GODFATHER STAR CAAN DEAD AT 82
Hollywood hellraiser takes final bow
LEGENDARY Godfather actor and notorious Hollywood hellraiser James Caan has died, aged 82.
The father of five became as well known for his love of parties – becoming a fixture at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s and 1980s – as for his immense talents on screen.
His family announced his death last night but did not give a cause of death.
Caan had his big break in 1972 playing hot-tempered gangster Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone in the cult mob movie with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe for his performance.
Pacino said last night: “Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend. I’m going to miss him.”
De Niro said: “I’m very, very sad to hear about Jimmy’s passing.”
The film’s success led to a string of hit movies, including Rollerball, Funny Lady alongside Barbra Streisand, A Bridge Too Far, and later comedy Elf.
Streisand said: “I’m so sorry to hear about Jimmy. He was so talented.”
Caan’s off-screen antics, once fuelled by an addiction to cocaine, at one point became so great he dominated Hollywood gossip pages.
Headlines included ‘Caan in drug clinic’, ‘Caan accused of beating model’, ‘Caan quizzed over death plunge’, ‘Caan stands bail in Mafia case’, and ‘Caan struggles for cash’. He was also friends with notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.
The star’s troubles for a time became so great he quit acting during what he said was a “pretty scary period” and disappeared from public view.
He returned to the big screen with hit film
Misery, starring alongside Kathy Bates in the adaptation of Stephen King’s book.
Caan was known to have struggled with several health issues, ranging from depression after the death of his sister Barbara from leukaemia in 1981 to being hospitalised for problems in his chest. He later described how between 1982 and 1987 he had struggled with dark thoughts and used drugs. Recalling the ordeal last year, he said: “I had a bad bout with cocaine for a little while. I lost my sister.
“I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t know what to do.”
Caan, born in 1940 in the Bronx, New York City, was the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father was a kosher butcher. Keen not to follow his dad into the meat trade, he initially pursued a career as an American football player. But while studying at Hofstra University in New York, he met future collaborator Francis Ford Coppola and his interest in acting was sparked.
To add to his credibility as a hard man, he earned a black belt in karate and spent several years on the professional rodeo tour while acting.
Initially, Caan landed parts on stage before winning a few minor roles in movies – but he made his mark with Coppola’s blockbuster The Godfather.
He auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone, which studio bosses favoured. But director Coppola insisted on Pacino – so Caan got the role of his big brother.
Coppola last night described him as an “old friend, collaborator and one of the funniest people I’ve ever known”.
The father of five was married four times, divorcing for the last time in 2017.