James Caan: a life in pictures

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American actor James Caan has died at the age of 82. We look back at a career which included classics such as El Dorado, The Godfather, Misery and Elf

Greg Whitmore

Main image: James Caan in Rollerball Photograph: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Thu 7 Jul 2022 18.35 BST Last modified on Thu 7 Jul 2022 20.22 BST

• James Edmund Caan, pictured here in 1971, was born on 26 March 1940 in the Bronx, New York. After studying acting he made his television debut in 1961 before moving into film in 1964

  Photograph: Jack Robinson/Getty Images

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• Red Line 7000, 1965

  After receiving a most promising newcomer Golden Globe nomination for 1965’s The Glory Guys, Caan landed his first starring role in this racing car drama, directed by Howard Hawks. Caan is pictured here with Mariana Hill

  Photograph: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• El Dorado, 1966

  Caan with John Wayne and Christopher George in Howard Hawks’ western

  Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com

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• The Rain People, 1969

  Caan as Jimmy ‘Killer’ Kilgannon in his first collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola

  Photograph: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• Brian’s Song, 1971

  Judy Pace, Billy Dee Williams, Shelley Fabares and Caan in the TV movie based on the true story of the friendship between American footballers Gale Sayers, played by Williams, and Brian Piccolo, played by Caan

  Photograph: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images

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• The Godfather, 1972

  Caan as Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone, Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and John Cazale as Fredo Corleone. Caan was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for his performance

  Photograph: Paramount/Allstar

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• Caan circa 1972

  Photograph: Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• The Gambler, 1974

  Caan was Golden Globe nominated for his portrayal of gambling addict Axel Freed in Karel Reisz’s crime drama

  Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com

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• Freebie and The Bean, 1974

  San Francisco detectives Bean (Alan Arkin) and Freebie (Caan)

  Photograph: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• Funny Lady, 1975

  Caan with Barbra Streisand

  Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com

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• Rollerball, 1975

  Caan in Norman Jewison’s classic sci-fi, set in an unpleasant 2018

  Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

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• The Killer Elite, 1975

  Caan with director Sam Peckinpah

  Photograph: Alamy

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• Caan in New York City, circa 1976

  Photograph: PL Gould/Images Press/Getty Images

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• A Bridge Too Far, 1977

  Caan in Richard Attenborough’s film about the failed second world war mission, Operation Market Garden

  Photograph: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• Thief, 1981

  Caan was a safecracker in Michael Mann’s neo-noir thriller

  Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy

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• Alien Nation, 1988

  Caan and Mandy Patinkin as human and alien cops investigating the seamy side of life in LA

  Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

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• Misery, 1990

  Kathy Bates won an Oscar for playing superfan Annie Wilkes opposite Caan’s author Paul Sheldon in Rob Reiner’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel

  Photograph: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• Honeymoon in Vegas, 1992

  Caan, Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicolas Cage

  Photograph: New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

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• Bottle Rocket, 1996

  Caan in Wes Anderson’s debut film

  Photograph: Columbia/Allstar

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• Elf, 2003

  Will Ferrell as Buddy and Caan as his father in the Christmas classic

  Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com

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• Las Vegas, 2003-07

  James Lesure, Vanessa Marcil, Molly Simms, Caan, Josh Duhamel, Marsha Thomason and Nikki Cox in the TV crime series

  Photograph: NBC/Allstar

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• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 2009

  Caan voices the character Tim Lockwood in the hit animation

  Photograph: Alamy

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• Undercover Grandpa, 2017

  Greta Onieogou and Dylan Everett with Caan as ex-special forces grandfather in the family action movie

  Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy

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• Caan with Joe Mantegna at a 50th anniversary celebration of The Godfather in Los Angeles, 22 February 2022.

  Photograph: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

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Topics

• James Caan

• The Godfather

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