WATCH: James Caan Of 'The Godfather' Fame, Had Ties To Hofstra

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Legendary actor James Caan died on Wednesday, his family announced on Twitter. He was 82.

Caan not only grew up in New York City, he transferred to Hofstra University. Perhaps more important than the education was meeting his classmate Francis Ford Coppola. The director put him in his 1969 movie "The Rain People." However, it was a role as the volatile gangster Sonny in Coppola's "The Godfather" that made Caan a star and earned him his only Oscar nomination.

"It's an indelible performance and it was nice that they had a way to bring him back as a cameo in 'Part 2,'" Brian Cogan, a communications professor at Molloy University, said.

One of his earliest and most memorable performances came in the critically acclaimed TV movie "Brian's Song," the true story of Brian Piccolo, an NFL player who dealt with cancer and the emotional relationship with best friend Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams).

He was a sympathetic and tortured character in "Misery," opposite Oscar winner Kathy Bates.

"He plays it very well for a guy who's pretty much lying down for almost the entire movie," Cogan said. "It shows he can be vulnerable."

Watch the full interview with Cogan below.