Hard to believe it was 15 years ago this month (March 4, 1994) we lost one of the greatest actors of modern history. I remember my brother and I talking and saying how it was almost like losing your favorite uncle. No matter what role he had in the film, you always loved is character. You always rooted for him and wanted him to be victorious. And you could always count on him to make you smile. Whether it was “Barf” from Space Balls, “Del Griffith” from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, or “Uncle Buck”, you always felt happy after watching one of his films and anticipated hen you could see him again. My only hope is he is up there still making them roar with laughter. Click on the “(more…)” link below the video to read his biography.

John Candy Biography (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994)

Actor, comedian. Born John Franklin Candy on October 31, 1950, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Candy took drama courses at a community college and held various odd jobs before winning his first acting job in a children’s theater group in his native Ontario.

After a series of small parts in television commercials and low-budget Canadian films, Candy got his big break when he was offered membership in the Second City comedy troupe. In 1977, he became a regular performer and writer for the group’s television show, SCTV, along with Harold Ramis and Eugene Levy. Candy was a featured performer by the time the show came to network television in 1981. He won Emmys for the show’s writing in 1981 and 1982.

In 1984, the Ron Howard directed comedy Splash, in which he co-starred with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, made Candy a movie star. Although he was sometimes criticized for his choice of roles, audiences loved Candy for his roly-poly good nature and wry humor. Some of his most popular films include The Blues Brothers (1980), Spaceballs (1987), featuring Mel Brooks; Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), costarring Steve Martin; Uncle Buck (1989), and the Disney feature Cool Runnings (1993).

The veteran of more than forty films, Candy was also an avid sports fan and co-owner of a Canadian Football League franchise, the Toronto Argonauts. With actors Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, he owned a chain of blues bars and restaurants called House of Blues.

At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Candy weighed over 250 pounds and often spoke of having a problem controlling his weight. Sadly, on March 4, 1994, while shooting a film (Wagons East) in Durango, Mexico, Candy died in his sleep of a heart attack.

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Tags: Entertainment, Funny, John Candy, Uncle Buck

This entry was posted by Big Al on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 9:52 PM and is filed under Entertainment, Movies, Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.