John Cazale
Biography
John Cazale was an American actor who began in Boston theater and became a character actor in film. He studied drama at Boston University and moved to New York, where he won two Obie Awards for Israel Horovitz plays, among them Line and The Indian Wants the Bronx. His feature debut was as Fredo Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972). He returned to the part in The Godfather Part II (1974), and he appeared in Coppola's The Conversation (1974). In Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (1975), he played Salvatore Naturile opposite Al Pacino, a performance that earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He continued stage work in 1976, starring in Measure for Measure and The Local Stigmatic. His last film was The Deer Hunter (1978). A documentary tribute, I Knew It Was You (2009), screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Each of his five feature films received a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards.
42years old at death
- Born Revere
- Died New York City
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- John Holland Cazale (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 37 years1972 to 2009
Genres
- Drama83%, 5 films
- Crime50%, 3 films
- Biography17%, 1 film
- Documentary17%, 1 film
- Mystery17%, 1 film
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A first
Cazale was a character actor, and he holds a unique distinction: the only feature films he appeared in were ones nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Big break
Cazale was seen by casting director Fred Roos during a 1971 run of Line at the Theatre De Lys, where Cazale had reprised his role. Roos put his name forward to Francis Ford Coppola for Fredo Corleone in The Godfather.
A change of course
Cazale was a messenger for Standard Oil, and it was there that he came to know Al Pacino, who was also trying to make it as an actor.
First role
Cazale's first stage work came at the Charles Playhouse in Boston in 1959, appearing in Hotel Paradiso and Our Town, while he supported himself as a cab driver.
A first
Cazale's sole television part came in 1968, when he played Tom Andrews in "The Peep Freak," an episode of the cop drama N.Y.P.D.
John Cazale movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale2009as Fredo Corleone / Stan / Sal
IMDb rating 7.72.2K votes
Most often with
Francis Ford Coppola directed three of these films. Al Pacino appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Al Pacino's page
Robert De Niro's page
Robert Duvall's page
Gene Hackman's page
Meryl Streep's page
Carol Kane's page
All films by Francis Ford Coppola
Also two films together5 more actors
- John SavageI Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) and The Deer Hunter (1978)
- Diane KeatonThe Godfather: Part II (1974) and The Godfather (1972)
- Talia ShireThe Godfather: Part II (1974) and The Godfather (1972)
- Dominic ChianeseDog Day Afternoon (1975) and The Godfather: Part II (1974)
- Morgana KingThe Godfather: Part II (1974) and The Godfather (1972)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.