Actor and comedian John Candy got his big break when he was offered membership in the Second City comedy troupe in the 1970s. In 1984, he co-starred with Tom Hanks in the film Splash and became a movie star. Audiences loved Candy for his roly-poly good nature and wry humor.
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 Edmonton and later Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television (SCTV).
Candy was one of Canada's greatest and funniest character actors. His well-known role as the big hearted buffoon earned him classics in Uncle Buck (1989) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) His career has handed him some dry spells but Candy always rebounded.
He later regretted turning down the role of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters (1984) so much that when Ghostbusters co-writer and co-star as well as close friend Dan Aykroyd offered him two roles in his directorial debut a similar comedy-horror themed film Nothing But Trouble (1991) he immediately accepted because he felt ...
Aykroyd got his love for fine tobacco from his father. “My father always had a cigar. He worked for the government, so he couldn't afford the luxury brands.
He weighed more than 300 pounds (140 kg) at times in his life due to his obesity and had a tendency to binge eat in response to professional difficulties. After his death, he was honored on various occasions. Ween's album “Chocolate and Cheese” was dedicated to the late Canadian star's memory.
Six-foot-three and weighing as much as 275 pounds, he struggled with dieting over the years, but his heft undoubtedly contributed to his success as a comic performer.
His love for Ukrainian food often had the restaurant ship down 10 dozen perogies every Christmas and Thanksgiving, and even on his birthday on October 31st each year. The staff who were shocked by his death in 1994 had nothing but praise for John Candy, who brought Hollywood to Canada.
From his early acting days and through the height of his fame, Farley struggled with substance use disorder. He died of a drug overdose at the age of 33.
In 1982, he died from combined drug intoxication at the age of 33, after a drug dealer, Cathy Smith, injected him with a mixture of heroin and cocaine (known as a speedball) at the Chateau Marmont. He was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.
Candy, known for his gentle humor, appeared on the SCTV television series before rising to fame in movies like “Uncle Buck.” One of Candy's recurring characters on SCTV was Yosh Shmenge, a clarinet player in a polka band (John actually played the clarinet in his youth).
Aykroyd is a former reserve commander for the police department in Harahan, Louisiana, working for Chief of Police Peter Dale. While on the force, Aykroyd carried his badge with him at all times. He currently serves as a reserve deputy of the Hinds County Sheriff's Department in Hinds County, Mississippi.
A colonial-style house in Evanston was chosen for the exterior of the Russell house. The exteriors and practical locations were shot in Chicago, Cicero, Skokie, Northbrook, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Riverwoods.
In this May 1977 file photo, concrete is dumped on top of the crate in Sandra West's grave containing her Ferrari with West in the driver's seat, as she requested. Express-News file photo by Joe Barrera Jr. Her beloved Ferrari remained in California until the ruling. Then the sports car was sent to San Antonio.
But behind Candy's reputation as a funny man was his predilection for drugs and overeating. Though he often tried to diet and exercise, Candy would turn back to bad habits.
Although his 1940s alter ego practically chain smokes, Tom Selleck does not actually smoke cigarettes. His father gave him a gold watch for not drinking, smoking, or swearing before his 21st birthday. (Ironically, when he first started in show business, Tom was a model in cigarette ads.)
While Eastwood himself didn't smoke, 'the man with no name' had a taste for short and cheap cigars – not something you'd want to smoke nowadays, but the perfect choice for such an iconic Western character. It is still unknown precisely what cigar Eastwood was smoking in the films.
Actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander conceived Crystal Head Vodka in 2008. Due to the lack of additive-free vodka on the market, Aykroyd decided to make one himself. Alexander designed the bottle based on the pair's shared fascination with the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls.
