James Caan was born in New York. After completing acting courses, he worked in theater and on TV, and made his screen debut in 1964. Playing a race car driver in H. Hawks' film 'Red Line 7000' (1965), Caan cemented his reputation on screen and in life as an athlete, a 'real man'. The actor's range expanded after working with F. Coppola in 'The Rain People' (1969) and especially in 'The Godfather' (1972), where his reckless offspring of a gangster clan, Sonny Corleone, combines almost childlike simplicity, cocky self-confidence, and hot temper reaching cruelty. As a result, Caan became a rare type of character actor for Hollywood, whose famous smile either shone with carefreeness or looked like a neurotic grin.

In 1980, Caan directed and starred in the film 'Hide In Plain Sight', where he played a divorced father fighting for his children. The theme of a reverent attitude toward fatherhood, family, and home runs through 'Thief' (1980, directed by M. Mann), where a professional burglar is forced to carry out a jewel theft operation.

The early 80s were associated with the actor's emotional crisis, drug addiction, and family breakdown. From 1982, for five years, Caan did not act, working as a baseball coach. Coppola helped him return to cinema by inviting him to star in 'Gardens of Stone' (1987). In an unusual role for himself, Caan appeared in the psychological thriller 'Misery' (1990), playing a famous romance novelist who is held captive by his mentally unstable fan.