Hollywood stars pay tribute to ‘wonderful actor’ James Caan

Billy Dee Williams, Gary Sinise and Jon Lovitz were among the Hollywood stars remembering the life of James Caan following his death aged 82.

Caan, best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather films alongside Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Diane Keaton, died on Wednesday evening, his family confirmed.

The veteran actor’s other notable credits include playing cancer-stricken Chicago Bears footballer Brian Piccolo in sporting drama Brian’s Song, which saw him earn an Emmy nomination in 1972.

Brian’s Song co-star and Star Wars actor Williams led tributes to the actor on Thursday, sharing a picture on Twitter of Caan smiling while perched on his lap.

He wrote: “Team Mates and friends till the end. RIP Jimmy,” with a broken-heart emoji.

Actor Sinise, who starred as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump, tweeted: “Very sad to hear the news that James Caan has died. Heartbroken for his family & his friends.

“Wonderful to know him & call him a pal. Jimmy was so supportive of Gary Sinise Foundation & my work w/ our veterans. He will be missed. Thank you my friend. Rest In Peace. God bless you.”

Grosse Pointe Blank star John Cusack simply wrote “wonderful actor” while Star Trek actor Robert Picardo tweeted: “RIP James Caan. An unforgettable Sonny. A great career.”

British filmmaker Edgar Wright tweeted: “RIP to a genuine megawatt movie star, Mr Jimmy Caan, star of not just The Godfather, but also Thief, Misery, Freebie And The Bean, Slither, Rollerball, Bottle Rocket, Gardens Of Stone, The Way Of The Gun, Honeymoon In Vegas, Elf & many more.”

On hearing the news of Caan’s death, actor and comedian Lovitz tweeted: “Well, this just sucks about James Caan. I was lucky enough to work with him & be friends.

“Always a fun guy to be around. He was always supportive of my career. He even did a cameo in my tv special and got Robert Duvall to be in it. A highlight of my career. God bless James Caan.”

Meanwhile, filmmaker James Gunn said: “There are so many movies of his I love, The Godfather films of course being at the very top, but here are a few more I adore (Thief in particular was a Gunn family classic – I had the poster on my wall in high school).”

American actor James Urbaniak described Caan as a “real one” in a tribute to the actor.

He tweeted: “James Caan swooping in during the flashback scene at the end of The Godfather Part II is one of the all-time great star reveals. You can practically hear the audience cheering.”

Meanwhile, actress Jennifer Tilly said the actor always had the “funniest stories”.

She added: “Once he told me Coppola had the habit of grabbing food off his plate & eating it, so one day he made a sandwich with very hot jalapenos between two pieces of buttered bread, & waited outside Coppola’s airstream.”

Performer and broadcaster union Sag-Aftra also paid tribute to Caan.

It tweeted: “We celebrate the life and career of @James_Caan and send condolences to his family. From Brian’s Song to The Godfather to Misery and Elf, Jimmy’s celluloid legacy lives on.”

Caan starred in 2003 family comedy Elf, playing Will Ferrell’s on-screen biological father Walter Hobbs, as well as psychological thriller Misery, action film Thief, and crime hit The Gambler.

Other appearances include Honeymoon In Vegas, Bulletproof and Mickey Blue Eyes.

The actor was married four times and is survived by his five children.