A beloved entertainer whose career counted 60 film and television credits, ownership of a champion football team and awards that included a supporting actress citation for his turn in drag, John Candy was best known as a founding member of Canada's SCTV comedy troupe. A talented writer, actor and director, John Candy died at the age of 43 on March 4th, 1994 of a heart attack suffered while on location for the film "Wagons East".

A patriotic native of Canada, John Franklin Candy was born on October 31st, 1950, in Toronto, Ontario, the younger son of Sidney and Evangeline Candy. Raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Candy lost his father in 1955 when Sidney Candy suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 35. Candy attended Scarborough's McNeil High School and became a standout offensive tackle on the school's football team. Candy allegedly had potential for the Canadian Football League until a knee injury ended his days on the gridiron and plans to join the military. Candy entered Centennial College of Scarborough in 1968 as a journalism major with an eye on a career as a sportswriter, and the other on the hometown CFL team, the Toronto Argonauts, attending games regularly.

At Centennial College, Candy took drama classes: By 1970 he had abandoned his studies to pursue a career as an actor full time. Though Candy was often referred to as a comedian his career was built on his talent as a comic actor and his creation of humorous characters, which were first captured- albeit quickly and without credit- in the 1970 film "Hercules in New York", a vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Candy went on to bit parts in a few Canadian films and television projects before landing a role in the children's series "Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins", the cast including an American actress from Detroit, Gilda Radner. The costars would also be cast mates in the Toronto based Second City Troupe, which performed live shows and launched a second troupe in Chicago, Illinois.

Second City soon became Second City Television, "SCTV", and through that comedy series John Candy became a star. Along with costars that included such friends and future film costars as Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis and Catherine O'Hara, Candy treated audiences to a cast of whacky characters and outrageous skits every week from the early 1970s until his departure in 1983. Candy's repertoire of SCTV alter egos included lounge lizard Johnny LaRue, Luciano Pavarotti, The Fishin' Musician (a sort Jerry Garcia in waders), Mr. Mambo, and one half of the Leutonia Kings of the Polka, The Schmenge Brothers. Candy also created a character that hailed back to his old kid show days, Mr. Jester of Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town, who met a grisly end on a Tiny Town good will tour of a maximum security prison. The Schmenge Brothers (Candy and Levy) proved so popular they spawned an HBO special, "The Last Polka", and appeared- uncredited- in the John Hughes hit film "Home Alone".

Candy emerged as one of SCTV's key writers and performers, earning a pair of Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Writing for his work as well as a loyal following of fans. In April of 1979 Candy married Rosemary Hobor in his native Toronto, while the year marked the release of his first hit film appearance, a role in the Steven Speilberg farce "1941". The spoof of World War II films put Candy in the company of such acclaimed actors as Saturday Night Live stars John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and horror king Christopher Lee: Candy teamed with the SNL stars again in "The Blues Brothers" in 1980.

Candy's career in the 1980s showed the actor racking up solid hits, or rising above his material in performances that built his base of fans. While with few exceptions Candy worked in comedies, he avoided stereotyping and built up a diverse collection of film credits. Candy lent his voice to the adult animated feature "Heavy Metal", as well as a family oriented albatross in Disney's "Rescuers Down Under", his cast mates including such veterans as George C. Scott and character actor Billy Bartyy. Candy played a comparatively straight man to Jim Henson and his Muppets for several "Sesame Street" specials but tormented another Saturday Night Live survivor, Steve Martin, in the hit "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". Candy played his own best friend as the half man, half dog in the Mel Brooks send up "Space Balls", but was less convincing as the amorous Eldona in "Nothing But Trouble", his role in drag with Chevy Chase and Akroyd earning him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress- actually an honor.

In addition to his Razzie nomination and Emmy Awards, Candy's animated television series "Camp Candy"which he wrote and starred in was honored with a Humanitas Award for its work in teaching children values and ecology. Mirroring his role in "Stripes", in which his character became a reluctant hero and overnight sex symbol, Candy was placed on Playgirl Magazine's 1985 list of most desirable men. It was a surprisingly poignant honor for the actor, who, around that time, had reached a crisis with his weight that sent him to the Pritkin Longevity Center on a doctor's recommendation to battle his obesity. Candy lost over 75 pounds, though he continually battled to manage his 6'3" frame from reaching zaftig proportions. He nonetheless enjoyed tremendous popularity with such films as "Volunteers" and "Splash" (both with Tom Hanks), "Delirious" with the power of performance of fellow Canadian Raymond Burr, and the surprise hit of the 1989 film season, "Uncle Buck".

Entering a third decade as an actor Candy appeared in back to back dramatic turns in "Only the Lonely" and the Oliver Stone conspiracy epic, "JFK", both 1991. Candy made big headlines that year when he joined hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and investor Bruce McNall in purchasing the Toronto Argonauts football team. Taking jersey #91 for himself, Candy was the most active of the partners in team affairs, treating office and support staff to chartered cruises and attending training sessions with the team. Candy's beloved Argos won the CFL's Grey Cup during his first year of ownership. Candy's other business ventures included partnership in the popular "House of Blues" clubs with longtime friends Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi, John Belushi's brother.

Despite his screen success, Candy's off screen difficulties mounted as critics attacked his selection of film projects, and Argos co-owner Bruce McNall's financial collapse sent Candy scrambling to find money to save his franchise. Scheduled to host the 1992 Genie Awards (Canada's equal to the Oscar), Candy withdrew after Canadian Broadcasting Company promotions for the event included jokes about his weight. In 1993 Candy came out on top with the hit "Cool Runnings", playing a reluctant coach to the hapless Jamaican Olympic bobsled team, and made his directing debut with the Fox television movie "Hostage For A Day" which aired in 1994.

Candy worked a breakneck schedule through 1993, completing the comedy "Canadian Bacon", directing his TV movie, and beginning the film "Wagons East", in which he played the put-upon scout guiding the Westward Migration's wimpiest wagon train. Shooting on location in Mexico, Candy returned to Los Angeles to consult an orthopedic specialist during filming, who found the actor in need of hip replacement: Surgeons would not attempt an operation, however, until the actor had successfully completed a weight loss program. Despite often debilitating pain, Candy continued to work on "Wagons East", employing a double during his worst episodes of immobility. After a long and difficult day of filming on March 4th, 1994, John Candy suffered a full cardiac arrest in his sleep.

Candy's final films, released after his death, were dedicated to his memory, as was the Toronto Argonauts 1994 season opener, the team retiring his number, 91. John Candy's survivors included his wife, Rosemary Margaret Horbor Candy, his son Christopher, his daughter Jennifer, a brother, Jim, and his mother, Evangeline.