James Edmund Caan was an American actor who was nominated for several awards, including four Golden Globes, an Emmy, and an Oscar. Caan was awarded a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.
After early roles in Howard Hawks’ El Dorado (1966), Robert Altman’s Countdown (1967), and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People (1969), he came to prominence for playing his signature role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised the role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974) with a cameo appearance at the end.
Caan had significant roles in films such as Brian’s Song (1971), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Gambler (1974), Rollerball (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Alan J. Pakula’s Comes a Horseman (1978).
He had sporadically worked in film since the 1980s, with his notable performances including roles in Thief (1981), Gardens of Stone (1987), Misery (1990), Dick Tracy (1990), Bottle Rocket (1996), The Yards (2000), Dogville (2003), and Elf (2003).
List of all James Caan Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Irma la Douce | Soldier with Radio | Uncredited[18] | [70] |
| 1964 | Lady in a Cage | Randall Simpson O’Connell | [70] | |
| 1965 | The Glory Guys | Pvt. Anthony Dugan | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor | [70] |
| Red Line 7000 | Mike Marsh | [70] | ||
| 1967 | El Dorado | Alan Bourdillion “Mississippi” Traherne | [70] | |
| Games | Paul Montgomery | [70] | ||
| 1968 | Countdown | Lee Stegler | [70] | |
| Submarine X-1 | Cmdr. Richard Bolton | [70] | ||
| Journey to Shiloh | Buck Burnett | [70] | ||
| 1969 | The Rain People | Jimmy Kilgannon | [70] | |
| 1970 | Brian’s Song | Brian Piccolo | Television film Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |
[70] |
| Rabbit, Run | Rabbit Angstrom | [70] | ||
| 1972 | T.R. Baskin | Larry Moore | [70] | |
| The Godfather | Santino “Sonny” Corleone | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
[70] | |
| 1973 | Slither | Dick Kanipsia | [70] | |
| Cinderella Liberty | John Baggs Jr. | [70] | ||
| 1974 | The Gambler | Axel Freed | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | [70] |
| Freebie and the Bean | Freebie | [70] | ||
| The Godfather Part II | Santino “Sonny” Corleone | Cameo | [70] | |
| 1975 | Gone with the West | Jud McGraw | filmed in 1969 under the title “Man Without Mercy” but did not find a cinema release | [70] |
| Funny Lady | Billy Rose | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | [70] | |
| Rollerball | Jonathan E. | Saturn Award for Best Actor (tied with Don Johnson for A Boy and His Dog) |
[70] | |
| 1976 | The Killer Elite | Mike Locken | [70] | |
| Silent Movie | Himself | [70] | ||
| Harry and Walter Go to New York | Harry Dighby | [70] | ||
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Sgt. Eddie Dohun | [70] | |
| Another Man, Another Chance | David Williams | [70] | ||
| 1978 | Comes a Horseman | Frank “Buck” Athearn | [70] | |
| 1979 | 1941 | Sailor in Fight | Uncredited[citation needed] | [70] |
| Chapter Two | George Schneider | [70] | ||
| 1980 | Hide in Plain Sight | Thomas Hacklin | Also director | [70] |
| 1981 | Thief | Frank | [70] | |
| 1982 | Kiss Me Goodbye | Jolly Villano | [70] | |
| 1984 | Les Uns et les Autres | Jack Glenn / Jason Glenn | [70] | |
| 1987 | Gardens of Stone | SFC Clell Hazard | [70] | |
| 1988 | Alien Nation | Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes | [70] | |
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Spud Spaldoni | [70] | |
| Misery | Paul Sheldon | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor | [70] | |
| 1991 | The Dark Backward | Doctor Scurvy | [70] | |
| For the Boys | Eddie Sparks | [70] | ||
| 1992 | Honeymoon in Vegas | Tommy Korman | [70] | |
| 1993 | The Program | Coach Sam Winters | [70] | |
| Flesh and Bone | Roy Sweeney | [70] | ||
| 1995 | A Boy Called Hate | Jim | [70] | |
| Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead | Boyle | |||
| 1996 | North Star | Sean McLennon | [70] | |
| Bottle Rocket | Mr. Abe Henry | [70] | ||
| Eraser | U.S. Marshal Robert Deguerin | [70] | ||
| Bulletproof | Frank Colton | [70] | ||
| 1997 | Howard Hawks: American Artist | Himself | [70] | |
| 1998 | Poodle Springs | Philip Marlowe | [70] | |
| 1999 | This Is My Father | Kieran Johnson | [70] | |
| Mickey Blue Eyes | Frank Vitale | [70] | ||
| 2000 | The Yards | Frank Olchin | [70] | |
| Luckytown | Charlie Doyles | [70] | ||
| The Way of the Gun | Joe Sarno | [70] | ||
| 2001 | Viva Las Nowhere | Roy Baker | [70] | |
| In the Shadows | Lance Huston | |||
| 2001 | Night at the Golden Eagle | Prison Warden | Uncredited[citation needed] | [70] |
| 2002 | City of Ghosts | Marvin | [70] | |
| 2003 | Dogville | The Big Man | [70] | |
| This Thing of Ours | Jimmy “The Con” | |||
| Jericho Mansions | Leonard Grey | [70] | ||
| Elf | Walter Hobbs | [70] | ||
| 2005 | Santa’s Slay | Darren Mason | Uncredited[citation needed] | |
| 2008 | Wisegal | Salvatore Palmeri | ||
| Get Smart | The President | [70] | ||
| New York, I Love You | Mr. Riccoli | Segment: “Brett Ratner” | [70] | |
| 2009 | Middle Men | Jerry Haggerty | [70] | |
| Mercy | Gerry Ryan | [70] | ||
| Something, Something, Something, Darkside | Himself (voice) | |||
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | Tim Lockwood (voice) | [70] | ||
| 2010 | Henry’s Crime | Max Saltzman | [70] | |
| Minkow | Paul Vinsant | |||
| 2011 | Detachment | Mr. Charles Seaboldt | [70] | |
| 2012 | Small Apartments | Mr. Allspice | [70] | |
| That’s My Boy | Father McNally | [70] | ||
| 2013 | Blood Ties | Leon Pierzynski | [70] | |
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Tim Lockwood (voice) | [70] | ||
| The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | The Bamboo Cutter (voice) | English dub | [70] | |
| 2014 | The Outsider | Karl Schuster | ||
| A Fighting Man | Brother Albright | |||
| Preggoland | Walter Huxley | |||
| 2015 | The Throwaways | Lt. Col. Christopher Holden | ||
| Sicilian Vampire | Professor Bernard Isaacs | |||
| 2016 | The Good Neighbor | Harold Grainey | ||
| The Red Maple Leaf | George Lawrence Secord | |||
| 2017 | Undercover Grandpa | Grandpa | ||
| Holy Lands | Harry Rosenmerck | [70] | ||
| 2018 | Out of Blue | Col. Tom Rockwell | ||
| 2021 | Queen Bees | Dan Simpson | Final film role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Route 66 | Johnny- street gang leader | |
| 1964 | Combat! | German sergeant | Episode: “Anatomy of a Patrol” |
| 1969 | The F.B.I. | Eugene | Episode “A Life in the Balance” |
| Get Smart | Rupert of Rathskeller (uncredited) | 2 episodes “To Sire, with Love: Parts 1 and 2” | |
| 1996 | NewsRadio | James Caan / Himself | Episode: “Movie Star” |
| 2001 | Warden of Red Rock | John Flinders | Television film |
| A Glimpse of Hell | Capt. Fred Moosally | Television film | |
| 2002 | Blood Crime | Sheriff Morgan McKenna | Television film |
| 2003–2007 | Las Vegas | Ed Deline | 88 episodes |
| 2004 | The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | Episode: “All’s Fair in Oven War“ |
| 2010 | Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side“ |
| Annoying Orange | Jalepeño (voice) | Web series | |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Tony Archer | Episode: “Lekio” |
| 2013 | Magic City | Sy Berman | 5 episodes |
| Back in the Game | Terry “The Cannon” Gannon | 13 episodes | |
| 2015 | Wuthering High School | Mr. Earnshaw | Television film |
| 2016 | JL Ranch | Tap Peterson | Television film |
| 2020 | JL Ranch: The Wedding Gift | Television film |
