Remembering JAMES CAAN

HE PLAYED TOUGH GUYS, BUT THE SCREEN LEGEND WASN'T AFRAID OF SHOWING HIS SOFTER SIDE

- Ian Spelling

James Caan loved to tell the story about how he took revenge on The Godfather director, Francis Ford Coppola, for stealing his food. "James made a sandwich with hot jalapeños," says Jennifer Tilly, his co-star on Jericho Mansions. "Coppola came roaring out, grabbed the sandwich...and gobbled it down. Tears started squirting out of his eyes. He started yelling, 'What did you do to me?!' Jimmy said meekly, 'Did I ask you to eat my sandwich? Did I?"

The larger-than-life actor, who passed away on July 6 at age 82, enjoyed many wild exploits during his six-decade career. Handsome, macho and versatile, he brought America to tears in Brian's Song, swaggered as hot-tempered Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, and elicited laughs in crowd-pleasers like Honeymoon in Vegas and Elf. Along the way, James earned one Oscar nomination for 1972's The Godfather and two Emmy nominations.