He isn’t well known. In fact, he’s pretty much on the level of Richard Jenkins or Charles Durning, you don’t know his name but you know his face. He was the traitorous brother, the dumb scapegoat, and always a supporting character to leads like DeNiro and Pacino. While he was never nominated for any Academy Awards, his co-stars collected numerous nominations and awards. Also, each and every film he acted in received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. This is a statistic that is unmatched in the acting world.
The reason he only acted in five films was because of his death from bone cancer after filming his scenes in “The Deer Hunter.” In fact, he almost didn’t get to act in the film because of his illness and the insurance required to cast him. Yet somehow the premium got paid and he filmed his scenes. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Meryl Streep who stayed by his side until the very end and took her small role in “The Deer Hunter” to do just that. Al Pacino has stated that the whole time he has known Meryl, arguably one of the greatest actresses of all time, the one thing that stands out in his mind is the time she spent with Cazale at the end of his life.
Many actors attribute Cazale’s supporting performances with helping them to perform better. While you may think they are saying this because he died and they feel obligated, the fact still remains that there are many Academy Award nominations associated with each film. Yes, all the nominees are great actors in their own rights but this is one thing I think you have to believe. In addition, Cazale could take a completely unlikeable character like Fredo Corleone or Sal in “Dog Day Afternoon” and make you feel for them. He wasn’t the most pleasant or warm looking either but it didn’t matter. You would still become emotionally involved in his characters and want them to succeed (or at least survive). Many actors would have a hard time pulling that off.
The five films Cazale acted in are:
- The Godfather
- The Conversation
- The Godfather Part II
- Dog Day Afternoon
- The Deer Hunter
There is also a great documentary titled, “I Knew It Was You:Rediscovering John Cazale”, that interviews many actors he worked with and chronicles his life but focuses mainly on his acting career.
