John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian.
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 comedy films such as Stripes,
Splash, Cool Runnings, Summer Rental, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle Buck.
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 his sleep
in Durango, Mexico, at the age of 43.
His final two films, Wagons East! and Canadian Bacon, are dedicated to his memory.
Biography Early life and career
Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, in 1950.
The son of Sidney James Candy and his wife Evangeline Candy, he was raised in a working-class
Roman Catholic family.
His maternal grandparents, Jozefa and Frank Michael Aker, were immigrants from Eastern
Europe, of Polish and Ukrainian ancestry.
Candy studied at Centennial College in Toronto and at McMaster University.
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 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.
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 Second City Television 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 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, 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.
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 "weird" 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 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, Delirious, and Once Upon a Crime, although he did appear in major successes
such as Rookie of the Year, 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 and his new girlfriend.
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.
In 1991, Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky, and Candy became owners of the Canadian Football
League's Toronto Argonauts.
The celebrity ownership group attracted a lot of attention in Canada and the team spent
a significant amount of money, even signing some highly touted National Football League
prospects like 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.
Legacy Candy's funeral was held at St. Martin of
Tours Catholic Church.
Candy was interred in the mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
His crypt lies just above fellow actor Fred MacMurray.
On March 18, 1994, a special memorial service for Candy, produced by his former improv troupe
The Second City, was broadcast across Canada.
Candy's final completed movie was Canadian Bacon, a satirical comedy by Michael Moore
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 due to animation difficulties and production
delays, and it was shelved.
Candy was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
In May 2006, Candy became one of the first four entertainers ever honoured by Canada
Post by being featured on a postage stamp.
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 at the 2007 Grey Cup festivities in Toronto
in November 2007.
Ween's Chocolate and Cheese album released in 1994 is "dedicated in loving memory to
John Candy".
The John Candy Visual Arts Studio at Neil McNeil Catholic High School, in Toronto, Ontario
was dedicated in his honor after his death.
John 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."
Candy's daughter, Jennifer Candy, is an actress and television producer, having production
credits for the television series Prom Queen and Sam Has 7 Friends.
Filmography Television
References
External links JohnCandy.com – The home of everything John
Candy John Candy at the Internet Movie Database
John Candy at Find a Grave Allmovie entry for John Candy