John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his work in Hollywood comedy films.
Candy first rose to prominence in Canada during the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its sketch comedy series Second City Television. He achieved international fame in the 1980s with starring roles in comedy films such as Stripes (1981), Splash (1984), Brewster's Millions (1985), Summer Rental (1985), Armed and Dangerous (1986), Spaceballs (1987), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Who's Harry Crumb? (1989), and Cool Runnings (1993).
Candy also had supporting roles in comedy films such as The Blues Brothers (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Home Alone (1990), Nothing but Trouble (1991), and Rookie of the Year (1993). He co-owned the CFL's Toronto Argonauts, who won the 1991 Grey Cup under his ownership. Candy died of a heart attack in 1994 at age 43 while filming Wagons East (1994); it and the already completed Canadian Bacon (1995) were released posthumously and dedicated to his memory.
John Franklin Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, on October 31, 1950, the youngest of two sons of Evangeline Valeria (née Aker; 1916–2009) and Sidney James Candy (1920–1955), a World War II veteran. His paternal grandparents were English immigrants who had moved to Canada in 1913, while his mother had Polish and Ukrainian ancestry. Candy was raised in a working class Catholic family in Toronto, where his childhood home was at 217 Woodville Avenue. On October 31, 1955—Candy's fifth birthday—his father died from complications of heart disease at age 35.
Candy attended Neil McNeil Catholic High School, where he was the treasurer of the student council, a star offensive tackle on the football team, and a member of the drama club. Before considering acting, Candy dreamed of becoming a professional football player, which he was forced to abandon after a career ending knee injury in high school. During this time, Candy also worked as a sales associate in Toronto's flagship department store Eaton's. He later studied journalism at Centennial College before joining McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
1971–1978: Early career and SCTV
In 1971, Candy was cast in a small part as a Shriner in Creeps by David E. Freeman, a new Canadian play about cerebral palsy, in the inaugural season of the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. Candy guest-starred on a Canadian children's television series, Cucumber, and made a brief, uncredited appearance in Class of '44 (1973) as his feature film debut. He had a small part in The ABC Afternoon Playbreak ("Last Bride of Salem") and had a regular role on the TV series Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins (1974–75). Candy played the role of Wally Wypyzypywchuk in the CBC children's show Coming Up Rosie (1975).
Candy became a member of Toronto's branch of The Second City in 1972. He gained wide North American popularity when he became a cast member on the influential Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television (SCTV). NBC picked the show up in 1981 and it quickly became a fan favourite. The show won Emmy Awards for its writing in 1981 and 1982. Among Candy's SCTV characters were unscrupulous street-beat TV personality Johnny LaRue, 3-D horror auteur Doctor Tongue, sycophantic and easily amused talk-show sidekick William B. Williams, and Melonville's corrupt Mayor Tommy Shanks.
In 1974, Candy made his TV debut when he appeared on the Canadian TV show Police Surgeon, playing street gang and heist member Ramone in "Target: Ms. Blue", and in a later episode the same season as Richie, an accused killer, in the episode "Web of Guilt". He was in It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975), shot in Canada, as well as the children's sitcom Coming Up Rosie (1975–78) with Dan Aykroyd. Candy had a small role in Tunnel Vision (1976).
During the series's run, Candy appeared in films such as The Clown Murders (1976) and had a lead in a low-budget comedy, Find the Lady (1976) (both co-starring fellow Canadian actor Lawrence Dane). In 1976, he played a supporting role (with Rick Moranis) on Peter Gzowski's short-lived late-night television talk show 90 Minutes Live. Two years later, Candy had a small role as a bank employee (with Christopher Plummer and Elliott Gould) in the Canadian thriller The Silent Partner. He guest starred on such shows as The David Steinberg Show and King of Kensington.
1979–1987: Hollywood breakthrough
In 1979, Candy took a brief hiatus from SCTV, which moved to Edmonton for a time. He stayed in Toronto and headlined his own short-lived sketch show Big City Comedy. Candy also began a more active film career, appearing in a minor role in Lost and Found (1979) and playing a U.S. Army soldier in Steven Spielberg's big-budget comedy 1941. He returned to Canada for roles in The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog (1980) and the action thriller Double Negative (1980). Candy had a supporting role as easygoing parole officer Burton Mercer in The Blues Brothers (1980), and did an episode of Tales of the Klondike (1981) for Canadian TV.
In 1980, Candy hosted a short-lived NBC television program, Roadshow, described by The Washington Post as "improvisational journalism".
Candy played the lovable, mild-mannered Army recruit Dewey Oxberger in Stripes (1981), directed by Canadian Ivan Reitman, which was one of the most successful films of the year. He provided voices for multiple characters in the animated film Heavy Metal (1981), most notably as the title character in the "Den" segment, which was well-received, including by the character's creator, Richard Corben, who singled out Candy's humorously lighthearted interpretation of the title character as excellent.
From 1981 to 1983, Candy returned to SCTV Network on television. Still based in Edmonton for Candy's first few episodes after returning, the show returned to Toronto in 1982. He made a cameo appearance in Harold Ramis' National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), his first collaboration with John Hughes, who wrote the script. Candy appeared on Saturday Night Live twice (hosting in 1983) while still appearing on SCTV. According to writer-comedian Bob Odenkirk, Candy was reputedly the "most-burned potential host" of SNL, in that he was asked to host many times, only for plans to be changed by the SNL staff at the last minute. Candy headlined in the Canadian film Going Berserk (1983).
Candy once again left SCTV in 1983, prior to its final season, to concentrate on his film career. Candy was approached to play the character of accountant Louis Tully in Ghostbusters (1984), starring Aykroyd and directed by Reitman, but ultimately did not get the role because of his conflicting ideas of how to play the character; the part went instead to SCTV colleague Rick Moranis, whose ideas were better received. However, Candy did make a contribution to the franchise, as one of the many people chanting "Ghostbusters" in the video for Ray Parker Jr.'s hit single for the film.
Candy played Tom Hanks's womanizing brother in the hit romantic comedy Splash, generally considered his break-out role. After the success of the film, Candy had signed a three-picture development and producing deal with Walt Disney Pictures, and he would develop and executive produce various theatricals as planned starring vehicles for himself.
Candy went back to Canada to star in The Last Polka (1985), which he also wrote with co-star Eugene Levy. Candy was Richard Pryor's best friend in Brewster's Millions (1985) and had a cameo in the Sesame Street film Follow That Bird (1985). Candy's first lead role in a Hollywood film came with Summer Rental (1985), directed by Carl Reiner. Candy was reunited with Hanks in Volunteers (1985), though the film did not do as well as Splash. He had a cameo in The Canadian Conspiracy (1985) and appeared alongside Martin Short in Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood (1985) in Canada. Candy's next starring role in a Hollywood film was the box office disappointment Armed and Dangerous (1986) with Levy and Meg Ryan. He had a cameo in Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and appeared in Really Weird Tales (1987). Candy also had a supporting role in Mel Brooks's Spaceballs (1987).