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Caan began acting in television in such series as The Untouchables.
Caan's first substantial film role was as a menacing villain in the 1964 thriller Lady In A Cage . In 1967, Caan appeared in El Dorado with John Wayne. Caan first won praise for his role as a brain-damaged football player in The Rain People ( 1969For other uses, see Number 1969. For the movie, see 1969 (movie). Events January January 1 Australian media baron Rupert Murdoch purchases the largest selling British Sunday newspaper The News Of The World January 5 The Derry Riots leave over 100 people i), directedcostume drama on location in London. A film director directs the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film. The role typically includes: Defining the overall artistic vision of the film. Controlling the content and flow of the film's plot. Directing the per by Francis Ford CoppolaGeorge Lucas, Michael Jackson and Francis Ford Coppola filming Captain EO Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is an American film director. Career 1960 to 1978 Coppola studied film at UCLA and while there, he made numerous short films, including som. In 19711971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). Events January January 1 British divorce Reform Act comes into force January 2 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster. Janua, Caan won even greater acclaim as dying football player Brian PiccoloBrian Piccolo ( October 31, 1943 June 16, 1970) was a professional football player who played for the Chicago Bears for four seasons. He died at the age of 26 from a rare form of cancer. He was the subject of the 1971 movie Brian's Song''. External links in the television movieA television movie (also "TV movie", "TV-movie", "made-for-TV movie", etc. is a photoplay that does not normally feature in movie theaters but is produced for, and released to, television only. It is commonly considered a type of movie, but some people re Brian's Song . The following year Coppola cast Caan as mobster Sonny Corleone in The GodfatherThe Godfather is a novel written by Mario Puzo about a fictitious Italian Mafia family. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name. Theme The Godfather (in Italian Il Padrino is a term used to identify the boss of a Mafia clan, the eldest or the m, which also helped launch Al Pacino's career. For his role Caan was nominated for an Academy Award.
From 1973 to 1982, Caan appeared in many Hollywood films. He played a wide variety of roles and refused to be typecast as a mobster. His many films include Cinderella Liberty, Freebie and The Bean , The Gambler, The Killer Elite , Rollerball, Harry And Walter Go To New York , A Bridge Too Far, Comes A Horseman and Chapter Two (a play screenplay conversion by Neil Simon).
In 1980, Caan directed Hide In Plain Sight a film about a father searching for his children lost in the Witness Protection Program. Caan was a devoted family man all his life and said this film was a powerful one about family love and values. Despite critical praise, the film was not a hit.
The following year, Caan appeared in Thief, directed by Michael Mann, where he played a professional safe cracker. This film is today regarded as a film noir classic and Caan has often said it is the role he is proudest of next to The Godfather.
From 1982 to 1987, Caan did not act in any films. He was suffering from depression over his sister's death, a growing problem with cocaine, and what he described as Hollywood burnout. He made a stirring return to film in 1987 when his old friend Francis Ford Coppola cast him as an Army Sergeant in Gardens Of Stone , a film that dealt with the effect of the Vietnam War on the homefront.
In 1988 and 1990, Caan starred in the popular films Alien Nation and Misery (co-star Kathy Bates won a Best Actress Oscar ).
Caan made one of the most delightful films of his career in 1992 with the hit Honeymoon In Vegas . He co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicolas Cage and hilariously spoofed his "Sonny Corleone" character from The Godfather.
In 1999, Caan joined the ranks of Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum and Powers Boothe when he portrayed Phillip Marlowe in the HBO film Poodle Springs .
Amiable, down to earth and not afraid to tell it like it is, James Caan is a true gentleman, a tough guy with a heart of gold and a Hollywood survivor in every sense of the word. He continues to act on screen and on television.
Caan has been married twice. His first, in 1976, to Sheila Ryan, was short lived, and they divorced the next year. He married Linda Stokes in 1996. His son Jacon was born in 1998.