ames Caan, a talented actor with a long and successful career in film, has died on Wednesday. He was best known for playing the quick-tempered, skirt-chaser Sonny Corleone in the first “Godfather” movie, one of his earliest roles. He was 82.
His family tweeted about his passing, and his manager Matt DelPiano later confirmed it. Both his manager and family declined to specify how or where he passed away.
However, Caan not only left an invaluable film legacy, he also possessed a substantial amount of money thanks to those movies. What was his net worth?
James Caan Net Worth
When James Caan passed away in July 2022, his net worth was $20 million. In the 1971 made-for-television film “Brian’s Song,” Caan played a dying football player, earning him praise and an Emmy nomination. Caan made his film acting debut in the 1963 film “Irma la Douce.”
His performance as mafia leader Sonny Corleone in the 1972 crime drama “The Godfather” cemented his reputation and led to an Oscar nomination. James was known for his roles in “The Gambler” (1974), “Misery” (1990), and “Elf,” among other films. In addition, he appeared in “Las Vegas” on NBC from 2003 to 2007.
James Caan’s acting career
James Caan was born James Edmund Caan on March 26, 1940, in the Bronx, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany named Sophie and Arthur, and Arthur was a butcher. With his sister Barbara and brother Ronnie, James grew up in Queens.
He later attended Hofstra University in New York as well as Michigan State University, where he studied economics and played football. While attending Hofstra, Caan developed an interest in acting and made the decision to apply to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Sanford Meisner and other industry experts taught him during his five years there after being accepted.
In 1961, Caan made his television debut in an episode of “Naked City” and performed in the Broadway premiere of William and James Goldman‘s “Blood, Sweat, and Stanley Poole.” He made his film debut in “Irma la Douce” two years later, and in 1966, his work in “The Glory Guys” earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.
James appeared in the 1960s films “Lady in a Cage” (1964), “El Dorado” (1967), and “Journey to Shiloh,” as well as guest starring on the television shows “Route 66” (1961), “The Untouchables” (1962), “Dr. Kildare” (1963), “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” (1964), and “Get Smart” (1969). Caan co-starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rain People” in 1969 alongside Shirley Knight and Robert Duvall. The following year, he portrayed the title character in “Brian’s Song,” which won four Emmys and a Peabody Award.
Caan played Sonny Corleone in Coppola’s “The Godfather” in 1971, which earned James, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in “Slither,” “Cinderella Liberty,” and 1974’s “The Gambler,” which both garnered him Golden Globe nominations, after his Academy Award-nominated performance.
In addition to receiving another Golden Globe nomination for 1975’s “Funny Lady,” the follow-up to 1968’s “Funny Girl,” James made a cameo appearance in “The Godfather Part II” (1974). Later, he appeared in the science fiction film “Rollerball” (1975), collaborated with Duvall once more on “The Killer Elite,” and portrayed an Army Staff Sergeant in “A Bridge Too Far” (1975).
Caan made his directing debut in 1978 with “Hide in Plain Sight,” which received positive reviews from critics despite not being a commercial success. Caan also starred in the movie.