John Franklin Candy was born October 31, 1950, in Toronto, Canada to Evangeline and Sidney James Candy. His father died of a heart attack at age 35 when John was only three-years-old. John’s Grandfather also died of a heart attack at a very early age as well.
John Candy attended an all-boys school in Toronto where he also played football.
His first movie role was in a 1973 film called Class of ’44. He made an uncredited appearance, and then appeared in several other low-budget films in the 1970’s. He also played a supporting role with Rick Moranis on Ninety Minutes Live, a short-lived late-night television talk show. Later that same year John Candy gained wide spread popularity as a member of Toronto’s branch of Second City Television (SCTV). The show was picked up by NBC in 1981 and became a show loved by its fans.
He was a great impersonator, and he called Mimicry as one of his many talents. He often impersonated Jackie Gleason, Don Rickles, Tom Selleck, Curly Howard, and many other celebrities.
His career picked up and became very active by 1980, having appeared in Steven Spielberg’s comedy 1941. He also had a supporting role in the Blue Brothers, as a parole officer. One year later Candy did work in the film Stripes, which was considered one of the years most successful movies. In 1982, he appeared in the film National Lampoons Vacation, where he had been chosen for a cameo role. In 1983, Candy hosted Saturday Night live two times, while still appearing on SCTV.
Though he was contacted in 1984, to play the part of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters, he did not get the part. Instead Rick Moranis received the role, due to Candy’s conflicting ideas of how to play the character. Candy, however was one of the celebrities chanting “ghostbusters” in Ray Parker, Jr’s hit single for the movie. Candy also appeared in Splash with Darryl Hannah. His role in Spash was considered to be his breakout role.
He continued to play supporting roles in movies like Spaceballs and was given the opportunity to headline or co-star in other comedy films like Volunteers; Planes trains & Automobiles; Brewster’s Millions; The Great Outdoors; Armed and Dangerous; Uncle Buck; and Who’s Harry Crumb? His role in the musical film Little Shop of Horrors gave him more outlets for memorable roles. He also appeared in the Sesame Street movie titled Follow That Bird.
Premiere Radio Networks began “Radio Kandy” in 1988. “Radio Kandy” was a two-hour weekly show. The program showcased parody commercials, current music, and sketch comedy. In 1990 “Radio Kandy” ended.
John Candy also starred and produced Camp Candy in 1989. Camp Candy, an animated series, appeared Saturday mornings on NBC. The series was set as a fictional summer camp that was run by Candy, and featured his two children in supporting roles. This Saturday morning cartoon also spawned a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics’s under the Star Comics imprint.
In the 1990’s John Candy appeared in many shows including Rookie of the Year, The Rescuers Down Under, Cool Runnings, and Nothing But Trouble. Though Nothing But trouble was considered a commercial failure, it is still my favorite movie. In Nothing But Trouble, John Candy played the role of Eldona, a mute woman, “made dumb in a thunder clap”. He also played the role of Eldona’s brother, the under appreciated Grandson of the Judge Valkenheiser. He was also in the Christmas comedy Home Alone in 1990.
John appeared in Only the Lonely, in 1991, in hopes to broaden his acting roles into more dramatic roles. Only the Lonely, set him as a Chicago cop with a new girlfriend, played by Ally Sheedy, and his always overbearing Mother, played by Maureen O’Hara. He played another dramatic role the very same year, playing a shady lawyer in JFK.
That same year (1991) saw Candy become co-owner of a Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. The other co-owners included Wayne Gretsky and Bruce McNall. The Argonauts won the 1991 Grey Cup beating Calgary 36-21 in the final game. As you can imagine the celebrity ownership attracted needed attention as it allowed them to sign largely bragged about Football League players. This helped in the Argonauts win in the final Grey Cup of 1991.
Unfortunately, John Candy died in his sleep, at age 43, March 4, 1994. He was in Durango, Mexico, filming Wagon’s East! His autopsy revealed John to have had end-stage heart disease and advanced atherosclerosis, which caused a coronary embolism, that lead to a heart attack and a fatal arrhythmia.
John Candy had recently quit smoking and had started losing weight. He had made many adjustments to improve his health. His family had a long history of heart diesease, and he had been warned by his doctor to lose weight. Candy seemed to have trouble in doing so.
John Candy left behind his wife, Rosemary, who he had married in 1979, and their children Christopher and Jennifer. The funeral was held at St. Martin of Tours Church. He was laid to rest in Culver City, California, in the Holy Cross Cemetary. His former improv buddies The Second City produced a special memorial service for John Candy, March 18, 1994. The memorial was shown live on CHCH TC (Ontario, Hamilton) and was then transmitted across Canada to eight other stations.
John Candy’s final movie was Canadian Bacon and was released a year after his death. Wagon’s East was released in 1994, and the film was completed using a body double in John’s role.
Decemeber 19, 2008, John Candy’s voice will be in the TV film The Magic 7, a film he recorded voice for in the 1990s. Though it remained in production for years, and then shelved, it is soon to be released, however Candy’s voice was not used in the final film (how odd).
Since his death he has been inducted into the Walk of Fame in Canada. And in May 2006, he became one the first entertainers to ever be featured on a postage stamp. John Candy also played a supporting role in the original Blues Brothers, and he was one of three people that the movie Blue Brothers 2000 was dedicated to.
In Toronto the John Candy Visual Arts Studio at Neil McNeil Catholic High School was dedicated in his honour . He was one of the school’s most famous alumni and was quoted during one of his visits to the High School as saying “My success is simply rooted in the values and respect for others that I was at Neil McNeil.
There was also a John Candy tribute when Dan Aykroyd hosted the 2007 Grey Cup on November 2007.
There is also an album “dedicated in loving memory of John Candy (1950-1994)”, called Chocolate and Cheese, by Ween, and released by Elektra Records.
In case you have yet to go to it, there is a website dedicated to John Candy site at www.johncandy.com . This is the home for everything John Candy. You can also find John Candy photos, video clips, you can sign his guestbook, and there is a forum to discuss John Candy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Candy
