A macho leading man whose off-screen woes recall the hotheaded antics of his seminal character from
The Godfather, Caan seemed to have it all in the early '70s. After earning raves and an Emmy nomination as a dying football player in the 1971 TV-movie
Brian's Song, he made a splash on the big screen the next year in
The Godfather and earned an Oscar nod. A string of mostly disappointing features followed (
Funny Girl,
Gone with the West,
Hide in Plain Sight, which he also directed) before Caan suddenly exited the Hollywood scene in 1982. For five years he was MIA, and although rumors about his absence abounded, no one ever figured out the entire story. He returned to the big screen in the Vietnam drama
Gardens of Stone (helmed by
Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola) and continued to work steadily in projects of varying quality, sometimes parodying his gangster persona (
Honeymoon in Vegas,
Mickey Blue Eyes). During the '90s trouble seemed to follow wherever Caan went. He was linked to Heidi Fleiss, accused of assault, flashed a gun in public, and did a stint in rehab. But he grew wiser — and calmer — with age, and by the new millennium he seemed to have put his tabloid days behind him. In 2003, after four decades in showbiz, he took a gamble on series television and hit the jackpot on the popular drama
Las Vegas. He left the show after its fourth season, reportedly to pursue big-screen work.
James Caan Fast Facts:
- Rejected following his family into the meat business in order to pursue an education and, ultimately, acting.
- Was a rider on the professional rodeo circuit.
- Earned a black belt in karate.
- Studied acting at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse.
- Made film debut with an unbilled part in Irma la Douce (1963).
- Showed off his somewhat shaky vocal chops opposite Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady (1975) and Bette Midler in For the Boys (1991).
- Turned down roles in several monster hits, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
- James Caan Relationships:
- Alexander James Caan - Son
- Arthur Caan - Father
- Barbara Caan - Sister
- DeeJay Mathis - Ex-wife
- Ingrid Hajek - Ex-wife
- Jacob Nicholas Caan - Son
- James Arthur Caan - Son
- Linda Stokes - Wife (separated)
- Ronald Caan - Brother
- Scott Caan - Son
- Sheila Ryan - Ex-wife
- Sophie Caan - Mother
- Tara Caan - Daughter
- James Caan Awards:
- 1975 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 1976 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 1973 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1966 Golden Globe: New Star of the Year - Actor - Nominee
- 1972 Emmy: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1972 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- College:
- Attended Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; attended Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
