James Caan
Caan in Cannes, 2000
Born	James E. Caan[1][2] (1940-03-26) March 26, 1940 (age 72) The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Jimmy Caan Jimmy Cahn
Education	Rhodes Preparatory School
Alma mater	Michigan State University Hofstra University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1961–present
Spouse	Dee Jay Mattis (1960–1966; divorced; 1 child) Sheila Ryan (1976–1977; divorced; 1 child) (Scott Caan) Ingrid Hajek (1990–1995; divorced; 1 child) Linda Stokes (1995–2009; 2 children; filed for divorce)

James E. Caan (born March 26, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado. He also starred as "Big Ed" Deline in the television series Las Vegas.

Early life[link]

Caan was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Sophie (née Falkenstein) and Arthur Caan, Jewish immigrants from Germany.^[3] His father was a meat dealer and butcher.^[4][5] Caan had a sister, Barbara, and has a brother, Ronald.^[6][7] He grew up in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City.^[3] He was educated at P.S. 150 40-01 43rd Avenue School in Queens, at the private Rhodes Preparatory School, also in New York City, and then attended Michigan State University. He later transferred to Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, but did not graduate. While studying at Hofstra University, however, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed for, accepted to, and graduated from, New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. There, one of his instructors was Sanford Meisner.^[5]

Acting career[link]

Early credits[link]

Caan began his acting career in television on such series as The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Combat!, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, The Wide Country, Alcoa Premiere, Route 66, and Naked City. In 1964, he starred as Jewish athlete Jeff Brubaker in the episode "My Son, the All-American" of Channing, a drama about college life.

His first substantial film role was as a punk hoodlum in the 1964 thriller Lady in a Cage, which starred Olivia de Havilland.^[5] In 1965, he landed his first starring role, in Howard Hawks' auto-racing drama Red Line 7000. In 1966, Caan appeared as Alan Badillion Trahern, aka Mississippi, in El Dorado, with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. He had a starring role in Robert Altman's second feature film, Countdown, in 1968. In 1969, his appearance on the spy sitcom Get Smart was uncredited, billed as "Rupert of Rathskeller as Himself"; in that same year he won praise for his role as a brain-damaged football player in The Rain People (1969) directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

1970 to 1982[link]

In 1971, Caan won more acclaim, as dying football player Brian Piccolo, opposite Billy Dee Williams, in the television movie Brian's Song,^[5] which was later released theatrically.

The following year, Caan's career evolved to superstardom^{[citation needed]} when Coppola cast him as the short-tempered Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Originally, Caan was cast as Michael Corleone (Sonny's youngest brother); both Coppola and Caan demanded that this role be played by Al Pacino, so Caan could play Sonny instead. Although another actor was already signed to play Sonny,^{[citation needed]} the studio insisted on having Caan, so he remained in the production. Caan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, competing with co-stars Pacino and Robert Duvall.^[5] It can be said^{[citation needed]} that out of The Godfather cast, Caan was the most identified with his role, often mistaken for Italian despite his Jewish heritage, and he remarked “They called me a wiseguy. I won Italian of the Year twice in New York, and I’m not Italian.... I was denied in a country club once. Oh yeah, the guy sat in front of the board, and he says, ‘No, no, he’s a wiseguy, been downtown. He’s a made guy.’ I thought, What? Are you out of your mind?”^[8]

From 1971 to 1982, Caan appeared in many films, playing a wide variety of roles. His films included T.R. Baskin, Cinderella Liberty, Freebie and the Bean, The Godfather Part II, Rollerball, a musical turn in Funny Lady, Harry And Walter Go To New York, A Bridge Too Far, Comes A Horseman, and Neil Simon's autobiographical Chapter Two. In 1980, Caan directed Hide in Plain Sight, a film about a father searching for his children, who were lost in the Witness Protection Program.^[5] Despite critical praise, the film was not a hit with the public. The following year, Caan appeared in the neo-noir movie Thief, directed by Michael Mann, in which he played a professional safe cracker.^[5] Caan has often said it is the role of which he is proudest next to The Godfather.^{[citation needed]}

Caan rejected a series of starring roles which proved to be successes for other actors, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, and Superman.^[9]

1982 to the present[link]

From 1982 to 1987, Caan suffered from depression over his sister's death, a growing problem with cocaine, and what he described as "Hollywood burnout,"^{[citation needed]} and did not act in any films.^[5] He returned to acting in 1987, when Coppola cast him as an army platoon sergeant for the "Old Guard" in Gardens of Stone, a film that dealt with the effect of the Vietnam War on the United States homefront. In 1988 and 1990, Caan starred in the films Alien Nation, Dick Tracy, and Misery, a hit film that marked a comeback for Caan.^[5] Since the script for Misery called for Caan's character, Paul Sheldon, to spend most of his time lying in bed, the role was turned down by many of Hollywood's leading actors before Caan accepted.

In 1992, Caan appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas, and in 1993, he played Coach Winters in The Program, alongside Halle Berry. In 1996, he appeared in Bottle Rocket, and with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser, and later starred as kingpin Frank Colton in Bulletproof with Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans. In 1998, Caan portrayed Philip Marlowe in the HBO film Poodle Springs. Some of his more recent appearances have been in Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), The Way of the Gun (2000), The Yards (2000),^[5] City of Ghosts (2002), Night at the Golden Eagle (2002), Dogville (2003), and Elf (2003).

In 2003, Caan auditioned for and won the role of Montecito Hotel/Casino president "Big Ed" Deline in Las Vegas. On February 27, 2007, Caan announced that he would not return to the show for its fifth season in order to return to film work; he was replaced by Tom Selleck.

Caan played the President of the United States in the 2008 film Get Smart, and had a part in the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as the voice of the father of the lead character, Flint. In 2012, Caan was a guest-star on the re-imagined Hawaii Five-0, playing opposite his son, Scott Caan. As of 2010 Caan is Chairman of an Internet company, Openfilm, intended to help upcoming filmmakers.^[10]

Other work[link]

Caan at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

Caan is a practicing martial artist. He has trained with Takayuki Kubota for nearly thirty years, earning various ranks.^[11] He is a Master (Rank = 6 Dan) of Gosoku Ryu Karate and was granted the title of Soke Dai by the International Karate Association. Caan trained the Culver City Police Department in martial arts use.^[3]

Caan is an avid golfer with an 8 handicap. He is acting assistant golf coach to PGA professional and good friend Greg Osbourne at Glendale Community College in Southern California. He played in the LPGA pro-am event in Aventura, Florida on April 23–25, 2008.

Caan also rode in the professional rodeo circuit for nine years.

Personal life[link]

Caan has been married four times. In 1960 he married Dee Jay Mathis; they divorced in 1966. They had a daughter, Tara A. Caan, born on November 5, 1964. Caan's second marriage to Sheila Ryan (a former girlfriend of Elvis Presley) in 1976 was short-lived; they divorced the following year. Their son, Scott Caan, who also is an actor, was born August 23, 1976.

Caan was married to Ingrid Hajek from September 1990 to March 1995; they had a son, Alexander James Caan, born on April 10, 1991. He married the widow of alleged murdered Aspen Drug kingpin Steven Grabow^[12], Linda Stokes in October 1996; they have two sons, James Arthur Caan (born November 6, 1995) and Jacob Nicholas Caan (born September 24, 1998). Caan filed for divorce on November 20, 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Caan

• James Caan at the Internet Movie Database
• James Caan at AllRovi
• Bright Lights Film Journal interview

Duncan Walker Bannatyne
Born	Duncan Walker Bannatyne (1949-02-02) 2 February 1949 (age 63) Clydebank, Scotland
Occupation	Entrepreneur, investor, television presenter
Known for	Dragons' Den
Net worth	£85 million
Spouse	Joanne McCue
Children	Six
Website
www.bannatyne.co.uk

Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE (born 2 February 1949)^[1] is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He has written five books; Anyone Can Do It, which sold more than 250,000 copies, was followed by Wake Up and Change Your Life, How to be Smart With Your Money, How to be Smart With Your Time, then by 43 Mistakes Businesses Make. He was appointed as an OBE for his contribution to charity.

Life and career[link]

Bannatyne was told by his mother that, because of the family's lack of money, he could not have a bicycle. To amend the problem he asked the local newsagents if he could have a paper round job and was told he could have one if he could get a list of 100 interested people. Bannatyne knocked on 151 doors exactly to create that list of one hundred customers. Armed with this list, he received the job and, months later, a second-hand bike.

In 1964 and at the age of 15, Bannatyne volunteered for twelve years with the Royal Navy as a junior second class engineering mechanic (stoker) at RNTE Shotley near Ipswich, better known as the boys' training establishment HMS Ganges. He served in the Navy for several years before receiving a dishonourable discharge for throwing an officer off a boat landing jetty in Scotland. In his biography he claims this was in part a reaction to this officer's abuse of his authority, in part a dare by his shipmates and in part a way of getting out of the Navy, with which he had become disillusioned. Bannatyne was nineteen years old when this happened. After the incident he had to serve nine months in Colchester military detention centre before being discharged aged 20.^[2] He later spent ten days in Glasgow's Barlinnie prison for not paying a £10 fine in relation to a charge of breach of the peace and resisting arrest.^[3]

After spending his twenties moving from one job to another, Bannatyne lived for a few years on the island of Jersey where he met his first wife. With a difficult business climate for outsiders, at age 29 Bannatyne and his wife moved to Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. He has stated that he was penniless and did not have a bank account until the age of 30.^[4]

His business career began almost immediately after his move to Stockton-on-Tees with an ice cream van purchased for £450.^[5] He soon expanded by buying more vans during the period of the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars about which he made comment in a newspaper interview "I got by using the CB radio. It was mainly bluster, but someone did get hospitalised.".^[6] He eventually sold the business for £28,000, founding a nursing home business called Quality Care Homes which he then sold for £26 million^[5] in 1997 and children's nursery chain Just Learning for £22 million.^[7]

He has since expanded into health clubs, with Bannatyne's Health Clubs chain to his name, and also bars, hotels and property. He recently^[when?] acquired twenty two health clubs from Hilton Hotels at a price of £92 million. Bannatyne's is now the largest independent chain of health clubs in the United Kingdom. In May 2010, he added the Charlton House Hotel and Spa in Somerset to the portfolio, with the view to adding more spa facilities and treatment rooms.^[8]

In October 2008 he opened the £12 million "Bannatyne Spa Hotel" in Hastings.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2009 Bannatyne joined the UK's largest monthly business magazine Business Matters as a monthly columnist alongside former Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry.^[9]

In January 2010, Bannatyne appeared alongside his Dragons' Den co-stars Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden in the fifth episode of the sixth series of Hustle.

His wealth as of 2011 was estimated at £430 million by the Sunday Times Rich List.^[10] In 2012, Sunday Times Rich List listed him as equal 869th with a worth of £85 million. His net worth dropped due to divorce and the closing of his Bannatyne Fitness chain, which made a £16.2 million loss in 2011.

Charity works[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Bannatyne received his OBE partly in recognition for his work with charities such as Mary's meals. In Romania where over a ten year period he has funded several projects, notably Casa Bannatyne in Târgu-Mureş, a hospice for orphans with HIV and AIDS in which he invested £80,000. In March 2008 established the Bannatyne Charitable Foundation with a personal injection of £1,000,000.

On 19 May 2008 Bannatyne added his support to the launch of the Geared for Giving Campaign at the House of Commons to encourage UK business leaders to set up and promote a Workplace Giving scheme to benefit UK registered charities with tax effective donations through employees pay.

On 29 August 2008, Bannatyne appeared on television programme Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, raising £20,000 for charity NCH.

He became President of the charity No Smoking Day in October 2008. The charity runs the annual health awareness campaign – helping people who want to stop smoking. In November 2008 he was voted "The Most Admired Celebrity Charity Champion" by Third sector magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Bannatyne is a trustee of Comic Relief and on 27 November 2008 he travelled to Ethiopia with other trustees of Comic Relief. On Saturday 29 November they visited Debre Zeit; Bannatyne said "the most significant part of that day for me was when we were shown that people are taught how to sow vegetables so they can grow them in their own homes, in addition to the training programme the project supplies seeds and tools so that they can become self sufficient".

In August 2010, he agreed to become Patron of PC David Rathband's Blue Lamp Foundation, a charity established by the Northumbria Police Constable David Rathband who was blinded by gunshot wounds in the 2010 Northumbria Police manhunt.

In 2011 Bannatyne was heavily criticised for getting personally involved in a health club payment dispute with cancer victim Bronwen Davies.^[11]

Politics[link]

Bannatyne has previously supported the Conservative Party (under Margaret Thatcher), then switched to support the Labour Party under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. This is evidenced in a 2008 promotional video supporting Brown.^[12]In the run-up to the 2010 general election, he reaffirmed his support for Labour and criticised Conservative leader David Cameron as a "plonker".^[13]

Appearing on the Question Time panel on 7 February 2008, Bannatyne stated he had been a donor to the Labour Party under Blair. He also voiced his support for Brown, but criticised the Cabinet for what he described as "petty squabbles based on personal ambition".^[14] In March 2011, Bannatyne appeared to switch political affiliations again by backing certain measures imposed in George Osborne's budget even though he criticized the government a few months earlier. However he did not state that he had turned his back on the Labour Party.^[15]

Personal life[link]

Bannatyne has four children by his first wife Gail: Hollie, Abigail, Jennifer, and Eve; and two with his current wife, Joanne McCue: Emily and Tom. He has two grandchildren Ava & Austin, from his eldest daughter.^[16]

McCue was Bannatyne's former director of nursing with Quality Care Homes. He proposed to her in Barbados in early March 2006, and married her on 11 November 2006 at St Mary's Church in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees.^[17] Celebrities at the ceremony included Anna Ryder Richardson, Cherie Lunghi, Gary McCausland, Dragons' Den presenter Evan Davis and fellow Dragons Theo Paphitis, Richard Farleigh, Simon Woodroffe and Deborah Meaden. Pop star Marc Almond then performed for 200 guests in the warehouse next to his company's head office.

Bannatyne and his family live in England and France, maintaining homes in Wynyard Park, County Durham, in the northeast of England, and Covent Garden, London. They have a holiday villa in Mougins, near Cannes.^[18] His French home was showcased in an article in the May 2010 issue of A Place in the Sun magazine. On 8 January 2012 the Sunday Telegraph reported that Bannatyne "is in the middle of divorce proceedings".

Bannatyne was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) by Glasgow Caledonian University on 5 July 2006 for services to business and charity. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) from the Teesside University, on 6 February 2009.

Bannatyne celebrated his 60th birthday at Murano's in London with celebrities such as David Coulthard, James Caan, Theo Paphitis and Anna Ryder Richardson. A second party was held in the North East and was headlined by UK soul singer Beverley Knight and featured Chesney Hawkes. The celebration took place in a converted warehouse in Darlington, County Durham.^[19][20]

Bannatyne openly discussed having had cosmetic surgery under his eyes on The Graham Norton Show.^[21] He appeared on the Irish chat show Tubridy Tonight. He had an acting role in the Tyne Tees Television comedy pilot Girl's Club where amongst other actors, he performed alongside the actress Georgia Taylor.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bannatyne Digital – Creative Agency
• Dragons' Den biography of Duncan Bannatyne
• Duncan Bannatyne at the Internet Movie Database
• Duncan Bannatyne – From Ice Cream Man To Multi-Millionaire
• Inside the Dragons' Den – Building a fortune the Bannatyne way
• Bannatyne's monthly column with Business Matters magazine
• Growing Business magazine meets Bannatyne
• A review of Anyone Can Do It
• Interview – April 2010
• Duncan Bannatyne on Twitter