‘Brian’s Song’ Actor Billy Dee Williams, ‘Misery’ Director Rob Reiner Remember James Caan As Hollywood Pays Tribute To An Icon

Norman Lear, titan of television, is celebrating his 100th birthday Wednesday. Born in 1922, it would be five years before TV was invented and many more before it was marketed commercially to consumers. And it was through this new medium that Lear would change the way we viewed the world.

James Caan‘s cause of death has been revealed.

New details about the sudden death of legendary actor James Caan have been revealed.

James Caan, whose remarkable performances in The Godfather, Elf and Misery made him a screen icon, has had his cause of death revealed by the Los Angeles County Coroner.

about the actor making a comeback after a brief absence from Hollywood. Caan, a 40-something pistol, spoke fondly about his rebellious early years in the movie business.“If there’s any one thing I could attribute my success to, it’s that I said ‘No.’ You’d go to an audition and they were always very cordial and nice and ‘How do you do, sir?’ And if I didn’t like the job, I’d turn it down,” he said.“You were angry in those days?” Ebert asked.“I was just New York, is all.”Caan, who died Thursday at age 82, always screamed New York.

who died Thursday at age 82, knows the Bronx-born legend as Axel Freed in “The Gambler” (1974), or the unlucky author in “Misery” (1990). But, you won’t find those widely-celebrated films on this list of underrated (and sometimes downright obscure or strange) Caan movies, starting all the way at the tail end of the black and white era.

Today, we lost the inimitable actor James Caan at the age of 82. Known for his no-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth, hot-headed tough-guy roles, Sonny in “The Godfather,” “Rollerball,” “Alien Nation,” and “The Gambler,” Caan was actually similar to the world of Marlon Brando: a hyper-masculine man who could still access all sides of his emotional and vulnerable sides.

Sanford Meisner.Television kept him busy through the early 1960s, but his breakthrough (not counting a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Billy Wilder’s “Irma La Douce”) was in the exploitation film “Lady in a Cage.” He played one within a group of delinquents terrorizing de Havilland, who herself was a wealthy poet trapped inside an elevator during a blackout. It’s a lesser entry in the post–“What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” genre of Grand Dame Guignol horror movies, but Caan’s intensity and ferocity – less focused than it would be later – was already very much on display.Later in the decade, he made the decision to pivot from TV to movies, even turning down a series role, saying, “I want to be an actor, not a millionaire.” His early big-screen work included titles like Howard Hawks’ “Red Line 7000,” Robert Altman’s sophomore theatrical feature “Countdown,” Curtis Harrington’s “Games,” Coppola’s “The Rain People” and an adaptation of John Updike’s “Rabbit, Run.” Each film garnered varying degrees of cult success, but none made money at the time, giving Caan the dreaded “box-office poison” brand.After being offered the role multiple times, Caan finally relented to do another small-screen project: the 1971 football tear-jerker “Brian’s Song,” which earned him rave reviews and an Emmy nomination.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticIt in no way shortchanges the brilliance of James Caan, who died Wednesday at 82, to point out that he had a special gift for playing insensitive men. He was a gruff, tough, raging, muscular actor, with a ramrod physicality and an imposing look: the wiry curls of brownish-blond hair, the handsome planed face that seemed carved out of granite, the mouth set in a scowl that was a challenge and often a threat.

Josh Duhamel is remembering his former co-star. After news broke that James Caan had died at age 82, the 49-year-old actor took to his Instagram to emotionally pay tribute to the late actor.The men co-starred on , a TV series that ran from 2003 to 2008.«I just want to take a minute to remember Jimmy Caan, one of the kindest, coolest, funniest people I've ever met, one of my mentors,» Duhamel said, as he got choked up. «You'll be missed Jimmy Caan, I love you.»Alongside the video Duhamel wrote, «Rest in Peace Jimmy Caan.

Carson Burton Michael Mann and Kathy Bates have both shared tributes to “The Godfather” and “Misery” star James Caan, who died today at 82 years old.“What a terrible and tragic loss,” Mann wrote in a statement to Variety. “Jimmy was not just a great actor with total commitment and a venturesome spirit, but he had a vitality in the core of his being that drove everything from his art and friendship to athletics and very good times. There was a core of values within him about how people should be, more or less.

Legendary actor James Caan has died at the age of 82. A representative for the star's family announced on Thursday that he passed away in Los Angeles the previous day. "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6," they wrote.

Adam Sandler and Rob Reiner are just some the stars to have paid tribute to the actor James Caan, who has died age 82. News of his passing was announced by his family via the New York-born star’s official Twitter page. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” the tweet read.

died Thursday at the age of 82 after battling a series of health issues … which never got in the way of his telling a funny story or two or three.I interviewed Caan several times, both for The Post and for a book project, and I can tell you that he never, ever took himself too seriously, despite (or in spite of?) his place in movie history as iconic, hot-headed tough guy Sonny Corleone, shot up at the tollbooth in “The Godfather.” He insisted that I call him “Jimmy” — none of that “Mr. Caan” nonsense, though I had a tough time calling him anything but.

Read more: 'He had no shame': North East families slam Boris Johnson following resignation as PM In their statement, Caan's family said: "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. "During his life, Caan married four times and had five children.

James Caan has died, aged 82. The news was announced by his family via the New York-born star’s official Twitter page. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” the tweet read.

The late, great James Caan, who died today, had a career that spanned 55 years and included classic films such as Howard Hawks’ El Dorado, Michael Mann’s Thief, Rob Reiner’s Misery, Jon Favreau’s Elf and, of course, Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, The Godfather.