James Caan Gave Up His Career 5 Years After Sister's Passing To Raise 'Dream Child' Scott

Jul 19, 2022

The bond between father and son is a special one indeed, whether it is a strong relationship or one fraught with complexities. The connection between a dad and son is undoubtedly one of the most essential components in a little boy’s formative years, and the paternal impact resonates throughout one’s life.

This is true no matter what you do in life, even if the father is an actor whose fame thrusts his family into the public eye, which is how it was for legendary actor James Caan, who passed on July 6, 2022. His son from his second marriage, Scott Caan. Since the elder Caan’s death, it has been revealed that the two shared an intense relationship that had its good times and its bad.

James, born on Mar. 26, 1940, in New York City’s Bronx borough to Jewish immigrant parents from Germany, began his acting career in the theatre during the 1960s before moving to television. He made his film debut in 1964’s “Lady In A Cage.” He followed that up with a memorable turn in the John Wayne headliner, “El Dorado,” before gaining attention with 1969’s “The Rain People.”

But it was Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” released in 1972, that shot James to stardom. In the film oft-cited as one of the best movies of all time, James played the headstrong Sonny Corleone, the oldest of mob boss Vito Corleone’s sons. After earning an Oscar nomination for it, he reprised the role in the sequel “The Godfather II.”

He would go on to star in other top films such as “Funny Lady,” “A Bridge Too Far,” “Misery,” “Bottle Rocket” and “Elf.” And just as lively as his film career was his love life. 

James was married four times, first to dancer DeeJay Mathis in 1961, Scott’s mother, model and actress Sheila Ryan in 1976, Ingrid Hajek in 1990 and Linda Stokes in 1995. Altogether, James had five children.

James had told Variety in March 2022 that he had turned down a role in “Apocalypse Now” because Ryan was pregnant with his “dream child” Scott and, therefore, couldn’t be away filming in the jungle for six months.

But tragedy hit in 1981 when James’s younger sister Barbara died from leukemia. 

"I went through some bad times. I lost my sister and I got a little goofy and I got on drugs – coke – and I went through all of that. (Scott) was attached to my hip," James had told the Los Angeles Times in 2010.

In a bid to get clean, James took a five-year hiatus from acting to coach Scott, of whom he had custody and his son’s Little League baseball team. He had told Esquire that he “had great, great times as a Little League coach. People were talking about me quitting acting, and they would say, ‘What about your creative juices?’ Coaching is creative, because you could take a kid who thought he wasn't any good and, within four minutes, change his mind.” 

But his priority remained raising his son, though he would do it differently from how his father treated him.

“I never saw my dad cry. My son saw me cry. My dad never told me he loved me, and consequently I told Scott I loved him every other minute. The point is, I'll make less mistakes than my dad, my sons hopefully will make less mistakes than me, and their sons will make less mistakes than their dads.”

But how did Scott view their relationship?

Scott, who found fame starring in the hit series “Hawaii Five-O,” said he and his father shared a strong bond because of the turbulent times they went through together. He told People that he held “no resentment” against his famous dad, despite what some might see as misfires on his part.

“He’s obviously had some failed attempts at marriages. But there’s a lot of people that do that and they go, 'I’m never doing that again.' My dad is a good example of someone who digs into life and goes, 'Yeah, that tore my heart out, but I’m going to try again,'” Scott said.

When Scott and his partner Kacy Byxbee welcomed their first child together on July 9, 2014, James was there for the birth, a testament to his belief that family always comes first.

“What comes first is my family and my friends. No matter what heights you achieve in this business … But when things go bad, he’s got to have his dad, his girlfriend. He’s got to have his brothers,” James said.

James had always made it a point to make sure that his son felt loved, and this was proven in a social media post Scott posted on Father’s Day, which he captioned: “Have a nice day with your parents, and tell them that you love them often. You are their greatest gift.”

James lived the movie star life filled with excitement and challenges, and while Scott was never under the impression that his father was perfect, he always knew where his priorities lay.

“He made mistakes that affected him – and me – but he's always been there for me no matter what.”

What do you think of James and Scott Caan’s father-son relationship? Do you believe family should always come first? Let us know and pass this on to all the family-oriented folks you know!