Although he died prematurely of bone cancer in 1978, his filmography is one of the most impressive. He only stared in five films, but all received oscar nominations.

The Godfather (Fredo) 1972
The Conversation (Stan) 1974
The Godfather II (Fredo) 1974
Dog Day afternoon (Sal) 1975
The Deer Hunter (Stanley) 1978

(He also appeared in GFIII in archive footage, as we all know, this film also received oscar nominations!)

Who knows what would have become of Cazale had he not died of this terrible disease.

Can anyone name an actor with a similarly impressive record?

Yes. James Dean made only seven films. He was unbilled in four of the seven. But, of the three in which he was billed, he got Oscar nominations for two: "East of Eden" and "Giant." He wasn't nominated for "Rebel Without a Cause," but it was widely regarded as his best role. Many critics (and most fans) believe that Dean had the potential to surpass Brando if he'd lived.

Good call Turnbull!

Sometimes the very good do die young.

Yeah, like Aaliyah. :rolleyes:


Sorry if that's kind of in bad taste, I just couldn't stand that girl. And she became a legend just because she died.

You can always tell when The Godfather is dragging someone in, becuase they look into the actors other films, stumble on John's "record".........and post it here.
Cazale is my favorite actor, so I might be biast, but I feel he was a much better actor than Dean, and would have achieved the same status had he played a leading role.

I've been a Godfather fan for 3 or 4 years now, but after watching "Dog Day AFternoon" (8.5/10), I was curious to see if John Cazale had made any duff films as everything I had seen of his was in my top 100. That spurred me on to research (well look at IMDB! :p ) his filomgraphy.

Not taking anything away from Cazale's acting abilities (which I think were quite good), he can't even be considered in the same league as James Dean.

Yes, Cazale's resume of movies was extremely impressive, but you have to ask yourself if those movies were great because of HIM. The answer is "no".

Cazale was fortunate enough to have been cast by Francis Ford Coppola in three of his movies, and to have Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino star with him in the two others not directed by Coppola. THAT'S what made those movies so good (not Cazale).

I know acting awards should not be a major consideration in determining how good an actor was, but you have to consider this, too: Cazale was nominated only once for a major award (Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in "Dog Day Afternoon" - he didn't win).

Please don't misunderstand my reason for posting this....I'm NOT saying that Cazale wasn't a really good actor. I'm saying he wasn't a GREAT one.

I agree SC, Cazale was a good actor but played very similar roles in all his films. Conpare Fredo with Sal and Stanley and they could have been the same person!

However, my point was that through luck or skill he appeared in five of the best films in the 70's.

it was a shame he was a great actor.

I do get what you're saying and I have to agree with you. The Godfather did not achieve its greatness because Fredo was a weak loser, or The Deer Hunter because John Cazale happened to play yet another bumbling idiot. No one rushed to see The Conversation becuase cazale was in it. But does anyone rush to a movie because a supporting actor, who has only played one other supporting role, where he was on screen all of 15 minutes?No of course not. They want to see the lead actor, who they have seen a lot of his other works. Had Cazale been given a lead role(as someone other than a weak insecure moron)then prehaps his in next lead role, the people would be coming to see him. People didnt see the Godfather for Pacino.

There was a brilliant article in Entertainment Weekly called "Unfortunate Son" about Cazale, telling of his friends, and his love with Meryl Streep while he was dying.

He was definately a great actor and one of the many to die young.

I've managed to find that article for anyone who would like to read it. You can find it at the following link : Unfortunate Son

Wow, thats really weird. I found that story on the internet Monday. Good story.