Search a film or person :
FacebookConnectionRegistration
John Candy is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Executive producer and Thanks Canadien born on 30 october 1950 at Newmarket (Canada)

John Candy

John Candy
If you like this person, let us know!
Birth name John Franklin Candy
Nationality Canada
Birth 30 october 1950 at Newmarket (Canada)
Death 4 march 1994 (at 43 years) at Durango (Mexique)
Awards Primetime Emmy Award

John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian-born actor and comedian, mainly in American films

Candy rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series and through his appearances in such comedy films as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, Summer Rental, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle Buck as well as more dramatic roles in Only the Lonely and JFK . One of his most renowned onscreen performances was as Del Griffith, the loquacious, on-the-move shower-curtain ring salesman in the John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

While filming the Western parody Wagons East!, Candy died of a heart attack in Durango, Mexico, on March 4, 1994, aged 43. His final two films, Wagons East! and Canadian Bacon, are dedicated to his memory.

Biography

Early life and career (1950–1980)
Candy was born in 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario. The son of Sidney James Candy and his wife Evangeline (Aker) Candy, he was raised in a working-class Roman Catholic family. Candy's father was of English and Scottish descent, while his mother was of Polish and Ukrainian descent.

Candy studied at Neil McNeil Catholic High School, later enrolled in the Centennial Community College to study journalism, and went to McMaster University for higher education. His first movie role was a small uncredited appearance in the 1973 film Class of '44. He appeared in several other low-budget films during the 1970s, including the bank-robbery thriller The Silent Partner with Christopher Plummer and Elliott Gould. In 1976, Candy played a supporting role (with Rick Moranis) on Peter Gzowski's short-lived, late-night television talk show, 90 Minutes Live. That same year, as a member of Toronto's branch of The Second City, he gained wide North American popularity, which grew when he became a cast member on the influential Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television (SCTV). NBC picked the show up in 1981 and it quickly became a fan favorite. It had won Emmy Awards for the show's writing in 1981 and 1982.


1980s career
Among Candy's memorable characterizations for SCTV were unscrupulous street-beat TV personality Johnny LaRue, 3-D horror auteur Doctor Tongue, sycophantic and easily amused talk-show sidekick William B. Williams, and Melonville's corrupt Mayor Tommy Shanks. Other characters included the cheerful Leutonian clarinetist Yosh Shmenge, who was half of the Happy Wanderers and the subject of the mockumentary The Last Polka, folksy fishin' musician Gil Fisher, handsome if accent-challenged TV actor Steve Roman, hapless children's entertainer Mr. Messenger, corrupt soap opera doctor William Wainwright, smut merchant Harry, "the Guy With the Snake on His Face", and Giorgy, everyone's favourite Cossack.

Mimicry was one of Candy's talents, which he used often at SCTV. Celebrities impersonated by Candy include Jerry Mathers, Divine, Orson Welles, Julia Child, Richard Burton, Silvio Gigante, Luciano Pavarotti, Jimmy the Greek, Andrew Sarris, Tip O'Neill, Don Rickles, Curly Howard, Merlin Olsen, Jackie Gleason, Tom Selleck, Gordon Pinsent, Darryl Sittler, Ed Asner, Gertrude Stein, Morgy Kneele, Doug McGrath, and Hervé Villechaize.

In 1979, Candy took a short hiatus from SCTV and began a more active film career, appearing in a minor role as a U.S. Army soldier in Steven Spielberg's big-budget comedy 1941 and had a supporting role as police officer Burton Mercer in The Blues Brothers. A year later, Candy played the lovable, mild-mannered Army recruit Dewey Oxberger in 1981's Stripes, one of the most successful films of the year. In 1983, Candy had a small but memorable cameo appearance in Harold Ramis's National Lampoon's Vacation and appeared on Saturday Night Live twice (hosting in 1983) while still appearing on SCTV. According to writer-comedian Bob Odenkirk, Candy was reputedly the "most-burned potential host" of SNL, in that he was asked to host many times, only to be told 'no thanks' by the SNL staff at the last minute.

In 1983, Candy headlined in the film Going Berserk, and was also approached to play the character of accountant Louis Tully in Ghostbusters (completed and released in 1984), but ultimately did not get the role because of his conflicting ideas of how to play the character; the part went instead to Rick Moranis. Candy was one of the many celebrities who appeared chanting "Ghostbusters" in Ray Parker, Jr.'s hit "single" for the movie. In 1984, Candy played Tom Hanks's womanizing brother in the hit romantic comedy Splash, generally considered his breakout role.

Throughout the latter half of the 1980s, Candy often took roles in substandard films (even performing the voice of a talking horse in the Bobcat Goldthwait comedy Hot to Trot). While continuing to play supporting roles in films like Spaceballs, Candy was awarded the opportunity to headline or co-star in such comedy films as Volunteers, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Brewster's Millions, The Great Outdoors, Armed and Dangerous, Who's Harry Crumb?, Summer Rental, and Uncle Buck.
He also continued to provide memorable bit roles, including a disc jockey in the comic musical film Little Shop of Horrors and a policeman in the Sesame Street film Follow That Bird.

Candy also produced and starred in a Saturday-morning animated series on NBC titled Camp Candy in 1989. The show was set in a fictional summer camp run by Candy, featured his two children in supporting roles, and also spawned a brief comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Star Comics imprint.


Later years and death (1990–1994)
In the early 1990s, Candy's career went into decline after he appeared in a string of critical and commercial failures, including Nothing but Trouble (for which he was nominated for a Razzie as "worst supporting actress", playing a woman), Delirious, and Once Upon a Crime, although he did appear in major successes such as Rookie of the Year (uncredited), The Rescuers Down Under, Home Alone, and Cool Runnings.

Candy attempted to reinvigorate his acting career by broadening his range and playing more dramatic roles. In 1991, Candy appeared in a light romantic drama, Only the Lonely, which saw him as a Chicago cop torn between his overbearing mother (Maureen O'Hara) and his new girlfriend (Ally Sheedy). The same year and in rare form, Candy played a dramatic role as Dean Andrews Jr., a shady Southern lawyer in Oliver Stone's JFK. He made his directorial debut in the 1994 comedy Hostage for a Day, in which he also made a cameo appearance.

In 1991, Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky, and Candy became owners of the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. The celebrity ownership group attracted attention in Canada and the team spent a significant amount of money, even signing some highly touted National Football League prospects such as wide receiver Raghib Ismail. The Argonauts took home the 1991 Grey Cup, beating Calgary, 36–21, in the final.



In 1994, while filming Wagons East! on location in Durango, Mexico, Candy called his friends, including Canadian Football League commissioner Larry Smith, and told them that he had just let go of his team and was putting it up for sale. He then called his assistant, who invited him to play golf with him in the spring when he came back to Toronto. After cooking a late lasagna dinner for his assistants, Candy called his co-stars from his hotel, then went to sleep. After midnight, on March 4, 1994, Candy died from a heart attack.

Candy was survived by his wife, Rosemary Hobor, and his two children, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy.


Unfinished projects
Candy was in talks to portray Ignatius J. Reilly in a now-shelved film adaptation of John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces. He even expressed interest in portraying Atuk in a film adaptation of Mordecai Richler's The Incomparable Atuk and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in a biopic based on the silent film comedian's life. All three of these shelved projects are believed to be cursed as Candy, John Belushi, and Chris Farley were each attached to all three roles; and they all died at early ages before they could make any of these films.

Candy was also slated to collaborate with John Hughes in a comedy film opposite Sylvester Stallone titled Bartholomew vs. Neff. This project, also shelved, was about two feuding neighbors who were to have been portrayed by Candy and Stallone.

Candy was originally considered to play Alec Guinness's role in the remake of the 1950 film, Last Holiday, with Carl Reiner directing. A little over a decade after his death, the role was officially played by Queen Latifah.

Best films

Cool Runnings (1993)
(Actor)
Stripes (1981)
(Actor)
Splash (1984)
(Actor)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
(Actor)
Brewster's Millions (1985)
(Actor)
Heavy Metal (1981)
(Actor)

Usually with

Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
(11 films)
John Hughes
John Hughes
(9 films)
Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
(8 films)
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
(10 films)
Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman
(5 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of John Candy (52 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

The Magic 7
Themes Children's films
Actors John Candy, Michael J. Fox, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Ice-T, Dirk Benedict
Rating71% 3.577683.577683.577683.577683.57768
Deux enfants et un dragon défient les six plus grands ennemis de la terre.
Canadian Bacon, 1h31
Directed by Michael Moore
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action
Themes Political films
Actors Alan Alda, John Candy, Rhea Perlman, Kevin J. O'Connor, Bill Nunn, Kevin Pollak
Roles Sheriff Bud B. Boomer
Rating58% 2.9490152.9490152.9490152.9490152.949015
Thousands of former employees are outraged with military businessman R.J. Hacker (G. D. Spradlin), who had closed down his weapons manufacturing plant, Hacker Dynamics. At a conference held at the former plant, he pins the blame for the shutdown of his business on the current President of the United States (Alan Alda), who has just arrived. The President defends his own belief that the future of the children is more important than war, which has caused major decline in his approval rating. After the conference, he expresses to confidantes General Dick Panzer (Rip Torn) and National Security Advisor Stuart Smiley (Kevin Pollak) his discontent about not having an enemy to engage in war. An attempted negotiation with Russian President Vladimir Kruschkin (Richard E. Council) to start a new cold war with Russia fails, and the President's suggestion of a war on international terrorism is deemed too absurd.
Hostage for a Day, 1h35
Directed by John Candy
Origin Canada
Genres Comedy, Fantasy
Actors John Candy, George Wendt, John Vernon, Robin Duke, PJ Torokvei, Don Lake
Roles Yuri Petrovich (uncredited)
Rating44% 2.227322.227322.227322.227322.22732
Wagons East!, 1h47
Directed by Peter Markle
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action, Adventure, Western
Actors John Candy, Abraham Benrubi, Richard Lewis, John C. McGinley, Ellen Greene, Russell Means
Roles James Harlow
Rating48% 2.4018752.4018752.4018752.4018752.401875
In the 1860s Wild West, a group of misfit settlers including ex-doctor Phil Taylor (Lewis), prostitute Belle (Ellen Greene), and homosexual bookseller Julian (John C. McGinley) decide they cannot live in their current situation in the west, so they hire a grizzled alcoholic wagon master by the name of James Harlow (Candy) to take them on a journey back to their hometowns in the East. This leads to comedic exploits when the drunken wagon master leads them into Sioux territory and they are pursued by the cavalry. They also have to contend with hired gunslingers who have been sent by railroad magnates to stop the journey in fear of bad publicity of the west, and their discovery that Harlow had been part of the infamous Donner Party.
Cool Runnings, 1h38
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Adventure, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Athletics films, Films about the Olympic Games, Children's films, Sports d'hiver
Actors Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, John Candy, Rawle D. Lewis, Raymond J. Barry
Roles Irv
Rating69% 3.499923.499923.499923.499923.49992
Derice Bannock, a top 100m runner, fails to qualify at the Olympic Trial for the 1988 Summer Olympics when fellow runner Junior Bevil trips and falls, taking Derice and another runner, Yul Brenner, with him.
Rookie of the Year, 1h44
Directed by Daniel Stern
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy
Themes Sports films, Baseball films
Actors Thomas Ian Nicholas, Gary Busey, Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine, Neil Flynn, Daniel Stern, Amy Morton
Roles Cliff Murdoch - Announcer (uncredited)
Rating61% 3.050263.050263.050263.050263.05026
Henry Rowengartner (Nicholas), 12-year-old Little Leaguer, has dreams of playing in the major leagues. One day, Henry breaks his arm trying to catch a fly ball (he slips on another ball that is lying on the ground) and has to wrap it in a cast. Once the arm is healed, the doctor removes the cast and discovers Henry's tendons have healed "a little too tight," thus enabling Henry to cock his arm back and fire it forward with incredible force.
Once Upon a Crime, 1h34
Directed by Eugene Levy
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime
Actors John Candy, James Belushi, Cybill Shepherd, Sean Young, Ornella Muti, Richard Lewis
Roles Augie Morosco
Rating57% 2.898962.898962.898962.898962.89896
The plot revolves around a series of couples in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Augie Morosco (John Candy) is a reformed gambler whose wife Elena Morosco (Ornella Muti) (playing a similar character to her role in Oscar) is concluding a business deal, Neil Schwary (James Belushi) is a gambler looking to strike it big and whose wife Marilyn Schwary (Cybill Shepherd) is hoping to buy some designer clothes. Julian Peters (Richard Lewis) and Phoebe (Sean Young) met each other in Rome and are attempting to return a dachshund to the wealthy Madam Van Dougan.
Boris and Natasha, 1h28
Directed by Charles Martin Smith
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action, Adventure
Actors Sally Kellerman, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Paxton Whitehead, John Travolta, Christopher Neame
Roles Kalishak
Rating47% 2.3579552.3579552.3579552.3579552.357955
The movie opens in the tiny country of Pottsylvania, located between the countries WrestleMania and Yoursovania, where Fearless Leader concocts a plan to obtain a time-reversal microchip, invented by Professor Anton Paulovitch. He asks his top agent, Agent X (whose face is obscured), to do the assignment, but Agent X suggests they send some patsies to find Paulovitch. Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale accept their assignment to find the Professor, and are told to defect to America. After a number of failed attempts to get there (resulting in Fearless Leader having to save them many times), they make it to America, where they are sent to the CIA. The head of the CIA, Sheldon Kaufman, decides to have tests run on them to see if they are truly defecting. After the test, it's obvious to everyone that they should be deported, but a worker, Willie, points out they hadn't had any defects in a while, and thinks they should play along and in the meantime spy on them to see what they are after.
JFK
JFK (1991)
, 3h9
Directed by Oliver Stone
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Historical
Themes Assassinat, Films about families, Politique, Political films, White House in fiction
Actors Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Laurie Metcalf, Beata Poźniak
Roles Dean Andrews
Rating79% 3.9975253.9975253.9975253.9975253.997525
The film opens with newsreel footage, including the farewell address in 1961 of outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower, warning about the build-up of the "military-industrial complex". This is followed by a summary of John F. Kennedy's years as president, emphasizing the events that, in Stone's thesis, would lead to his assassination. This builds to a reconstruction of the assassination on November 22, 1963. New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison subsequently learns about potential links to the assassination in New Orleans. Garrison and his team investigate several possible conspirators, including private pilot David Ferrie, but are forced to let them go after their investigation is publicly rebuked by the federal government. Kennedy's suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is killed by Jack Ruby, and Garrison closes the investigation.
Career Opportunities, 1h23
Directed by Bryan Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, Dermot Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney, John M. Jackson, Jenny O'Hara
Roles C.D. Marsh (uncredited)
Rating58% 2.9186352.9186352.9186352.9186352.918635
Jim Dodge (Frank Whaley) is a self-proclaimed "people person" and dreamer who is perceived as lazy and good for nothing. After being fired from numerous low-paying jobs, Jim is given the choice by his father, Bud Dodge (John M. Jackson), to either land a job at the local Target or be put on a bus to St. Louis.
Nothing but Trouble, 1h34
Directed by Dan Aykroyd
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Comedy, Horror comedy, Adventure, Horror
Themes Comedy horror films
Actors Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Demi Moore, Taylor Negron, Tupac Shakur
Roles Dennis / Eldona
Rating51% 2.5513452.5513452.5513452.5513452.551345
While hosting a party in his Manhattan penthouse, financial publisher Chris Thorne (Chase) meets lawyer Diane Lightson (Moore) and agrees to escort her to consult a client in Atlantic City on the following day. Thorne's clients, obnoxious but wealthy Brazilian siblings Fausto and Renalda, whom he calls "Brazillionaires", meet up with them and invite themselves along.
Only the Lonely, 1h44
Directed by Chris Columbus
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Children's films
Actors John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Quinn, Kevin Dunn, James Belushi
Roles Danny Muldoon
Rating63% 3.1973853.1973853.1973853.1973853.197385
Danny Muldoon (John Candy), a 38-year-old Chicago policeman, still lives with his overbearing Irish mother, Rose Muldoon (Maureen O'Hara). A lonely bachelor, Danny falls in love with Theresa Luna (Ally Sheedy), an introverted, lonely girl who works in her father's funeral home as a cosmetician. On their first date, he takes her to Comiskey Park (shortly before it was torn down) and has a picnic on the field. Their courtship eventually becomes very difficult because Rose begins to feel threatened that Theresa is trying to steal her son away; the fact that Theresa is not Irish (she is Sicilian and Polish) only exacerbates the situation.
Delirious
Delirious (1991)
, 1h32
Directed by Tom Mankiewicz
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films about films, Films about television
Actors John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, Emma Samms, David Rasche, Raymond Burr, Dylan Walsh
Roles Jack Gable
Rating57% 2.8991452.8991452.8991452.8991452.899145
Jack Gable (Candy) is the New York City-based lead writer and producer of the soap opera "Beyond Our Dreams". Consumed by his work, he harbors an unspoken attraction to Laura Claybourne (Samms), the selfish actress playing the lead character of Rachel Hedison.
Masters of Menace, 1h37
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors David Rasche, Catherine Bach, Tino Insana, Lee Ving, David Bowe, Carol Ann Susi
Roles Beer Truck Driver
Rating52% 2.611872.611872.611872.611872.61187
The Masters of Menace are a motorcycle club. When one of their own dies while testing his top fuel Harley, they decide to cross the country to go bury him. With the coffin in the back of the pick-up truck and the tight-butt lawyer in the front, their craving for beer combined with lack of manners will disturb quite a few people wherever they go, including the police.