John Candy | Comedian, Writer, and Actor

John Franklin Candy

Born: October 31, 1950
Died: March 4, 1994
Place of Birth: Newmarket, Ontario

Major Notes:

John Candy gained a reputation as Canada's foremost popular comedian and actor.
Perhaps an omen, his father died of a heart attack at the young age of 35.
Candy excelled at high school football but suffered a severe knee injury when trying to turn professional.
In 1968, he enrolled in Journalism at Toronto's Centennial College where he also began to study drama.
Candy felt he had a natural talent for acting and, after two years of college, he dropped out to embark on an acting career.
One of his first acting roles, although only a minor part, was in a movie entitled "Hercules in New York" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After acting in children shows in Canada, Candy moved to Chicago accepting to work as a comedian and writer for a show called "SCTV."
It was here that he impressed Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi who brought him along to play in their new movie, "The Blues Brothers."
Candy was having considerable success not only as an actor but also as a winning Emmy writer for his efforts with SCTV.
He began appearing in movies on a regular basis but struggled to keep his weight under control.
His 34 movies included "JFK", "Uncle Buck", and "Home Alone", all box office winners.
He was a successful business man and investor and help to start the "House of Blues" chain of nightclubs.
With partners Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, they bought the Toronto Argonauts football team
It was during the making of his last movie, "Wagons East", that Candy suffered a heart attack in his sleep.
John Candy brought laughs to the hearts of many movie fans in Canada and throughout the world.
In memory of the tireless effort that Candy had made, the Argonauts retired his jersey number "91".

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Major Notes:

John Candy gained a reputation as Canada's foremost popular comedian and actor.

Perhaps an omen, his father died of a heart attack at the young age of 35.

Candy excelled at high school football but suffered a severe knee injury when trying to turn professional.

In 1968, he enrolled in Journalism at Toronto's Centennial College where he also began to study drama.

Candy felt he had a natural talent for acting and, after two years of college, he dropped out to embark on an acting career.

One of his first acting roles, although only a minor part, was in a movie entitled "Hercules in New York" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After acting in children shows in Canada, Candy moved to Chicago accepting to work as a comedian and writer for a show called "SCTV."

It was here that he impressed Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi who brought him along to play in their new movie, "The Blues Brothers."

Candy was having considerable success not only as an actor but also as a winning Emmy writer for his efforts with SCTV.

He began appearing in movies on a regular basis but struggled to keep his weight under control.

His 34 movies included "JFK", "Uncle Buck", and "Home Alone", all box office winners.

He was a successful business man and investor and help to start the "House of Blues" chain of nightclubs.

With partners Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, they bought the Toronto Argonauts football team

It was during the making of his last movie, "Wagons East", that Candy suffered a heart attack in his sleep.

John Candy brought laughs to the hearts of many movie fans in Canada and throughout the world.

In memory of the tireless effort that Candy had made, the Argonauts retired his jersey number "91".