James Caan, "The Godfather" star and native New Yorker, dies at 82
NEW YORK -- Bronx-born actor James Caan has died. He was 82.
Caan had memorable roles, including his Oscar-nominated turn as the mobster Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." Many also remember him from "Elf" and dozens of films in between, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported Thursday.
"It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time," a statement on Twitter said.
Caan, who went by Jimmy, was born in the Bronx in 1940 and grew up in Sunnyside, Queens. In college, he played football at Michigan State, but left to attend Hofstra University, where he caught the acting bug.
In a 2021 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Caan said it all started with an audition at an acting school on the East Side.
"I went to the Neighborhood Playhouse and I got accepted there. They took me right away. I was supposed to have three interviews. I only had one," Caan said.
"He gave us decade after decade of work that was seemingly effortless, but was always rooted in his rigorous training. And he was a complex artist with hidden depth, an unforgettable presence. I think that was very, very clear in his performances," said Pamela Moller Kareman, executive director of the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Caan went on to book a string of film and TV appearances in the 1960s, appearing on the western "El Dorado" alongside legend John Wayne and then in 1971 as a dying football star in "Brian's Song."
Eventually, Caan landed a role he could not refuse. Playing the hot-headed mobster Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather" was the role of a lifetime. The performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In a case of art imitating life, or vice versa, Caan appeared at several high-profile mafia trials, including in 1985 when he showed up to a New York City courtroom to support his mob-affiliated friends.
In the 1980s, stardom took its toll. Caan admitted he was addicted to drugs and fell into a depression.
His career resurged in the '90s and beyond, when he played a novelist held captive in "Misery" and Will Ferrell's absentee father in the Christmas movie "Elf."
In real life, Caan was a father of five. He was married and divorced four times. Caan's son, Scott, talked him into a guest role on his hit TV show "Hawaii Five-0."
In 2021, Caan told CBS he had no intentions of slowing down.
"I can't take it easy. To me, I enjoy working. I love to work with good people. I have more fun when I'm working, and I get a lotta laughs and I get a lot of respect too, sometimes," Caan said.
Caan's cause of death was not immediately revealed.
