John Candy

Actors

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 as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its related Second City Television series (with Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis, Tony Rosato, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas).

He’s also remembered for his appearances in such comedy films as John Landis‘s The Blues Brothers (1980), John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd; with Ivan Reitman‘s Stripes (1981), with Bill Murray and Ramis, National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo; Ron Howard‘s Splash (1984), with Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah, and Levy; Armed and Dangerous (1986), with Levy, Meg Ryan, and Robert Loggia; Cool Runnings (1993), Carl Reiner‘s Summer Rental (1985), Home Alone (1990), The Great Outdoors (1988), with Aykroyd and Annette Bening; Mel Brooks‘s Spaceballs (1987), Uncle Buck (1989), and Nothing But Trouble (1991), with Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and Aykroyd (who also directed); as well as more dramatic roles in Only the Lonely (1991), with screen legend Maureen O’Hara; and Oliver Stone‘s JFK (1991), with Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, and Joe Pesci. One of his most renowned onscreen performances was as Del Griffith, the talkative shower-curtain ring salesman in the John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), with Steve Martin.

In addition to his work as an actor, Candy was a co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League from 1991 until his death, and the team won the 1991 Grey Cup under his ownership. 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.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • Class of ‘44 (1973) – directed by Paul Bogart – uncredited
  • It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975) – directed by John Trent
  • Tunnel Vision (1976) – directed by Neal Israel & Bradley R. Swirnoff
  • The Clown Murders (1976) – directed by Martyn Burke
  • Find the Lady (1976) – directed by John Trent
  • The Silent Partner (1978) – directed by Daryl Duke
  • Lost and Found (1979) – directed by Melvin Frank
  • 1941 (1979) – directed by Steven Spielberg
  • The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog (1980) – directed by Peter Carter – TV movie
  • Double Negative (1980) – directed by George Bloomfield
  • The Blues Brothers (1980)* – directed by John Landis
  • Stripes (1981) – directed by Ivan Reitman
  • Heavy Metal (1981) – directed by Gerald Potterton
  • National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) – directed by Harold Ramis
  • Going Berserk (1983) – directed by David Steinberg
  • Splash (1984) – directed by Ron Howard
  • The Last Polka (1985) – directed by John Blanchard – TV movie
  • Brewster’s Millions (1985) – directed by Walter Hill
  • Follow That Bird (1985) – directed by Ken Kwapis
  • Summer Rental (1985) – directed by Carl Reiner
  • Volunteers (1985) – directed by Nicholas Meyer
  • The Canadian Conspiracy (1985) – directed by Robert Boyd – TV movie
  • Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood (1986) – directed by Dave Thomas – TV movie
  • Armed and Dangerous (1986) – directed by Mark L. Lester
  • Little Shop of Horrors (1986)** – directed by Frank Oz
  • Totally Weird Tales (1987) – directed by John Blanchard, Paul Lynch, & Don McBrearty – TV movie anthology
  • Spaceballs (1987)** – directed by Mel Brooks
  • Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)** – directed by John Hughes
  • She’s Having a Baby (1988) – directed by John Hughes – uncredited
  • The Great Outdoors (1988) – directed by Howard Deutch
  • Hot to Trot (1988) – directed by Michael Dinner
  • Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989) – directed by Paul Flaherty
  • Speed Zone (1989) – directed by Jim Drake
  • Uncle Buck (1989) – directed by John Hughes
  • The Rocket Boy (1989) – directed by John Blanchard & Peter Hudecki – TV movie
  • Monsters of Menace (1990) – directed by Daniel Raskov
  • Home Alone (1990) – directed by Chris Columbus
  • The Rescuers Down Under (1990)* – directed by Hendel Butoy & Mike Gabriel
  • Nothing But Trouble (1991) – directed by Dan Aykroyd
  • Career Opportunities (1991) – directed by Bryan Gordon – uncredited
  • Only the Lonely (1991) – directed by Chris Columbus
  • Delirious (1991) – directed by
  • Tom Mankiewicz
  • JFK (1991) – directed by Oliver Stone
  • Once Upon a Crime… (1992) – directed by Eugene Levy
  • Boris and Natasha (1992) – directed by Charles Martin Smith – TV movie
  • Rookie of the Year (1993) – directed by Daniel Stern – uncredited
  • Cool Runnings (1993)* – directed by Jon Turtletaub
  • Hostage for a Day (1994) – also director – TV movie – posthumous release
  • Wagon’s East (1994) – directed by Peter Markle – posthumous release
  • Canadian Bacon (1995) – directed by Michael Moore – filmed in 1993 – posthumous release