Cazale has a unique distinction in the history of Motion Pictures.
Every movie he appeared in was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
They were :The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter,
He also lived with Meryl Streep for the last two years of his life until his death from lung cancer.
She was 27,and he was 41 when they met.
He was well respected by his peers,and in fact,when he was initially turned down for the Deer Hunter due to being uninsurable because of his health,DeNiro assumed the financial responsibility,because he wanted Cazale to be in it.