Who could forget when the seemingly dysfunctional Uncle Buck reminded us it’s normal and good to dream? Or when Del Griffith made our hearts ache with longing for family again? Just as John Candy sparked laughter and drive for viewers, so too did he inspire his two children, Jennifer and Chris, who are well into adulthood and following in his footsteps.
Candy had two children, both with wife Rosemary Candy, who he met on a blind date arranged by friends and married in 1979. The two enjoyed 15 years of marriage until Candy’s passing in 1994 from a heart attack. Candy had been just 43 years old. Candy’s filmography came to include over 40 films, but he is remembered by his loved ones as a family man first and foremost. In honor of this, let’s catch up on two people so important to him: his children Jennifer and Chris.
Jennifer Candy was drawn to the spotlight
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The firstborn child of the Planes, Trains and Automobiles star, Jennifer Candy was born on February 3, 1980, and celebrated her 41st birthday early in 2021. Growing up with such a prolific actor, Jennifer was actually told by her father early on, “No, don’t go into the business.”
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Today, she is a director, host, comedian, and actor. “I really think my dad now would embrace it,” she added. On the show Couch Candy, which Jennifer herself hosts, she interviews her comedian “aunts and uncles.”
She has also appeared on others’ shows, such as One Day at a Time, Liv and Maddie: Cali Style, and According to Jim. In 2017, she also acted in the film In Vitro, which included Ed Asner and Sean Young in its cast.
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On October 27, 2012, Jennifer tied the knot with Bryan Sullivan, who she met through Bryan’s brother and her college classmate, actor Chris Sullivan. On November 4, 2018, the two welcomed son Finley into the world.
Chris Candy transcends mediums
Born on September 23, 1984, Chris Candy celebrated his 37th birthday in autumn of 2021. Today, he has quite a diverse resume. Similarly to his older sister, Chris is a host; in his case, he hosts the show Neuz Pollution. He has acted quite a bit and appeared in other productions, with credits that include The Late Late Show with James Corden, Private Eyes, and Rosewood. While he has lived with reminders he looks like his late father, Chris assures that “not one person who I have met has been like, ‘Oh, let’s put John Candy’s son in something.’ It doesn’t happen. You have to do it the way everyone else does it.”
During a brief break from on-screen appearances, he supplemented his experience at Groundlings and Second City theatre schools. Chris has also broken the mold from Candy in other ways by pursuing music in earnest. He is a member of the “post-hardcore” band Chotto Ghetto that boasts a “deranged” style. You can listen to their work in the video below. Though Chris has dabbled in different projects throughout his life, he currently has “no interest in taking part in a reboot” of a John Candy film.