R.I.P. James Caan, Iconic The Godfather and Thief Actor Dead at 82

The post R.I.P. James Caan, Iconic The Godfather and Thief Actor Dead at 82 appeared first on Consequence.

James Caan, the iconic actor who starred in such classic films as The Godfather, Misery, and Thief, has died at the age of 82.

The news was unveiled by his representatives through his own social media account. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6th,” a statement read. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”

Following Caan’s idiosyncratic social media habits, the statement ended with the words, “End of tweet.”

Born March 26th, 1940, Caan played football at Michigan State before transferring to Hofstra University, where he met future collaborator Francis Ford Coppola. He was accepted into the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre where he studied with legendary acting coach Sanford Meisner, and soon began appearing in off-Broadway plays. He made his major film debut in the 1964 psychological thriller Lady in the Cage and received a Golden Globe nomination for the Sam Peckinpah-scripted Western, The Glory Guys (1965).

By the late ’60s Caan had graduated to big budget stardom, appearing alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in Howard Hawks’ El Dorado (1966) and anchoring Robert Altman’s second film, The Countdown (1967). In 1969, he began what would turn out to be one of the most thrilling partnerships in film history when he appeared in his old classmate Coppola’s movie, The Rain People. They would reunite three years later for The Godfather, which saw Caan play Sonny Corleone, the hot-headed eldest son of Vito Corleone. His fiery performance nabbed him an Oscar nomination, and he would go on to reprise the role in 1974’s The Godfather II.

Also in 1974, Caan starred in The Gambler, which netted him his second Golden Globe nomination, and in 1975 he won a Saturn Award for his work in the sci-fi sports movie, Rollerball. Along with about half of Hollywood, he starred in the blockbuster war epic A Bridge Too Far in 1977.

One of Caan’s personal favorite roles came in Michael Mann’s directorial debut, the now-classic neo-noir Thief. Caan meticulously researched his part as a safe cracker, and in the past he’s cited his diner monologue as his favorite scene of all time.

One of the biggest movie stars in the world, Caan chose to walk away. His sister died of leukemia in 1981, and the actor himself was struggling with cocaine and what he described as “Hollywood burnout.” He walked off the set of The Holcroft Covenant, to be replaced by Michael Caine.

Caan returned to acting in 1987 with Coppola’s Gardens of Stone, in which he played a Vietnam veteran disillusioned with the military. But he didn’t get back to the top until 1990, when he had a memorable turn opposite Kathy Bates in Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. Caan starred as a writer being tortured by a crazed fan, and the movie has earned a place as one of the best King adaptations, with the author himself naming it among his top 10 favorites.

He worked steadily in the 1990s, acting alongside his son Scott Caan in A Boy Called Hate and having a particularly memorable 1996, when he had scene-stealing roles in Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket and the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Eraser. In 2003, he appeared in the ensemble of Lars von Trier’s Dogville and starred as Buddy the Elf’s biological father in the classic Christmas romp, Elf.

Caan’s most recent film was 2021’s Queen Bees, in which he plays an amorous widower pursuing Ellen Burstyn. Via IMDB, his final project seems likely to be Fast Charlie, a movie about an aging mob boss who gets whacked that stars Pierce Brosnan.

His passing was mourned by many on social media. Adam Sandler wrote, “Loved him very much. Always wanted to be like him. So happy I got to know him. Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love.”

“So sorry to hear the news,” Rob Reiner posted. “I loved working with him. And the only Jew I knew who could calf rope with the best of them. Love to the family.”

James Urbaniak said, “James Caan swooping in during the flashback scene at the end of The Godfather Part II is one of the all-time great star reveals. You can practically hear the audience cheering. RIP to a real one.”

Andy Richter called him, “Funny, warm, self-deprecating, and effortlessly talented. They say never meet your heroes, but he proved that to be very very wrong.” Check out a selection of tributes below.

In 2021, Caan spoke to Consequence about the 40th anniversary of Thief. Revisit that oral history now.

R.I.P. James Caan, Iconic The Godfather and Thief Actor Dead at 82
Wren Graves

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