John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994)
was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in
Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
branch of
the Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
and its ''
SCTV'' series, and through his appearances in comedy films, including ''
Stripes'' (1981), ''
Splash'' (1984), ''
Summer Rental'' (1985), ''
Spaceballs
''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...
'' (1987), ''
Uncle Buck'' (1989) and ''
Cool Runnings'' (1993), portraying Chester "Chet" Ripley in ''
She's Having a Baby'' and ''
The Great Outdoors'' (both 1988), as well as more dramatic roles in ''
Only the Lonely'' and ''
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
'' (both 1991). One of his most renowned onscreen performances was as Del Griffith, the talkative shower-curtain ring salesman in the
John Hughes comedy film ''
Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987).
In addition to his work as an actor, Candy was a co-owner of the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...
(CFL), and the team won the
1991 Grey Cup
The 79th Grey Cup was the 1991 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Argonauts defeated the Stampeders 36–21 in an entertaining g ...
under his ownership. Candy died in 1994 at the age of 43. His final two film appearances, ''
Wagons East
A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.
Wagons are immediately distinguished f ...
'' and ''
Canadian Bacon'', are dedicated to his memory.
Early life
Candy was born on October 31, 1950, in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
and grew up in
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from ...
. The son of Sidney James Candy (1920–1955) and Evangeline (née Aker; 1916–2009) Candy, he was brought up in a
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
family. His childhood home was 217 Woodville Ave in
East York, Ontario. Candy's mother was of
Polish descent. His father died of complications of heart disease at age 35 in 1955 when John was five years old.
Candy attended
Neil McNeil Catholic High School where he played
Offensive Tackle on the school’s
football team. Candy originally aspired to become a professional football player but a knee injury in his high school football career prevented him from pursuing the sport. He later enrolled in
Centennial College to study journalism, and then went to
McMaster University
McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical ...
. He started acting while at college.
Career
Early career
In 1971, John Candy was cast in a small part as a
Shriner
Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Shriners International describes itself ...
in ''Creeps'' by David E. Freeman, a new Canadian play about
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be p ...
, in the inaugural season of the
Tarragon Theatre
The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country. in Toronto.
Candy guest-starred on a Canadian children's television series, ''
Cucumber
Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.[Class of '44
''Class of '44'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. Directed by Paul Bogart, it is structured as a sequel to the 1971 film ''Summer of '42'' which recounted the events in the ea ...]
'' (1973).
He had a small part in ''
The ABC Afternoon Playbreak'' ("Last Bride of Salem") and had a regular role on the TV series ''
Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins'' (1974–75).
In 1975 he played Richie, an accused killer, in the episode "Web of Guilt" on the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
TV show ''
Police Surgeon''. He was in ''
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
''It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time'' is a Canadian comedy film, directed by John Trent and released in 1975.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 109. One of John Candy's earliest films, he plays the min ...
'' (1975), shot in Canada, as well as the children's sitcom ''
Coming Up Rosie'' (1975–78) with
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
.
Candy had a small role in ''
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.
Causes
Tunnel vision can be caused by:
Eyeglass users
Eyeglass users experience tunnel visio ...
'' (1976).
In 1976, Candy played a supporting role (with
Rick Moranis) on
Peter Gzowski's short-lived late-night television talk show ''
90 Minutes Live''. In 1978, Candy had a small role as a bank employee (with
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
and
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s.
Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...
) in the Canadian thriller ''
The Silent Partner''.
''SCTV''
Candy became a member of Toronto's branch of
The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
in 1972. He gained wide North American popularity as a member of the enterprise, 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 won
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s for the show's writing in 1981 and 1982.
Among Candy's ''
SCTV'' characters were unscrupulous street-beat TV personality Johnny LaRue, 3-D horror
auteur
An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...
Doctor Tongue,
sycophant
In modern English, sycophant denotes an "insincere flatterer" and is used to refer to someone practising sycophancy (i.e., insincere flattery to gain advantage). The word has its origin in the legal system of Classical Athens. Most legal cases o ...
ic and easily amused talk-show sidekick William B. Williams, and Melonville's corrupt Mayor Tommy Shanks.
During the series' run he appeared in films such as ''
The Clown Murders'' (1976) and had a lead in a low-budget comedy, ''
Find the Lady'' (1976). He guest starred on such shows as ''
The David Steinberg Show'' and ''
King of Kensington'' and had a small role in the thriller ''
The Silent Partner'' (1978).
Early Hollywood roles
In 1979, Candy took a short
hiatus from ''SCTV'' and began a more active film career, appearing in a minor role in ''
Lost and Found'' (1979) and playing a U.S. Army soldier in
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...
's big-budget comedy ''
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...
''.
He returned to Canada for roles in ''
The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog'' (1980) and the action thriller ''
Double Negative
A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a clause. In some languages, d ...
'' (1980). He had a supporting role as easygoing parole officer Burton Mercer in ''
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...
'' (1980), starring Aykroyd, and did an episode of
''Tales of the Klondike'' (1981) for Canadian TV.
In 1980, Candy hosted a short-lived NBC television program,
Roadshow', described by The Washington Post as "improvisational journalism." Appearing as himself, Candy and a video crew travelled in a tour bus to Baton Rouge, LA (home of Louisiana State University), and Carbondale, IL (home of Southern Illinois University), and interviewed college students amid party atmospheres such as the latter's Halloween street celebration. He also obtained backstage access to interview Midge Ure, the lead singer of the UK electronic band Ultravox, which performed a concert on the SIU campus the evening of 10/31/80. It's unknown if more than two episodes aired.
Rising fame
Candy played the lovable, mild-mannered Army recruit Dewey Oxberger in ''
Stripes'' (1981), directed by Canadian
Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.
Film ...
, which was one of the most successful films of the year. He provided voices for multiple characters in the animated film ''
Heavy Metal'' (1981), most notably as the title character in the "
Den" segment, which was well-received, including by the character's creator,
Richard Corben, who singled out Candy's humorously lighthearted interpretation of the title character as excellent.
From 1981 to 1983, Candy appeared in ''
SCTV Network'' on television. He made a cameo appearance in
Harold Ramis's ''
National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), his first collaboration with
John Hughes, who wrote the script.
Candy appeared on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
'' twice (hosting in 1983) while still appearing on ''SCTV''. According to writer-comedian
Bob Odenkirk
Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
, Candy was reputedly the "most-burned potential host" of ''SNL'', in that he was asked to host many times, only for plans to be changed by the ''SNL'' staff at the last minute.
Candy headlined in the Canadian film ''
Going Berserk'' (1983). He was approached to play the character of accountant Louis Tully in ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, ...
'' (1984), starring Aykroyd and directed by Reitman, but ultimately did not get the role because of his conflicting ideas of how to play the character; the part went instead to SCTV colleague
Rick Moranis, whose ideas were better received. However, Candy did make a contribution to the franchise, as one of the many people chanting "Ghostbusters" in the video for
Ray Parker Jr.'s hit
single for the film.
Stardom
Candy played
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
's womanizing brother in the hit romantic comedy''
Splash'', generally considered his break-out role. Following the success of the film, he had signed a three-picture development and producing deal with
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American Film studio, film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action featur ...
, and he would develop and executive produce various theatricals as planned starring vehicles for himself.
Candy went back to Canada to star in ''
The Last Polka'' (1985), which he also wrote with co-star
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series '' SCTV''. He has also appeared in the '' American Pie'' series of films and the Canadian ...
. He was
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
's best friend on ''
Brewster's Millions
''Brewster's Millions'' is a comedic novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves.
The plot concerns a young man whose grandfather leaves him $1 million in a will, but a competing will from an ...
'' (1985) and had a cameo in the ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and ...
'' film ''
Follow That Bird'' (1985).
Candy's first lead role in a Hollywood film came with ''
Summer Rental'' (1985), directed by
Carl Reiner.
He was reunited with Hanks in ''
Volunteers'' (1985), though the film did not do as well as ''Splash''. He had a cameo in ''
The Canadian Conspiracy'' (1985) and appeared alongside Martin Short in ''Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood'' (1985) in Canada.
Candy's second starring role in a Hollywood film was ''
Armed and Dangerous'' (1986) with Levy and
Meg Ryan. He had a cameo in ''
Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors may refer to:
* '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman
** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film
** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptat ...
'' (1986) and appeared in ''Really Weird Tales'' (1987). He also had a supporting role in
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...
's ''
Spaceballs
''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...
'' (1987).
Collaboration with John Hughes and beyond
Candy had a hit film when he starred in ''
Planes, Trains & Automobiles'' (1987) with Steve Martin, written and directed by
John Hughes. He appeared in a cameo role in
Hughes's ''
She's Having a Baby'' (1988) and then starred in a film written by Hughes, ''
The Great Outdoors'' (1988), co starring Aykroyd.
Candy provided the voice for Don the horse in ''
Hot to Trot'' (1988) and starred in a flop comedy, considered by some to be a cult classic, ''
Who's Harry Crumb?'' (1989), which he also produced. He was one of several names in ''
Cannonball Fever'' (1989) and had another hit film with Hughes in ''
Uncle Buck'' (1989).
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
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
'
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
imprint.
Candy made ''The Rocket Boy'' (1989) in Canada and had a cameo in two more films written by Hughes, the blockbuster hit film ''
Home Alone
''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John H ...
'' (1990) and the box office flop ''
Career Opportunities'' (1991).
He provided the voice of Wilbur the Albatross in Disney's ''
The Rescuers Down Under'' (1990) and had a supporting role in ''
Nothing But Trouble'' (1991), Dan Aykroyd's notorious box office flop.
During this time, Candy played a dramatic role as
Dean Andrews Jr., a shady Southern lawyer in
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sca ...
's ''
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
'' (1991).
In 1991,
Bruce McNall,
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
, and Candy became owners of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...
's
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. 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
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
prospects such as wide receiver
Raghib Ismail. The Argonauts took home the
1991 Grey Cup
The 79th Grey Cup was the 1991 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Argonauts defeated the Stampeders 36–21 in an entertaining g ...
, beating Calgary 36–21 in the final.
Only McNall's name was etched onto the
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
trophy as an owner of the team, but the CFL corrected the error in 2007 and added Candy's and Gretzky's names as well.
From 1988 to 1990, Candy hosted "Radio Kandy," a
hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
radio music countdown syndicated by
Premiere Networks
Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. ...
.
Later career
Chris Columbus Christopher Columbus was an explorer born in Genoa, Italy.
Christopher Columbus or Chris Columbus may also refer to:
People
* Chris Columbus (musician) (1902–2002), American jazz drummer
* Chris Columbus (filmmaker) (born 1958), American dire ...
wrote and directed ''
Only the Lonely'' (1991) starring Candy and
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...
, which was well reviewed but not a big hit.
Also unsuccessful were the comedies ''
Delirious'' (1991) and ''
Once Upon a Crime...'' (1992). He had a cameo in ''
Boris and Natasha: The Movie'' (1992) and the successful ''
Rookie of the Year'' (1993).
Candy starred in his first comedic hit in a number of years with ''
Cool Runnings'' (1993).
He made his directorial debut in the 1994 comedy ''
Hostage for a Day''. His last appearances were in ''
Canadian Bacon'' (1995) and ''Wagons East''.
Unfinished projects
Candy was in talks to portray Ignatius J. Reilly in a now-shelved film adaptation of
John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole (; December 17, 1937 – March 26, 1969) was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana whose posthumously published novel, '' A Confederacy of Dunces'', won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981; he also wrote ''The N ...
's
Pulitzer Prize–winning novel ''
A Confederacy of Dunces
''A Confederacy of Dunces'' is a picaresque novel by American novelist John Kennedy Toole which reached publication in 1980, eleven years after Toole's death. Published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a foreword) ...
''. He had also expressed interest in portraying
Atuk in a film adaptation of
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel ''St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...
's ''
The Incomparable Atuk'' and
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in a biopic based on the
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
comedian's life. These three shelved projects have been alleged as cursed because Candy,
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...
,
Sam Kinison, and
Chris Farley were each attached to all three roles, and they all died before they could make any of these films.
Candy was originally considered to play
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...
's role in the
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...
of the 1950 film ''
Last Holiday'', with
Carl Reiner directing. Eventually the role was played by
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...
in a
loose remake released in 2006.
Candy was also slated to collaborate with John Hughes again in a comedy opposite
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
, titled ''Bartholomew vs. Neff''. Candy and Stallone were to have portrayed feuding neighbors.
In the animated Disney film ''
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter o ...
'', the role of Redfeather the turkey was written for him but was subsequently cut from the film after his death.
Personal life
Candy and his wife, Rosemary Hobor, had two children, Christopher Michael and Jennifer Anne.
Candy publicly admitted that he suffered from severe
anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil
Turmoil may refer to:
* ''Turmoil'' (1984 video game), a 1984 video game released by Bug-Byte
* ''Turmoil'' (2016 video game), a 2016 indie oil tycoon video ...
and
panic attack
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
s.
Sports
In addition to his work as an actor, Candy was a co-owner of the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...
(CFL) with
Bruce McNall and
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
. The team won the
1991 Grey Cup
The 79th Grey Cup was the 1991 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Argonauts defeated the Stampeders 36–21 in an entertaining g ...
under his co-ownership.
Death
Candy died on March 4, 1994, while filming ''
Wagons East
A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.
Wagons are immediately distinguished f ...
''; a spokeswoman said that his cause of death was a heart attack in his sleep. He was 43 years old.
In addition to his obesity, he tended to
binge eat in response to professional struggles
and weighed in excess of at some points in his life.
Candy had a number of
risk factors for heart attack, including a strong family history (his father had died prematurely of a heart attack, although his children say he was unaware of his genetic risk),
smoking a pack of
cigarettes a day,
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...
,
heavy alcohol use, and use of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
.
Candy was concerned about his weight. He once lost 100 pounds over a summer while preparing for a new film role with
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...
. He frequently dieted and exercised with trainers because of his family history.
["Autopsy: The Last Hours of John Candy." ''Autopsy: The Last Hours of...''. Nar. Eric Meyers. ]Executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
s Suzy Davis and Michael Kelpie. Reelz
Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood ...
, March 3, 2019. Television.
Legacy
Candy's funeral was held at
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. The church is located on Sunset Boulevard in the affluent Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California.
History
The ...
in Los Angeles. Candy was entombed in the mausoleum at
Holy Cross Cemetery Holy Cross Cemetery may refer to:
United States
California
*Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California)
*Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
* Holy Cross Cemetery (Menlo Park, California)
* Holy Cross Cemetery (Pomona, California)
*Holy C ...
in Culver City. His crypt lies just above that of fellow actor
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...
. On March 18, 1994, a special memorial service for Candy, produced by his former improvisation troupe the Second City, was broadcast across Canada.
''Wagons East'' was completed using a stunt double and special effects and released five months after Candy's death. His final completed film was ''Canadian Bacon'', a satirical comedy by
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism.
Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ...
that was released a year after Candy's death. Candy played American sheriff Bud Boomer, who led an "invasion" of Canada. Candy recorded a voice for the TV film ''
The Magic 7'' in the early 1990s. The film remained in production for years owing to animation difficulties and production delays, and it was eventually shelved.
Candy was posthumously inducted into
Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998.
In May 2006, Candy became one of the first four entertainers ever honored by
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation that functions as the primary Postal administration, postal operator in Canada ...
by being featured on a postage stamp.
On October 31, 2020, Toronto Mayor
John Tory proclaimed "John Candy Day" in honour of what would have been John Candy's 70th birthday.
''
Blues Brothers 2000'' is dedicated to three people, including Candy, who played a supporting role in the original ''Blues Brothers''. A tribute to Candy was hosted by
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
at the
2007 Grey Cup festivities in Toronto in November 2007.
Experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...
band
Ween
Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band a ...
's album ''
Chocolate and Cheese'', released in 1994, is "dedicated in loving memory to John Candy (1950–1994)". At the time, lead singer
Gene Ween remarked, "There was so much going on about
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
of] Kurt Cobain, and nobody mentioned John Candy at all. I have a special little spot in my heart for him."
The John Candy Visual Arts Studio at
Neil McNeil Catholic High School in Toronto was dedicated in his honour after his death. Candy, one of the school's most famous alumni, said during one of his annual visits to the school, "My success is simply rooted in the values and discipline and respect for others that I was taught at Neil McNeil." It has been suggested, among others, that the
Canadian Screen Awards
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...
be given the official nickname "The Candys," both in honour of the actor and because the name suggests Canada.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Accolades
References
External links
JohnCandy.com – The home of everything John Candy*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candy, John
1950 births
1994 deaths
20th-century Canadian male actors
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
Canadian impressionists (entertainers)
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male voice actors
Canadian people of Polish descent
Canadian Roman Catholics
Canadian male comedians
Canadian sketch comedians
Canadian television personalities
Canadian television writers
Centennial College alumni
Male actors from Ontario
People from Newmarket, Ontario
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Toronto Argonauts owners
Writers from Ontario
20th-century Canadian comedians
20th-century Canadian screenwriters
Comedians from Ontario
Canadian Comedy Award winners