%%
%%
%%Per Administrivia/CreatorPageGuidelines, only tropes associated to a creator's works are allowed on this wiki's pages, and tropes that only apply to the creator's personal life as if the creator is a fictional character are not allowed. Please do not apply tropes about the creator's personal life as if they are a fictional character.
%%
%%
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_candy.jpg]]
->''"As long as you can savor the humorous aspect of misery and misfortune, you can overcome anything."''

John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian. He came to wide public awareness as a member of the [[Creator/TheSecondCity Second City]] comedy troupe, and its TV series, ''{{Series/SCTV}}''. Known for bringing warmth and likability to characters who otherwise would have been incredibly obnoxious, he appeared in such comedies as ''Film/{{Stripes}}'', ''Film/{{Splash}}'', ''Film/CoolRunnings'', ''Film/TheGreatOutdoors'', ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', ''Film/UncleBuck'', and ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles''.

Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, the child of a working-class Roman Catholic family. His first big acting gig was the short-lived, late-night 1976 television talk show ''Ninety Minutes Live'' (where he was partnered with future co-star Creator/RickMoranis). That same year he joined the cast of ''Series/{{SCTV}}''. In 1980, he moved from the small screen to the movies. His first film appearance was as a supporting player in Creator/StevenSpielberg's ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne1979 1941]]'', and from there he appeared as Joliet Jake's parole officer in ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' in the same year. Candy also had a SaturdayMorningCartoon in the late 1980s called ''WesternAnimation/CampCandy'', where he voices himself as a camp counselor to a bunch of misfit kids. ''Camp Candy'' is the second cartoon created by an ''SCTV'' cast member (after Martin Short's ''The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley''), though Candy's counselor character was not based on a recurring character he did on ''SCTV''. Conversely, he played numerous roles, including the ultimate MrFanservice, ComicBook/{{Den}}, in the adult animated film, ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal''.

Unusually, many film critics believe that his best performance isn't any of his comedies, but rather is his [[PlayingAgainstType cold-blooded, hostile performance]] as Dean Andrews Jr., a [[SimpleCountryLawyer shady Southern lawyer]] in Creator/OliverStone's ''Film/{{JFK}}''.

Candy struggled with high blood pressure, diabetes, alcoholism, and a smoking addiction throughout his adult life. While filming his last movie (''Film/WagonsEast''), he suffered a fatal heart attack while sleeping, and died at age 43. Although the majority of his scenes had already been filmed, ''Film/CanadianBacon'' was released [[PosthumousCredit more than a full year after his passing]].

In 1998, Candy was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, and in 2006, Candy became one of the first four entertainers ever honored by Canada Post by being featured on a postage stamp.
----
!!Partial Filmography
* 1976-1980 -- ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' as Johnny [=LaRue=]
* 1978 -- ''Film/TheSilentPartner'' as Simonson
* 1979 -- ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne1979 1941]]'' as Private First Class Foley
* 1980 -- ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' as Det. Burton Mercer
* 1981 -- ''Film/{{Stripes}}'' as Dewey "Ox" Oxberger
* 1983 -- ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' Russ Lasky
* 1983 -- ''Film/GoingBerserk'' as John Bourgignon
* 1984 -- ''Film/{{Splash}}'' as Freddie Bauer
* 1985 -- ''Film/SummerRental'' as Jack Chester
* 1986 -- ''Film/{{Armed and Dangerous|1986}}'' as Frank Dooley
* 1987 -- ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' as Barf
* 1987 -- ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'' as Del Griffith
* 1988 -- ''Film/TheGreatOutdoors'' as Chester "Chet" Ripley
* 1989-1992 -- ''WesternAnimation/CampCandy'' AsHimself
* 1989 -- ''Film/UncleBuck'' as Buck Russel
* 1989 -- ''Film/WhosHarryCrumb'' as Harry Crumb
* 1990 -- ''Film/HomeAlone1'' as Gus Polinski
* 1990 -- ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' as Wilbur
* 1991 -- ''Film/NothingButTrouble'' as Dennis [[ActingForTwo and]] Eldona Valkenheiser
* 1991 -- ''Film/OnlyTheLonely'' as Danny Muldoon
* 1991 -- ''Film/{{Delirious}}'' as Jack Gable
* 1991 -- ''Film/{{JFK}}'' as Dean Andrews, Jr.
* 1993 -- ''Film/CoolRunnings'' as Irving Blitzer
* 1993 -- ''Film/CanadianBacon'' as Bud B. Boomer (released in 1995)
* 1994 -- ''Film/WagonsEast'' as Harlow (his final role; filmed in 1994, one year after ''Canadian Bacon'' had wrapped up production in 1993)
----
!! Tropes Associated with John Candy's works
* ThoseTwoActors: Often worked with his friend Creator/EugeneLevy.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: He was at one point approached for the role of Ignatius J. Reilly in a [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'', but died at an early age -- [[TroubledProduction one of only a few mishaps associated with a film adaptation of the book]].
----