James Caan, a seasoned actor best known for his roles in “The Godfather,” “Misery,” and “Elf,” has passed away, according to a statement posted by his family on his verified Twitter account. He was 82.
The statement read, “It is with great sadness that we inform you of Jimmy’s passing on the evening of July 6.” The family requests that you continue to respect their privacy during this trying time. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences.”
A cause of death was not stated.
As Chicago Bears halfback Brian Piccolo in the well-known TV movie “Brian’s Song” from 1971, Caan first achieved fame. The heartbreaking movie, which followed Piccolo’s real-life struggle with terminal cancer, received praise for how it handled their interracial friendship with Black teammate Gale Sayers.
Caan became famous after starring in “The Godfather” in 1972. Caan was cast as the impulsive Sonny Corleone, the oldest of mobster Vito Corleone’s three sons, who is infamously shot dead by rival gangsters at a toll booth, despite the fact that he is not Italian.
The late comedian Don Rickles, according to Caan, was the inspiration for Sonny’s persona in a 2021 interview for “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“Don Rickles wasn’t being imitated. It was possessing that drive, that quality, understand? In regards to his performance, he said, “I was just locked into that.
He received an Oscar nomination for the part. Caan also appeared in a flashback in “The Godfather, Part II.”
Caan is perhaps best known for his tough-guy roles in movies like “Rollerball” and “Thief.” However, he was a skilled performer who was well-suited for a range of roles, including “Misery,” a Stephen King adaptation from 1990 about a polite romance novelist who is terrorized by an obnoxious fan.
He is probably best known to younger audiences for his part in the holiday comedy “Elf,” in which he played the stoic father of Will Ferrell’s elf-costumed grown son who drenches his spaghetti in maple syrup and wears an elf costume.
According to Caan in the same CBS interview, Ferrell almost persuaded him to accept the role based solely on the movie’s name.
