Disappearance
James Caan, legendary actor of the film The Godfather, died at 82
American actor James Caan at the 6th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival on August 5, 2010, in Los Angeles, California.
AFP - GABRIEL BOUYS
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
American actor James Caan, who notably played mafia boss Sonny Corleone in
The Godfather
in 1972, died Wednesday at the age of 82, his family announced Thursday July 7 in a press release posted on Twitter.
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"
It is with great sadness that we inform you of Jimmy's passing on the evening of July 6th,
" his family said in a tweet posted on Caan's account.
His manager, Matt DelPiano, confirmed the news to AFP.
Born in New York, in the Bronx district, in 1940, into a family of Jewish immigrants from Germany, James Caan had started his career with small roles in Hollywood in the 1960s, notably in
Irma La Douce
by Billy Wilder (1963), or
People in the Rain
, by Francis Ford Coppola (1969).
Three years later, the great American director gave him one of his most famous roles, in the first part of
The Godfather
trilogy , an epic saga about the Italian-American mafia that marked the history of cinema and celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
From left, James Caan as Sonny Corleone, Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and John Cazale as Fredo Corleone in the 1972 film 'The Godfather' .AP
James Caan plays Sonny Corleone, the eldest son of "don" Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), and his brutal assassination in a hail of bullets at a toll booth has become one of the film's most defining moments.
The role earned him an Oscar nomination.
For one of his other great roles, in
Misery
, adapted from Stephen King's book, he played a writer kidnapped by an evil woman played by Kathy Bates.
“
Jimmy was one of the greats.
Not only was he one of the best actors our industry has ever seen, but he was funny, loyal, caring and loved
,” his manager Matt DelPiano said.
James Caan had also had roles in the films
The Solitaire
and
Rollerball
.
"
His movies were the best of the best
," New York actor and screenwriter Adam Sandler tweeted.
“
I liked him very much.
I always wanted to be like him.
I am so happy to have known him.
I never stopped laughing when I was with this man
,” he added.
James Caan.
Loved him very much.
Always wanted to be like him.
So happy I got to know him.
Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man.
His movies were best of the best.
We all will miss him terribly.
Thinking of his family and sending my love.
pic.twitter.com/a0q8rCP1Yl
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) July 7, 2022
A prolific actor, who had acted in dozens of films over six decades, including
James Gray's
The Yards (2000), Matt Dillon's
City of Ghosts
(2002), or who lent his voice in
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
(2009), James Caan had been married four times and had five children.
(With AFP)
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