James Caan

James Edmund Caan is an American Academy Award-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American film, stage and television actor.

Caan was born in The Bronx, the son of Sophie and Arthur Caan, Jewish emigrants from Germany. His father was a meat dealer. Caan grew up in Sunnyside, Queens.

He was educated at the public P.S. 150 Christopher Street School in Brooklyn, New York City, at the private Rhodes Preparatory School, also in New York City, and then attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, studying economics. Caan played college football at the University, and later transferred to Hofstra University in Hempstead, but he did not graduate. However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed, accepted and graduated from New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where one of his instructors was Sanford Meisner.

Caan began acting in television on such series as The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Combat!, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Get Smart, The Wide Country, Alcoa Premiere, Route 66, and Naked City.

His first substantial film role was as a villainous punk in the 1964 thriller Lady in a Cage, which starred Olivia de Havilland. In 1965 he got his first starring role in Howard Hawks auto-racing drama Red Line 7000. In 1967, Caan appeared in El Dorado with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. He first won praise for his role as a brain-damaged football player in The Rain People, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In 1970, Caan won more acclaim as dying football player Brian Piccolo in the television movie Brian's Song, which was later released in theaters. The following year, Coppola cast Caan as mobster Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, which also helped launch Al Pacino's career. Caan was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film. From 1982 to 1987, Caan suffered from depression over his sister's death, a growing problem with cocaine, and what he described as "Hollywood burnout," and did not act in any films. He returned to film in 1987 when Coppola cast him as an army platoon sergeant for the "Old Guard" in Gardens of Stone, a film that dealt with the effect of the Vietnam War on the homefront.

Caan has been married four times. In 1960, he married Dee Jay Mathis/Mattis; and divorced in 1966. They had one child Tara A. Caan (born November 5, 1964).

His second marriage to Sheila Ryan, former girlfriend of music legend Elvis Presley, in 1976 was short-lived: they divorced the following year. His son, Scott Caan, was born August 23, 1976.

From September 1990 to March 1995, Caan was married to Ingrid Hajek; they also had one child, Alexander James Caan (born April 10, 1991).

He married Linda Stokes in October 1996, and they have two children, James Arthur Caan (born November 6, 1995) and Jacob Nicholas Caan (born September 24, 1998). Caan, 65, had filed for divorce from Linda, 50, on April 18 citing irreconcilable differences. After some time James Caan is calling off the divorce that was filed last month, and he’s moving back in with his wife of nearly 10 years. No details regarding any reconciliation have been given.

At the time that Caan announced his split, he said: "I love and respect my wife as a friend and as a mother. Our goal in life is to continue to be great parents and great friends. Our children are our entire lives and they will remain as such." He and his wife, the former Linda Stokes, were married Oct. 7, 1995, according to the court papers filed in the case.

Caan's previous three marriages – each of which produced one child – ended in divorce.

Caan is a practicing martial artist. He has trained with karate master Tak Kubota for nearly thirty years, earning various ranks. He trained the Culver City Police department in martial arts use.

Caan is an avid golfer with an 8 handicap. He is acting assistant golf coach to PGA professional and good friend Greg Osbourne at Glendale Community College in Southern California. He played in the LPGA pro-am event in Aventura FL on April 23-25, 2008.