James Caan’s Ex-Wives: Get to Know the Women the Late Actor Married and Divorced

James Caan was as prolific in marriage as he was on the silver screen. The longtime actor, who died on July 6, 2022, at the age of 82, was married and divorced four times during his life.

The Misery star got married for the first time in 1961 to actress Dee Jay Mathis, after dating for two years. Little is known about how they met, but the couple shared their love in a wedding in front of family and friends. The marriage produced one child, daughter Tara Caan, who was born on November 5, 1964. James and Dee divorced two years later, and the circumstances behind the demise of their five-year marriage are unclear.

James took his time when it came to remarrying, and when he did, it didn’t last long. The actor tied the knot again on January 12, 1976, to former Playboy cover girl and Elvis Presley’s ex-girlfriend, Sheila Ryan. They divorced in December 1977 after less than two years of marriage, but the union produced James’ actor son, Scott Caan, who was born on August 23, 1976. Sheila died in September 2012 at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer.

The Godfather star again took his time before taking the plunge into marriage for a third time. He wed model Ingrid Hajek in 1990 when he was 49 years old while Ingrid was 20 years his junior at 29 years old. Their union lasted five years, as the couple divorced in 1995. The marriage resulted in a son, Alexander James Caan, who was born on April 10, 1991.

James’ final marriage was to actress and costume designer Linda Stokes, whom he married the same year he divorced Ingrid. The pair married in 1996 and had two sons, James Arthur Caan and Jacob Nicholas Caan, before James filed for divorce on November 20, 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.

But that wasn’t the end of their romance. James and Linda reconciled, though he would file for divorce two more times, the most recent happening in 2016. At the time, James sought to terminate financial support for Linda and retain joint custody of the youngest of their two children, Jacob, who was 16 at the time of the filing. The pair’s divorce was ultimately finalized in 2017.