James Caan, the curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as the hotheaded Sonny Corleone of 鈥淭he Godfather鈥� and to television audiences as both the dying football player in the classic weeper 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song鈥� and the casino boss in 鈥淟as Vegas,鈥� has died. He was 82.
His manager Matt DelPiano said he died on Wednesday. No cause was given.
鈥淛immy was one of the greatest. Not only was he one of the best actors our business has ever seen, he was funny, loyal, caring and beloved,鈥� DelPiano said. 鈥淥ur relationship was always friendship before business. I will miss him dearly and am proud to have worked with him all these years.鈥�
Rob Reiner, who directed Caan in 鈥淢isery鈥� tweeted, 鈥淚 loved working with him. And the only Jew I knew who could calf rope with the best of them.鈥�
A football player at Michigan State University and a practical joker on production sets, Caan was a grinning, handsome performer with an athlete鈥檚 swagger and muscular build. He managed a long career despite drug problems, outbursts of temper and minor brushes with the law.
Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola since the 1960s, when Coppola cast him for the lead in 鈥淩ain People.鈥� He was primed for a featured role in 鈥淭he Godfather鈥� as Sonny, the No. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone.
Sonny Corleone, a violent and reckless man who conducted many killings, met his own end in one of the most jarring movie scenes in history. On his way to another job, Corleone stops at a toll booth that he discovers is unnervingly empty of customers. Before he can escape he is cut down by a seemingly endless fusillade of machine-gun fire. For decades after, he once said, strangers would approach him on the street and jokingly warn him to stay clear of toll roads.
Caan bonded with Brando, Robert Duvall and other cast members and made it a point to get everyone laughing during an otherwise tense production, sometimes dropping his pants and 鈥渕ooning鈥� a fellow actor or crew member. Despite Coppola鈥檚 fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, Duvall and Al Pacino.
Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song,鈥� an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26. It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history and Caan and co-star Billy Dee Williams, who played Piccolo鈥檚 teammate and best friend Gale Sayers, were nominated for best actor Emmys.
After 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song鈥� and 鈥淭he Godfather,鈥� he was one of Hollywood鈥檚 busiest actors, appearing in 鈥淗ide in Plain Sight鈥� (which he also directed), 鈥淔unny Lady鈥� (opposite Barbra Streisand), 鈥淭he Killer Elite鈥� and Neil Simon鈥檚 鈥淐hapter Two,鈥� among others. He also made a brief appearance in a flashback sequence in 鈥淭he Godfather, Part II.鈥�
But by the early 1980s he began to sour on films. He had begun to struggle with drug use and was devastated by the 1981 leukemia death of his sister, Barbara, who until then had been a guiding force in his career.
He returned to full-fledged stardom opposite Kathy Bates in 鈥淢isery鈥� in 1990.
Once again in demand, Caan starred in 鈥淔or the Boys鈥� with Bette Midler in 1991 as part of a song-and-dance team entertaining U.S. soldiers during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. The following year he played a tongue-in-cheek version of Sonny Corleone in the comedy 鈥淗oneymoon in Vegas.鈥�
Other later films included 鈥淔lesh and Bone,鈥� 鈥淏ottle Rocket鈥� and 鈥淢ickey Blue Eyes.鈥� He introduced himself to a new generation playing Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddy鈥檚 Will Ferrell in 鈥淓lf.鈥�
Married and divorced four times, Caan had a daughter, Tara, and sons Scott, Alexander, James and Jacob.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
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