John Cazale

John Cazale

John Holland Cazale (/kəˈzeɪl/; ; August 12, 1935 – March 12, 1978) was an American actor. During his six-year film career, he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. He is the only actor to have this multi-film distinction. From his start as an acclaimed theater actor, he became one of Hollywood's premiere character actors, starting with his role as Fredo Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather.

"Cazale broke hearts on screen with portrayals of volatile, vulnerable, vacillating men, including Pacino's tragic bank-robbing partner in Dog Day Afternoon," wrote David Germain of the Associated Press. Cazale is described as an actor "whose intense face is known to just about any serious cinema fan but whose name often escapes them". He chose to continue acting despite being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and died in New York City on March 12, 1978 shortly after completing his role in The Deer Hunter. He was 42 years old.

Cazale was characterized as "an amazing intellect, an extraordinary person and a fine, dedicated artist" by Joseph Papp. A film documentary and tribute about Cazale, titled I Knew It Was You, was an entry at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and featured interviews with Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Francis Ford Coppola and Sidney Lumet.