Profile Text
Caan in 2006, photo by s_bukley /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: James Edmund Caan
Date of Birth: March 26, 1940
Place of Birth: The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: July 6, 2022
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
James Caan was an American actor. Among his roles were The Godfather , El Dorado , Countdown , Brian’s Song , Cinderella Liberty , The Gambler , Rollerball , A Bridge Too Far , Thief , Gardens of Stone , Dick Tracy , Misery , Eraser , This Is My Father , Mickey Blue Eyes , The Yards , Elf , Dogville , Queen Bees , and That’s My Boy .
His parents, Sophie (Falkenstein) and Arthur Caan, were German Jewish immigrants. His mother moved to the U.S. in 1934.
James had five children: a daughter with his former wife, Dee Jay Mathis; a son, actor Scott Caan , with his former wife, model Sheila Ryan; a son with his former wife Ingrid Hajek; and two children with his former wife Linda Stokes.
James’s paternal grandfather was Alex Caan (the son of Edmo Caan and Sophia Seligman/Seligmann). Alex was born in Giesenkirchen, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
James’s paternal grandmother was named Bertha Mayer. Bertha was born in Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
James’s maternal grandfather was named Moses Falkenstein.
James’s maternal grandmother was named Regina Niedermann/Neiderman/Niederman (the daughter of Simon Niedermann/Neiderman/Niederman and Rose).
Sources: http://www.cigaraficionado.com
Genealogy of James Caan – https://www.geni.com
James Caan on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org