James Caan

Born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, New York, Caan decided early on in his life to forgo the family meat business in the pursuit of a higher education. He entered Michigan State University at the age of 16 and eventually transferred to Hofstra University to study law. However, during a spring break, Caan ventured away from education when he auditioned and was accepted to Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse.

Beginning his stage career appearing in the off-Broadway production of La Ronde, Caan went on to make many notable television guest-star appearances early on in his career on such series as The Untouchables, Dr. Kildare and Get Smart.

Perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Sonny Corleone in the classic The Godfather, his other feature-film credits include For the Boys (alongside Oscar-nominated Bette Midler), A Bridge Too Far, Thief, Rollerball, The Way of the Gun, The Program, Alien Nation, Honeymoon in Vegas opposite Nicolas Cage, Elf opposite Will Ferrell, Lars Von Trier's Dogville opposite Nicole Kidman and the critically acclaimed Misery opposite Kathy Bates.

Caan's television credits include the movies A Glimpse of Hell, Poodle Springs, Lathe of Heaven and The Warden of Red Rock."

Caan also garnered an Emmy Award nomination for his role as football star Brian Piccolo in the original Brian's Song. He received a Best Actor Award from the Sebastian Film Festival for his performance in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People, as well as the Actor of the Year honor from the National Associate of Theater Owners for The Gambler.

Caan currently resides in Los Angeles. His birthday is March 26.

Looking for more info? Read our other biography.
Tell us what you think in the James Caan forum ...