|
James Caan
| Biography |
Born March 26, 1940 (some sources say 1939), in the Bronx, New York. Caan briefly attended Michigan State University before transferring to New York’s Hofstra University, where he majored in theater. Upon his graduation, he studied under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. In 1960, Caan made his stage acting debut in La Ronde. The following year, he appeared on Broadway in the production of Blood, Sweat, and Stanley Poole (1961).
Caan began his film career with an unbilled part in 1963’s Irma la Douce (starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon) followed by a more substantial role in the psychological thriller Lady in a Cage (1964). He headlined the Westerns The Glory Guys (1965), El Dorado (1967), and Journey to Shiloh (1968) before landing the lead role in the 1969 drama The Rain People—one of the first projects by director Francis Ford Coppola.
Caan gave a sensitive performance as ailing football player Brian Piccolo in the heart-wrenching TV biopic Brian’s Song (1971). With an ensemble cast that included Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, he gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Coppola’s enduring epic The Godfather (1972). Considered by many to be the crowning achievement of his career, Caan’s portrayal of the irascible Sonny Corleone confirmed his status as one of the most talented actors of his generation.
After starring in the title role of Karel Reisz’s The Gambler (1974), Caan made a fleeting appearance in The Godfather Part II. The next year, he exhibited his singing voice as impresario Billy Rose opposite Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Funny Lady. A number of box office disasters followed, including The Killer Elite (1975) and Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976). He made a lackluster directorial debut with Hide in Plain Sight (1980) and starred opposite Sally Field in the critically panned romance Kiss Me Goodbye (1982). These poor choices coupled with Caan’s rejection of roles in the now-classic features One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) hindered his career.
After a five-year hiatus from film work, Caan made an improbable comeback in features with Coppola’s war drama Gardens of Stone (1987) and the sci-fi thriller Alien Nation (1988). With a memorable role in the 1990 acclaimed film version of Stephen King’s bestseller Misery, he starred as a tormented romance writer held captive by a deranged fan (played by Kathy Bates). The following year, Caan had middling success with his part as a U.S.O. performer opposite Bette Midler in the musical saga For the Boys. Other credits in the 1990s ranged from comedies like Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) with Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker to the controversial sports drama The Program (1993) with Halle Berry to big-budget action films like Eraser (1996) with Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Caan continued to fare well in the coming-of-age independent film Bottle Rocket (1996) and the dark comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999).
|
|
|
|
|
