James Caan married multiple times and had several kids from his marriages. But it wasn’t until he lost his beloved sister that he was determined to make a change…
With the death of James Caan on July 7, 2022, the world lost a beloved artist. His relatives revealed that he had died the night before.
The actor truly had a full life in his 82 years. He married actress Dee Jay Mathis in 1961. The couple divorced in 1966, and during their five-year marriage, they produced a daughter called Tara.
Caan fell in love again soon after his first divorce. This time around, it’s with Playboy model Sheila Ryan. He married Ryan again in 1976, but their marriage was much shorter this time, and they divorced in 1977. Nevertheless, the couple welcomed their son Scott Caan during their marriage.
Caan, never one to give up, began meeting Ingrid Hajek and married her in 1990. He was 20 years his wife’s senior. They had a son called Alexander together before divorcing in 1994.
He fell in love again soon after his third divorce. In 1995, the actor married Linda Stokes. This was his longest marriage, lasting twenty years, although it was turbulent at best.
The couple was involved in a protracted court struggle. The couple had two kids, James Jr. and Jacob, who were also involved in their parents’ court battle.
Stokes sued Caan in court over a variety of issues, involving backdated child support and custody of their boys. James filed for divorce twice, once in 2005 and again in 2009, before filing the last time in 2015.
Caan was given a role in “Apocalypse Now” in 1976, but turned it down since his second wife, Playboy model Sheila Ryan, was pregnant with their second kid at the time.
Caan referred to the kid Ryan was expecting as his “dream child.” He gave up a mansion in Manilla with a maid to fly to the jungle site to film sequences on a helicopter so he could be with Ryan throughout her pregnancy.
He informed the producer that he no longer wished to work on the project as he was afraid of tsetse flies and heights. He desired to be at his wife’s side during her pregnancy.
Caan’s life was turned upside down in 1981 when he lost his sister, Barbara Caan. Barbara Caan was just 38 years old when she died, and she had been fighting leukemia.
He was saddened when he lost his sister. He was claimed to be feeling “vulnerable and dejected.” Barbara was not only his sister, but also his manager and dearest friend, according to him. Barbara owned his production firm and lived next door to her brother.
Caan understood a lot of things after she died. She was the one person he feared. And he knew that things might end so quickly, as could desires. So he adopted a new mentality, stating his goal was to grow up alongside his son.
When Scott was growing up, James put his profession on hold. Scott claims that his dad performed very few jobs when he was growing up, and Scott did not know his dad was an actor until he was 15 years old.
After his sister died when Scott was approximately five years old, James Caan decided to put his profession on hold and concentrate on his son.
Scott recognized James exclusively as his father. And, while he subsequently remembered his turbulent upbringing, he told him it was all because of his dad.
He had no idea his dad was a huge actor, and he only saw his first movie starring his dad when he was 11 years old, as a lot of his dad’s job were unsuitable for youngsters. He had seen “The Godfather,” which had left him rather shaken.
James felt agitated during the moment in which his dad is shot. While he did not completely comprehend the film, he admired his dad’s renowned reputation and work.
Even with Jame’s dedication to his son, it was not all flowers. Scott later admitted in interviews that the father and son had a terrible relationship.
James was very candid about his shortcomings as a father. He subsequently admitted that while battling addiction, his son may have suffered some discomfort as a result. He said he was “a touch rough around the edges” at the time.
Scott, on the other hand, harbors no ill will toward his father. While he admits that certain actions harmed both of them, he cannot ignore that his dad was always there for him.
As Scott hit his pre-teen and adolescent years, their relationship weakened dramatically. Scott, like his dad before him, was athletic and participated in sports. By the ages of 11 and 12, he desired to forge his own personality and cease participating in activities that his dad enjoyed. He also began mixing with the wrong crowd and abusing illicit narcotics.
James Caan enjoyed team sports, which resulted to his son’s involvement in hobbies such as skateboarding and surfing, which his dad did not approve of. At the time, these two hobbies were thought to be reserved for troublemakers.
While Caan was not a great dad, he did his best. He never saw his dad weep, he claimed in an interview. His youngster witnessed his tears. His father never told him he loved him, so he told Scott he loved him every other time.
With his son Scott, he hoped to produce the “ideal Caan,” thus he took parenting extremely seriously.
In July 2014, the younger Caan became a parent for the first time. He and his long-term partner Kacy Byxbee had a daughter. They called their daughter Josie James Caan, and Scott Caan, like his dad, took time off work when his daughter was born.
Other than Scott Caan, none of the Caan kids pursued a career in Hollywood. Tara Caan likes to stay out of the spotlight.
Scott Caan, on the other hand, pursued in his father’s footsteps and became an actor. He received his training at the Playhouse West in Los Angeles. He made his debut with the adaptation of “Ocean’s Eleven” in 2001. Later in his career, he appeared in popular series and films such as “Hawaii Five-0,” “Into the Blue,” and others.
Despite his desire to raise the ideal Caan, James did not want his son to end up in Hollywood like his father. Scott later said it was because his dad understood it would be difficult, saying he realized it would be difficult to perform this job over and over again, and it’s very difficult to be enthusiastic about playing the same person for seven years.
The late actor constantly counseled newbies to prioritize their families before their professions. He was well-known for telling many young performers, “family first.”
While Scott ignored his dad’s counsel, his other siblings appeared to have avoided the spotlight. Tara decided to live away from the spotlight. Alexander is a composer of electronic music. Jacob and James Jr. both like to avoid the spotlight.
James Caan led a full life and realized what was most important to him: his kids and family.
