James Caan , the actor who became famous for the role of Sonny , abusive and impetuous son of Don Vito Corleone , in the film "The Godfather" died at the age of 82.

The news comes directly from the family , through social media.

Despite the Oscar nomination and the undoubted personal success, James Caan did not like to identify with the character of the Americanized mafia and laughed at the cliché that many in Hollywood believed he had Italian roots.

His other interpretations then came in the films "40,000 dollars not to die" by Karel Reitz, "Killer Elite" by Sam Peckinpah in the 70s, "I will find them at any cost" (by himself directed) and "Violent Roads" by Michael Mann (possibly his personal masterpiece) in the 1980s; "Misery must not die" by Rob Reiner and even Kelly Makin's ironic "Mickey Blue Eyes" in the 90s, up to the unexpected "Blood Ties" by Guillaume Canet and "Out of Blue" by Carol Morley with which virtually closed his career in 2018.

THE ORIGINS - Born in the Bronx on March 26, 1940, the third son of a butcher of German origins, the young James grows up in the violent streets of the outskirts of New York , is a listless student in Queens and then at the University of Hempstead where he first meets once the friend of a lifetime, Francis Coppola. However, Caan leaves school early to enroll in the acting classes of Sanford Meisner , his Pygmalion. He will appear uncredited on the set of "Irma la dolce", will be noticed on TV with the series "The Untouchables" (1962), starring with John Wayne in "El Dorado", finds Coppola (now a novice director) in "Non I'm going home tonight "(1969). Its myth is Steve McQueen, emblematic protagonist of a rough and vital America in which passion and desire to succeed are more important than culture. If he can, he chooses manly roles (football player, abusive policeman, inveterate poker player, loyal soldier, cowboy at sunset) and will never deny his with a (tried for mafia) like , undisputed head of the family. Perch.