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After finding fame as a tough guy in Hollywood, James Caan decided it was time for a break.
The actor, who was struggling with substance abuse, spent five years out of the spotlight to focus on himself.
Caan, who passed away on Wednesday at age 82, once recalled to The Independent in 2021 how he “started doing cocaine, which is like a death sentence” and it “lasted a while.”
According to the Oscar-nominated star, he coached his son’s Little League team before turning to acting in “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola’s 1987 film “Gardens of Stone.”
Actors James Caan and Scott Caan attend the Los Angeles premiere HBO’s “His Way” at Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios lot on March 22, 2011, in Hollywood, California.
(Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)
“That was when I came back!” he boasted. “With hunger and thirst!”
Caan went on to pursue acting again after his recovery. In 1990, he starred in both “Dick Tracy” and “Misery.” From there, he appeared in numerous memorable movies, including “Eraser,” “Elf” and “Dogville,” among others.
This was not the first time Caan spoke out about his struggles.
In 2021, he told “CBS Sunday Morning” that he “had a bad bout with cocaine for a little while” after the 1981 death of his younger sister Barbara from leukemia.
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James Caan’s son Scott went on to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.
(Chris Polk)
“When I lost her, I couldn’t handle it,” Caan admitted. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Caan also told The Independent that Barbara “was like my best friend.”
“She was the only person I was afraid of in the world,” he explained. “When she died, passion became this whole thing with me. That’s what I loved about my sister: she was just so passionate about whatever she did.”
In 2003, Caan reflected on his years coaching baseball and how it had a profound impact on him.
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James Caan as Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone in ‘The Godfather, ‘ the movie based on the novel by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Initial theatrical release was on March 15, 1972, by Paramount Pictures.
( CBS via Getty Images)
“I had great, great times as a Little League coach,” he told Esquire. “People were talking about me quitting acting, and they would say, ‘What about your creative juices?’ Coaching is creative because you could take a kid who thought he wasn’t any good and, within four minutes, change his mind. And I didn’t have to wait six months for them to put music to it.”
Caan was again candid about his past drug use in Hollywood.
“I had my first puff on a joint when I was 24-and-a-half, and I was petrified,” he said. “I thought I was gonna see elephants. Five, six years later, I’m in Hollywood. I got a little cocaine in my pocket, a couple of quaaludes. I can’t do a little of anything.”
“I’ve never missed a day’s work in my life, even through all the s–t,” he remarked. “But there were days when I was not on my best behavior.”
JAMES CAAN, ‘GODFATHER’ STAR, DEAD AT 82, FAMILY SAYS
James Caan and Barbra Streisand starred in ‘Funny Lady’ circa 1975.
(FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives)
No cause of death was given and Caan’s family, who requested privacy, said that no further details would be released at this time.
Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola since the 1960s when Coppola cast him for the lead in “Rain People.” He was primed for a featured role in “The Godfather” as Sonny, the No. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone. Despite Coppola’s fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, as well as Robert Duvall and Al Pacino.
Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song,” an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26. It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history. Caan and co-star Billy Dee Williams, who played Piccolo’s teammate and best friend Gale Sayers, were nominated for best actor Emmys.
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James Caan first worked with director Francis Ford Coppola in ‘The Rain People’ in 1969.
(Warner Brothers-Seven Arts)
However, it was after “The Godfather” that Caan became one of Hollywood’s busiest actors.
Caan had begun to struggle with drug abuse and was devastated by the 1981 death of his sister, who until then had been a guiding force in his career. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his son’s Little League games. His son, Scott Caan, grew up to be an actor as well.
“The fun of it was taken away,” he told an interviewer in 1981. “I’ve done pictures where I’d rather do time. I just walked out of a picture at Paramount. I said you haven’t got enough money to make me go to work every day with a director I don’t like.”
Short on cash, Caan was hired by Coppola for the leading role in the 1987 film “Gardens of Stone.” It renewed Caan’s career, and he became busy as ever.
Kathy Bates And James Caan paired up for the chilling ‘Misery’ flick in 1990
(Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection)
Caan did not take a starring role in a TV series until 2003, but his first effort, “Las Vegas,” was an immediate hit. When the series debuted, he was a casino surveillance chief dealing with cheaters and competitors of the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino.
Married and divorced four times, Caan had a daughter, Tara, and sons Scott, Alexander, James and Jacob.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
