderella Liberty, Freebie and the Bean, The Godfather Part II, Rollerball, a musical turn in Funny Lady, Harry and Walter Go to New York, A Bridge Too Far, Comes A Horseman, and Neil Simon's autobiographical Chapter Two.

In 1980, Caan directed Hide in Plain Sight, a film about a father searching for his children, who were lost in the Witness Protection Program. Despite critical praise, the film was not a hit with the public.

The following year, Caan appeared in the neo-noir movie Thief, directed by Michael Mann, in which he played a professional safe cracker. Although the film was not successful at the time, Caan's performance was widely lauded and the movie has acquired something of a cult following. Caan always praised Mann's script and direction and has often said that next to The Godfather, Thief is the movie of which he is proudest.

Caan rejected a series of starring roles that proved to be successes for other actors, including The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Love Story and Superman.

In 1977, Caan rated several of his movies out of ten - The Godfather (10), Freebie and the Bean (4), Cinderella Liberty (8), The Gambler (8), Funny Lady (9), Rollerball (8), The Killer Elite (5), Harry and Walter Go to New York (0), Slither (4), A Bridge Too Far (7), Another Man Another Chance (10) and Kiss Me Goodbye (0). He also liked his performances in The Rain People and Thief.

1982-1986

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. In a 1991 interview, Caan claimed that making the 1982 film Kiss Me Goodbye was another factor in this self-imposed exile. Caan called it one of the worst experiences of his life and professed that director Robert Mulligan was the most incompetent filmmaker he had ever worked with. He walked off the set of The Holcroft Covenant and was replaced by Michael Caine. Caan devoted much of his time during these years to coaching children's sports.

Comeback

He returned to acting in 1987, when Coppola cast him as an army platoon sergeant for the 3rd US Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") in Gardens of Stone, a film that dealt with the effect of the Vietnam War on the United States homefront.

In 1988 and 1990, Caan starred in the films Alien Nation, Dick Tracy, and Misery, a hit film that marked a comeback for Caan. Since the script for Misery called for Caan's character, Paul Sheldon, to spend most of his time lying in bed, the role was turned down by many of Hollywood's leading actors before Caan accepted.

In 1992, Caan appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas, and in 1993, he played Coach Winters in The Program, alongside Halle Berry. In 1996, he appeared in Bottle Rocket, and with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser, and later starred as kingpin Frank Colton in Bulletproof with Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans. In 1998, Caan portrayed Philip Marlowe in the HBO film Poodle Springs.

Some of his more recent appearances have been in Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), The Way of the Gun (2000), The Yards (2000), City of Ghosts (2002), Night at the Golden Eagle (2002), Dogville (2003), and Elf (2003).

Las Vegas

In 2003, Caan auditioned for and won the role of Montecito Hotel/Casino president "Big Ed" Deline in Las Vegas.

On February 27, 2007, Caan announced that he would not return to the show for its fifth season to return to film work; he was replaced by Tom Selleck.

Recent years

Caan played the President of the United States in the 2008 film Get Smart, and had a part in the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as the voice of the father of the lead character, Flint.

In 2012, Caan was a guest-star on the re-imagined Hawaii Five-0, playing opposite his son, Scott Caan who plays Danny "Danno" Williams. As of 2010 Caan is the chairman of an Internet company, Openfilm, intended to help upcoming filmmakers.

In 2013, Caan portrayed Chicago mob kingpin Sy Berman in the Starz TV drama Magic City. The series was not renewed for a third season, and Caan's character was apparently killed by "the Butcher" Ben Diamond, his erstwhile protege, portrayed by Danny Huston.

In 2014, Caan appeared in the dramatic-comedy Preggoland, playing a father who is disappointed with his daughter's lack of ambition, but who becomes overjoyed when she (falsely) announces that she is pregnant. The film premiered in the Special Presentations section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival The film had its US premiere on January 28, 2015 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Crackle premiered The Throwaways on January 30, 2015. Caan plays Lt. Col. Christopher Holden, who leads a team fighting a cyberterrorist.

On March 13, 2016, Caan appeared with his co-stars at the South by Southwest premiere of The Waiting (2016); the film was picked up for theatrical distribution by Vertical Entertainment in May 2016.

Other work

Caan is a practicing martial artist. He has trained with Takayuki Kubota for nearly thirty years, earning various ranks. He is 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 has been 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) in 1976 was short-lived; they divorced the following year. Their son, Scott Caan, who also is 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 have two sons, James Arthur Caan (born 1995) and Jacob Nicholas Caan (born 1998). Caan filed for divorce on November 20, 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.

In 1994 he was arrested after being accused by a Los Angeles rap artist of pulling a gun on him.

According to a Fortune Magazine profile of Barry Minkow, during the production of the biopic based on the investor's life, Caan socialized with Minkow and was made aware by him that the financing of the film involved illegally obtained funds. However, nothing suggests Caan had any involvement with any illegalities.

James Caan has five children and four grandchildren, three from his eldest daughter Tara and one from his son Scott.

Filmography

Film

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Irma la Douce	1963	Soldier with radio
Lady in a Cage	1964	Randall Simpson O'Connell
	1965	Pvt. Anthony Dugan	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor
Red Line 7000	1965	Mike
El Dorado	1966	Alan Bourdillion Traherne ('Mississippi')
Games	1967	Paul Montgomery
Submarine X-1	1968	Cmdr. Richard Bolton, RNVR
Countdown	1968	Lee Stegler
Journey to Shiloh	1968	Buck Burnett
	1969	Jimmy Kilgannon (Killer)
Rabbit, Run	1970	Rabbit Angstrom
T.R. Baskin	1971	Larry Moore
	1972	Santino 'Sonny' Corleone	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Slither	1973	Dick Kanipsia
Cinderella Liberty	1973	John Baggs Jr.
	1974	Axel Freed	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
	1974	Sonny Corleone	(cameo)
Freebie and the Bean	1974	Freebie
Funny Lady	1975	Billy Rose	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Rollerball	1975	Jonathan E.	Saturn Award for Best Actor (tied with Don Johnson for A Boy and His Dog)
Gone with the West	1975	Jud McGraw
	1975	Mike Locken
Harry and Walter Go to New York	1976	Harry Dighby
Silent Movie	1976	James Caan
	1977	Sgt. Eddie Dohun
Another Man, Another Chance	1977	David Williams	a.k.a. Un autre homme, une autre chance
Comes a Horseman	1978	Frank 'Buck' Athearn
1941	1979	Sailor in fight	(uncredited)
Chapter Two	1979	George Schneider
Hide in Plain Sight	1980	Thomas Hacklin	Also directed
Thief	1981	Frank
Time Bandits	1981	Hurt
Kiss Me Goodbye	1982	Jolly Villano
Gardens of Stone	1987	SFC Clell Hazard
Spaceballs	1987	Dr. Zander
Alien Nation	1988	Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes
Dick Tracy	1990	Spud Spaldoni
Misery	1990	Paul Sheldon	Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Actor
	1990	Sonny Corleone
	1991	Doctor Scurvy
For the Boys	1991	Eddie Sparks
Wayne's World	1992	Randall
Honeymoon in Vegas	1992	Tommy Korman
	1993	Coach Sam Winters
Flesh and Bone	1993	Roy Sweeney
	1995	Jim
North Star	1996	Sean McLennon
Bottle Rocket	1996	Mr. Henry
Eraser	1996	U.S. Marshal Robert Deguerin
Bulletproof	1996	Frank Colton
This Is My Father	1999	Kieran Johnson
Mickey Blue Eyes	1999	Frank Vitale
	2000	Frank Olchin
Luckytown	2000	Charlie Doyles
	2000	Joe Sarno
Viva Las Nowhere	2001	Roy Baker
In the Shadows	2001	Lance Huston
Original Sin	2001	Antonio
Joe Somebody	2001	Hanky
Night at the Golden Eagle	2002	Prison Warden	(uncredited)
City of Ghosts	2002	Marvin
Jericho Mansions	2003	Leonard Grey
Dogville	2003	The Big Man
This Thing of Ours	2003	Jimmy 'the con'
Elf	2003	Walter Hobbs
Santa's Slay	2005	Darren Mason	(uncredited)
Wisegal	2008	Salvatore Palmeri
Get Smart	2008	The President
Mercy	2009	Gerry Ryan
Something, Something, Something, Darkside	2009	Himself	(voice, one line)
New York, I Love You	2009	Mr. Riccoli	(segment "Brett Ratner")
All About Steve	2009	Timmy
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	2009	Tim Lockwood (Flint's father)	(voice)
Middle Men	2010	Jerry Haggerty
Henry's Crime	2010	Max
Minkow	2010	Paul Vinsant
Detachment	2011	Mr. Seaboldt
Small Apartments	2012	Mr. Allspice
That's My Boy	2012	Father McNally
Blood Ties	2013	Leon Pierzynski
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	2013	Tim Lockwood (Flint's father)	(voice)
Anyone's Son	2013	John Hanna
A Fighting Man	2014	Brother Albright
The Outsider	2014	Schuuster
Preggoland	2014	Walter
The Throwaways	2015	Lt. Col. Christopher Holden
Sicilian Vampire	2015	Professor Bernard Isaacs
The Wrong Boyfriend (Wuthering High)	2015	Earnshaw
The Good Neighbor	2016	Harold Grainey	(screened at SXSW)

Television

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Combat!	1964	Sgt. Beckman	1 episode
Brian's Song	1971	Brian Piccolo	TV movie Nominated - Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
Les Uns et les Autres	1981	Jack Glenn/Jason Glenn	a.k.a. Dance of Life TV miniseries
Poodle Springs	1998	Philip Marlowe	TV movie
Warden of Red Rock	2001	John Flinders	TV movie
	2001	Capt. Fred Moosally	TV movie
Blood Crime	2002	Sheriff Morgan McKenna	TV movie
Las Vegas	2003-2008	Ed Deline	88 episodes
	2010	Jalepeo	(voice, web-based series)
Hawaii Five-0	2012	Tony Archer	1 episode
Magic City	2013	Sy Berman	5 episodes
Back in the Game	2013	Terry "The Cannon" Gannon	13 episodes
JL Ranch	2016	Tap Peterson	TV movie