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A masculine and enigmatic actor whose life and movie career have had more ups and downs than the average rollercoaster and whose selection of roles has arguably derailed him from achieving true superstar status, James Caan is New York-born and bred.

He was born in the Bronx, to Sophie (Falkenstein) and Arthur Caan, Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father was a meat dealer and butcher. The athletically gifted Caan played football at Michigan State University while studying economics, holds a black belt in karate and for several years was even a regular on the rodeo circuit, where he was nicknamed "The Jewish Cowboy". However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed and accepted at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. He then won a scholarship to study under acting coach Wynn Handman and began to appear in several off-Broadway productions, including "I Roam" and "Mandingo".

He made his screen debut as a sailor in Irma la Douce (1963) and began to impress audiences with his work in Red Line 7000 (1965) and the western El Dorado (1966) alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Further work followed in Journey to Shiloh (1968) and in the sensitive The Rain People (1969). However, audiences were moved to tears as he put in a heart-rending performance as cancer-stricken Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo in the highly rated made-for-TV film Brian's Song (1971).

With these strong performances under his belt, Francis Ford Coppola then cast him as hot-tempered gangster Santino "Sonny" Corleone in the Mafia epic The Godfather (1972). The film was an enormous success, Caan scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination and, in the years since, the role has proven to be the one most fondly remembered by his legion of fans. He reprised the role for several flashback scenes in the sequel The Godfather: Part II (1974) and then moved on to several very diverse projects. These included a cop-buddy crime partnership with Alan Arkin in the uneven Freebie and the Bean (1974), a superb performance as a man playing for his life in The Gambler (1974) alongside Lauren Hutton, and pairing with Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady (1975). Two further strong lead roles came up for him in 1975, first as futuristic sports star "Jonathon E" questioning the moral fiber of a sterile society in Rollerball (1975) and teaming up with Robert Duvall in the Sam Peckinpah spy thriller The Killer Elite (1975).

Unfortunately, Caan's rising star sputtered badly at this stage of his career, and several film projects failed to find fire with either critics or audiences. These included such failures as the hokey Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), the quasi-western Comes a Horseman (1978) and the saccharine Chapter Two (1979). However, he did score again with the stylish Michael Mann-directed heist movie Thief (1981). He followed this with a supernatural romantic comedy titled Kiss Me Goodbye (1982) and then, due to personal conflicts, dropped out of the spotlight for several years before returning with a stellar performance under old friend Francis Ford Coppola in the moving Gardens of Stone (1987).

Caan appeared back in favor with fans and critics alike and raised his visibility with the sci-fi hit Alien Nation (1988) and Dick Tracy (1990), then surprised everyone by playing a meek romance novelist held captive after a car accident by a deranged fan in the dynamic Misery (1990). The 1990s were kind to him and he notched up roles as a band leader in For the Boys (1991), another gangster in Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), appeared in the indie hit Bottle Rocket (1996) and pursued Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser (1996).

The demand on Caan's talents seems to have increased steadily over the past few years as he is making himself known to a new generation of fans. Recent hot onscreen roles have included The Yards (2000), City of Ghosts (2002) and Dogville (2003). In addition, he finds himself at the helm of the hit TV series Las Vegas (2003) as casino security chief "Big Ed" Deline. An actor of undeniably manly appeal, James Caan continued to surprise and delight audiences with his invigorating performances up until his death in July 2022 at the age of 82.

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Partnerships Cinedigm (NASDAQ:CIDM), a leading independent content distributor, announced a North American distribution deal on January 17, 2018 with Insurrection Entertainment, the newly formed production company founded by entertainment industry visionary, Chris Nassif and Richard Brandes. As part of the multi-year pact, Insurrection will develop and produce a slate of new pictures across high-performing, commercial genres including family/holiday, action, thriller and western. Cinedigm will oversee theatrical, home video, television and digital distribution for the pictures. Most recently, Nassif and Brandes served as Co-Producers on JEEPERS CREEPERS 3, the successful third entry in the fan-favorite horror franchise. With over thirty-five years in entertainment, Nassif is the former founder and CEO of CNA and Diverse Talent Group. As a producer, Nassif's credits include WHO STOLE MY DAUGHTER, DESECRATED, AMERICAN FEDERALE MONSTER MUTT and Category 5. The agreement further bolsters Cinedigm's diverse portfolio of independent features and reflects the distributor's willingness to develop strategic partnerships with established producers, production companies and financiers, who work in the indie space. These pacts provide content for Cinedigm to distribute through traditional distribution channels as well as its expanding over-the-top (OTT) digital networks, including the Dove Channel, CONTV, and Docurama. "We could not be more thrilled to work with longtime industry veterans like Richard and Chris," said Yolanda Macias[3], Executive Vice- President of Acquisitions for Cinedigm. "With their extensive relationships, experience and track record with indie films, we are confident that they will deliver exciting new pictures under our deal." "We have been looking for a collaborative distribution partner," said Nassif. "Cinedigm's team understands the marketplace very well, and we value their input to help to maximize the commercial appeal of our pictures. "Cinedigm boasts wide distribution reach, and leadership that is forward-looking and savvy," said Nassif. "As the home entertainment landscape continues to quickly evolve, we are thrilled to partner with a company with direct access to both traditional distribution channels as well as their own OTT network." The deal was negotiated by Cinedigm's Melody Fowler, Vice-President of Acquisitions, and Nassif on behalf of Insurrection.

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