James Caan has had an illustrious, decade-spanning career. Unfortunately, news broke earlier today that he passed the night of July 6th , at age 82. Known for his roles in the Godfather series, A Bridge Too Far , and Elf , among so many others, his talent and impact on cinema will be greatly remembered .
Now is an excellent time to look back on Caan’s life and career , and even learn new things about the actor as well. Here are some facts about James Caan you may not have known.
His career spanned seven decades.
Caan first began appearing in movies and television in the ’60s, appearing in Route 66 , Play of the Week , and Naked City in 1961. He continued to work in movies and TV all the way into the 2020s.
His most recent role is in the 2021 film, ‘Queen Bees.’
This marks the last film to be released in his lifetime. In the film, which centers around a clique of women in a retirement home , Caan plays the love interest opposite Ellen Burstyn.
Caan will have posthumous projects released in the coming years.
Fans can expect to see Caan’s final performances somewhat soon. He will appear in Gun Monkeys , which is set to be released in 2023 . Other projects include Acre Beyond the Rye and Redemption .
Caan has an incredibly diverse filmography.
Appearing in the likes of Misery , Bottle Rocket , Rollerball , and Get Smart (both the 1960s television series and the 2009 film of the same name), it’s safe to say that James Caan has done it all.
His roles have led him to nominations in all sorts of awards.
Caan has been nominated for Daytime and Prime Time Emmys, Golden Globes, an Oscar, and plenty of other independent awards. Surprisingly, though, he’s taken home very few major awards .
Caan had also dabbled in voice work.
Appearing in episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy , as well as animated feature films like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 1 and 2 and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya , Caan did quite a bit of voice work in the 2000s and 2010s.
He even appeared in a video game.
James Caan reprised his role as Sonny Corleone in a very surprising place: the 2006 The Godfather video game. Apparently, the game received mixed positive reviews , and released on multiple platforms of the era.
Caan’s portrayal as Sonny Corleone in ‘The Godfather’ had a somewhat turbulent start.
Director Francis Ford Coppola originally wanted Caan to play Sonny Corleone, but Paramount’s initial choices to play Michael Corleone ended up falling through. So, Caan was then slated for Michael.
But when they managed to get Al Pacino, that changed.
At that point, the studio switched gears again, and got Caan to return to his original role as Sonny, which ended up becoming one of Caan’s most notable film roles.
Caan and Coppola worked together four times.
Caan appeared in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II . But before that, Caan had appeared in another Coppola film: 1969’s The Rain People . They went on to work together one more time, with 1987’s Gardens of Stone .
Caan missed out on a bunch of iconic roles.
When you’re in as many movies and series as Caan, you end up passing or otherwise missing out on roles that ended up being lucrative for other stars. One such role is the titular character in Rocky , which ended up going to Sylvester Stallone.
He very nearly appeared in plenty of other films, too.
Caan was almost in The Lion King as the voice of Scar, as well as Kramer vs. Kramer , Waterworld , Love Story , and Taxi Driver . In a different universe, I guess.
He also turned down the lead in the 1978 Superman film.
Apparently, Caan was offered the role, but ultimately wasn’t a fan of Superman’s outfit, which included wearing underwear on top of pants. Can’t say I really blame him for that choice.
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Caan was considered for roles that went to Harrison Ford.
Caan was considered to play Han Solo in Star Wars , which ended up going to Harrison Ford instead. Caan also passed on Blade Runner , which Ford ended up starring in as well.
According to Caan, Ford was cast in Star Wars because they didn’t want an actor.
Caan has directed some unkind words to Ford in the past, seeming to dislike the actor. According to Caan, Ford slighted him at one point in time.
James Caan had five children.
Caan was married four times, with his last marriage ending in 2017. Out of those marriages, he fathered five kids, including actor Scott Caan, who has had numerous roles in both movies and television over the years.
The two have worked together in the past.
Though James Caan and his son’s careers didn’t tend to cross paths, one interesting time they worked on the same series is when Caan guest appeared on Hawaii Five-0 , the 2010s reboot in which his son starred.
Caan survived a car crash in the ’80s.
In a frightening moment, Caan survived with minor injuries when his car crashed into a tree in 1985 . He wasn’t under the influence, but may have been driving a little too fast.
Caan once stayed in the Playboy Mansion.
Caan, has been married and divorced four times. During one of his divorces, he opted to live in the Playboy Mansion, where he ended up staying for a full year . “To get over my divorce, I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while,” he said.
