(CNN) James Caan, the veteran screen actor known for his work in such films as "The Godfather," "Misery" & "Elf," has died. He was 82.
His cause of death was not disclosed.
Caan first found fame playing Chicago Bears halfback Brian Piccolo in "Brian's Song," a widely seen 1971 TV movie. The tearjerking film chronicled Piccolo's real-life battle with terminal cancer & drew praise for its treatment of the interracial friendship between Piccolo & a Black teammate, Gale Sayers.
His next film, 1972's "The Godfather," made Caan a star. Although he was not Italian, Caan was cast as hotheaded Sonny Corleone, oldest of mobster Vito Corleone's 3 sons, who is memorably gunned down by rival gangsters at a tollbooth.
The role earned him an Oscar nomination. Caan also appeared in a flashback in "The Godfather, Part II."
Caan was perhaps best known for playing tough-guy characters in such films as "Thief" & "Rollerball." But he was a versatile actor who commanded a variety of roles, including "Misery," the 1990 Stephen King adaptation about a mild-mannered romance novelist terrorized by an obsessive fan.
He is probably best known to younger audiences for his role in "Elf," the Christmas tale in which he played Will Ferrell's Scrooge-like father, a children's book publisher unhappy to learn he has an exuberant grown son who wears an elf costume & pours maple syrup on his spaghetti.
Caan said he almost turned down the role over the film's title alone but Ferrell convinced him to join the project.
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