Oct 31, 1950

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. Candy rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City, often playing lovable losers and characters with bad luck but big hearts. His television and film roles were mostly comedic, such as his memorable characters in Stripes, The Blues Brothers, Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but he also played serious characters in films like JFK and Cool Runnings. Candy died of a massive he... ... (read more...) art attack in 1994.
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Candy's first movie role was in Class of '44 in 1973, in which he made a small uncredited appearance. In 1976, Candy played a supporting role (with Rick Moranis) on Peter Gzowski's short-lived, late-night television talk show, Ninety Minutes Live. That same year, as a member of Toronto's branch of The Second City, he gained wide North American popularity, which grew 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 favorite.