James Edmund Caan (born March 26, 1940) is an American actor. He is best-known for his role of Santino 'Sonny' Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, Paul Sheldon in Stephen King's Misery, 'Big' Ed Deline in Las Vegas and for his role as Will Ferrell's father in Elf. Caan is the father of Scott Caan.

Caan was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Sophie and Arthur Caan, Jewish refugees from Germany. His father was a meat dealer. Caan grew up in Sunnyside, Queens. He was educated at P.S. 150 40-01 43rd Avenue School in Queens, New York City, at the private Rhodes Preparatory School, also in New York City, and then attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, studying economics. Caan played college football at the University, and later transferred to Hofstra University in Hempstead, but he did not graduate. However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed, accepted and graduated from New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where one of his instructors was Sanford Meisner.

Caan began acting in television on such series as The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Combat!, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Get Smart, The Wide Country, Alcoa Premiere, Route 66, and Naked City. In 1964, he starred as Jewish athlete Jeff Brubaker in the episode "My Son, the All-American" of ABC's drama about college life, Channing, starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones.