Jon Candy

John Candy

John Candy Bio |
John
Candy Bio: John
Franklin Candy was born in Toronto, Canada, October 31, 1950. Candy grew
up in Scarborough, Canada, where he was known as an intelligent student
and talented football player at Neil McNeil high school. After graduation,
Candy enrolled in a local community college, where he took a handful of
drama courses and discovered his passion for comedy and acting.
While a student, Candy auditioned for as many bit parts as his time would
allow. After several years of study, he found a position with the
Children's Theater in Ontario, and a small offering of walk-on roles in
local television commercials and small budget Canadian films. Candy's
first ever television performance was at CBC's Toronto headquarters, where
he appeared in the children's classics as "Coming Up Rosie" and
later in "Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins."
In 1977, at the age of 27, John was offered a position with Second City, a
comedic improvisational team based in Chicago. He eagerly accepted, moving
to Illinois, and becoming a regular performer, comedian and writer for the
popular television show, SCTV, also hosted by the group. Candy became a
favorite at the Chicago theatre, on Toronto stages and as a performer with
SCTV. During this same time, Candy auditioned for a role beside John
Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the soon-to-be famous film, "The Blues
Brothers." He earned the part, and starred in his first major film,
playing Burton Mercer. By 1981, Candy had won two Emmy's for his writing
work with the show SCTV, appeared in the movie "Stripes" and
"Heavy Metal," and was ready for bigger things.
Candy put his comedy routines aside and began to concentrate on his
acting. In 1984, he would make a name for himself playing opposite Tom
Hanks in the super-smash-hit, "Splash." During the ten years
that followed, Candy starred in thirty-four movies, including "Cool
Runnings," "Only The Lonely," "JKF," "Uncle
Buck," and "Home Alone." Until his death in 1994, John
Candy worked tirelessly, appearing in at least one film a year between
1974-1991.
At the height of his career, Candy was 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighed
more than 250 pounds. Even though the sight of him warmed audiences to him
and he was labeled "the most huggable in all of Hollywood,"
Candy talked frequently about his struggle with weight.
John Candy died unexpectedly of a heart attack March 4, 1994, while
filming on location is Durango, Mexico. He was 44 years old. His funeral,
held at St. Michael's Cathedral, was broadcast live on TV in Canada. Candy
is survived by his wife, Rose, and two children, Jennifer and Christopher.
Candy's final movies, "Wagons East" and "Canadian
Bacon" were released after his death. |