Legendary actor James Caan, who starred within the Godfather trilogy and different famend films like Distress and The Gambler, died on July 6, based on a tweet posted to his official account.
“It’s with nice disappointment that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the night of July 6,” the tweet learn. “The household appreciates the outpouring of affection and heartfelt condolences and asks that you just proceed to respect their privateness throughout this tough time.”
His supervisor, Matt DelPiano, confirmed to The Related Press that he died on Wednesday. No trigger was given.
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“Jimmy was one of many biggest. Not solely was he probably the greatest actors our enterprise has ever seen, he was humorous, loyal, caring and beloved,” DelPiano mentioned. “Our relationship was at all times friendship earlier than enterprise. I’ll miss him dearly and am proud to have labored with him all these years.”
Tributes for Caan started to pour in Thursday morning, with many who labored with him tweeting their recollections and condolences.
Rob Reiner, who directed Caan in Distress tweeted, “I cherished working with him. And the one Jew I knew who might calf rope with the perfect of them.”
“Liked him very a lot. All the time wished to be like him,” tweeted Adam Sandler.
Iranian wrestler The Iron Sheik, apparantly a fan of Caan’s work, shared a message as nicely.
A soccer participant at Michigan State College and a sensible joker on manufacturing units, Caan was a grinning, good-looking performer with an athlete’s swagger and muscular construct. He constructed a thriving Hollywood profession, regardless of drug issues, outbursts of mood and minor brushes with the regulation.
Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola because the Sixties, when Coppola solid him for the lead in Rain Individuals. He was primed for a featured position in The Godfather as Sonny, the No. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone.
Francis Ford Coppola and James Caan communicate onstage through the fiftieth Anniversary celebration of “Godfather” at Paramount Photos Studios on February 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Frazer Harrison / Getty Photos
Sonny Corleone, a violent and reckless man who performed many killings, met his personal finish in some of the jarring film scenes in historical past. On his approach to one other job, Corleone stops at a toll sales space that he discovers is unnervingly empty of consumers. Earlier than he can escape he’s minimize down by a seemingly infinite fusillade of machine-gun fireplace. For many years after, he as soon as mentioned, strangers would strategy him on the road and jokingly warn him to remain away from toll roads.
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Caan bonded with Brando, Robert Duvall and different solid members and made it a degree to get everybody laughing throughout an in any other case tense manufacturing, typically dropping his pants and “mooning” a fellow actor or crew member. Regardless of Coppola’s fears he had made a flop, the 1972 launch was an unlimited important and business success and introduced supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, Duvall and Al Pacino.
After Brian’s Tune and The Godfather, he was certainly one of Hollywood’s busiest actors, showing in Conceal in Plain Sight (which he additionally directed), Humorous Girl (reverse Barbra Streisand), and Neil Simon’s Chapter Two, amongst others. He additionally made a quick look in a flashback sequence in The Godfather, Half II.
However by the early Nineteen Eighties he started to bitter on movies. He had begun to wrestle with drug use and was devastated by the 1981 leukemia loss of life of his sister, Barbara, who till then had been a guiding power in his profession.
He returned to full-fledged stardom reverse Kathy Bates in Distress in 1990.
As soon as once more in demand, Caan starred in For the Boys with Bette Midler in 1991 as a part of a song-and-dance crew entertaining U.S. troopers throughout World Warfare II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. The next 12 months he performed a tongue-in-cheek model of Sonny Corleone within the comedy Honeymoon in Vegas.
Will Ferrell, James Caan and Jon Favreau throughout New York premiere of “Elf”.
James Devaney / WireImage through Getty Photos
Later in his profession he launched himself to a brand new era enjoying Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddy’s Will Ferrell in Elf.
Caan is survived by sons Scott, James, Jacob and Alexander, in addition to daughter Tara.
— with recordsdata from The Related Press
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