John Cazale appeared in five films over seven years, all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter, with the two Godfather films and The Deer Hunter winning.
27 Facts About John Cazale
2.
John Cazale soon became one of Hollywood's premier character actors, starting with his role as the doomed, weak-minded Fredo Corleone opposite longtime friend Al Pacino in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather and its 1974 sequel, as well as Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon.
3.
In 1977, John Cazale was diagnosed with lung cancer, but he chose to complete his role in The Deer Hunter.
4.
John Cazale died shortly after, in New York City on March 13,1978.
5.
John Cazale had an older sister, Catherine, and a younger brother, Stephen.
6.
John Cazale grew up in Winchester and attended high school at the Buxton School in Williamstown where he joined the drama club.
7.
John Cazale studied drama at Oberlin College in Ohio, transferring to Boston University, where he studied under Peter Kass.
8.
John Cazale made one of his first appearances there in the Equity Library's production of Sidney Howard's Paths of Glory.
9.
John Cazale acted in a 1962 short film entitled The American Way, directed by Marvin Starkman.
10.
In 1965, John Cazale was part of the National Tour of Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.
11.
John Cazale worked as a messenger at Standard Oil, where he met Al Pacino, another aspiring actor.
12.
That same year, John Cazale won another Obie for his role as Dolan in Horovitz's Line.
13.
In 1969, John Cazale joined the Long Wharf Theatre Company, where he appeared for the next three seasons in a number of productions, including Tartuffe, The Country People, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Iceman Cometh, and You Can't Take It With You.
14.
John Cazale reprised his role in Line in a 1971 production at the Theatre De Lys.
15.
John Cazale again starred alongside Pacino in Sidney Lumet's 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.
16.
One of the things that I love about the casting of John Cazale was that he had a tremendous sadness about him.
17.
John Cazale's leading lady was the recent Yale School of Drama graduate Meryl Streep.
18.
John Cazale was considered all but uninsurable due to his illness, jeopardizing his participation in the film, but according to Streep the costs were paid by DeNiro, who wanted John Cazale to be in it.
19.
John Cazale was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977 which was likely related to his history of chain smoking.
20.
John Cazale will make fast friends in his new place.
21.
John Cazale was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.
22.
John Cazale appeared in six full-length feature films, all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
23.
John Cazale lost to Richard Benjamin, who won the award for his work in The Sunshine Boys.
24.
John Cazale had learned to put the lack of recognition into context.
25.
John Cazale was described by those close to him to be "often shy" and "very emotionally sensitive".
26.
John Cazale was in five films, all Oscar-nominated films, and he was great in all of them.
27.
John Cazale was particularly great in Godfather II and I don't think he got that kind of recognition.