Which actor starred in the films Brian's Song, Funny Lady, The Godfather, and For the Boys ?

The actor connecting these four distinct films is the versatile James Caan, whose career was marked by an ability to move between intense drama and charismatic charm. He is perhaps most famous for his explosive, Oscar-nominated performance as the hot-headed Sonny Corleone in the 1972 masterpiece, The Godfather. Just one year prior, he had already captured the hearts of audiences with a deeply sensitive and Emmy-nominated role as the real-life, terminally ill football player Brian Piccolo in the acclaimed television movie Brian's Song.

Beyond these iconic dramatic roles, Caan also proved his mettle in the world of musicals and romantic sagas. In Funny Lady (1975), he starred opposite Barbra Streisand as the showman Billy Rose, the third husband of entertainer Fanny Brice. He later re-teamed with a musical legend, Bette Midler, for the 1991 film For the Boys, playing her entertainment partner through 50 years of performing for U.S. troops. These four films, spanning crime epics, tear-jerking biopics, and sweeping musicals, perfectly showcase the incredible range that made Caan a Hollywood legend.