‘The Godfather’ actor James Caan (82) passed away | showbiz

“It is with great sadness that we report Jimmy’s passing,” James Caan said on Twitter. The actor died on the evening of July 6. “The family are delighted with your love and heartfelt condolences and ask that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.” A cause of death was not given. The actor, who married and divorced four times, leaves behind five children, including actor Scott Caan, known for the ‘Hawaii Five-0’ series.

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James Caan was best known for his portrayal of Santino “Sonny” Corleone in “The Godfather,” alongside Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, which earned him an Oscar nomination. He also played the part briefly in a flashback scene in ‘The Godfather II’, reportedly asking for and getting as much money as for his major role in the first film. Earlier this year, he told ‘The New York Post’ about the film, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. “One of the things that made ‘The Godfather’ so successful – besides the brilliant direction, screenplay and great actors – was that everyone really enjoyed making the film. That fun just jumps off the screen. I think the audience will notice that we had a lot of fun.” The actor also admitted in that same interview that he had actually auditioned for the role of Al Pacino. “I wanted to play Sonny myself, because that’s what Francis (Ford Coppola, the director, ed.) wanted. But one night he called me up and said, “Jimmy, the studio wants you to come here and do a test.” They wanted me to play Michael. So I went to New York and auditioned. Then came Al Pacino. He was a bit self-destructive. They gave him a warning: don’t do that again or you’ll be fired. But Francis got what he wanted in the end. It always is.”

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In the decades that followed, he showed himself to be a versatile actor, with roles as a sergeant in the war film ‘A bridge too far’ (1977), a lead role in the psychological Stephen King thriller ‘Misery’ (1990) and comedic roles in lighter films such as ‘Eleven’ (2003). Between 2003 and 2007, he starred in the kitschy glamor series Las Vegas for four seasons. Next year, another film by him is to be released, ‘Gun Monkeys’. According to his iMDB page, two more films are planned, but it is unclear whether the actor had already completed those recordings.

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