Strasberg was a brilliant actor. And his portrayal of Roth was just outstanding. Unfortunately for Strasberg, Gazzo and DeNiro also were outstanding in their respective parts in GFII.

If I had to give the supporting actor award to one of them, I would have chosen Strasberg for his role as Roth.

There is no question that DeNiro was outstanding as a young Vito, and Gazzo's Pentangeli was probably my favorite GFII character. And it is a very hard choice to make between the three of them. They all probably deserved the oscar.

But when push comes to shove, I personally have to give the edge to Strasberg because I agree with Turnbull that Strasberg's Moe Green speech is what probably got him nominated for that role. A brilliant piece of acting by a very talented man.

The funny thing is that Strasberg is the one who taught both Pacino and DeNiro the art of Method acting.

So Strasberg does deserve some of the credit for one of his students winning best actor and another one beating him out for supporting actor.


Don Cardi