John Cazale: A Great Actor Largely Forgotten

Sal's (John Cazale) response when Sonny (Al Pacino) asks him what country he'd like to fly to. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

It's been thirty years since the death of one of best and most overlooked character actors of the 1970's and I thought it was time to shine a light on this magnificent actor once again. He only appeared in five movies but he has the sole distinction of being the only actor to ever appear in that many movies and all of them end up being nominated for Best Picture.

His name is John Cazale, born in 1935, Italian in descent, with olive skin and dark brooding eyes that told more about the character he was playing then any line of dialogue he could ever deliver. While every one of his roles called for him to be desperate, psychotic or just plain loser, Cazale is widely remembered as a quiet, very shy and often very sensitive performer. He is best known as the doomed Fredo Corleone in the Godfather series.

He grew up with Al Pacino and the two would remain close as each other's life went into the world of acting, most notably on stage. Cazale was reportedly at his most comfortable on stage in front of an audience and he spent a good portion of the 1960's performing off-Broadway garnering praise for one performance after another. Because of his stage work and loyalty to friends he would also meet and help launch the acting careers of Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep.

Here is a look at the all too brief career of a great actor who, unless you are a true film buff, you may not know. If you don't I cannot recommend more you seeking out all of these films he appeared in as each is a classic in its own right and should be seen. As I stated each film was nominated for Best Picture with three of them winning the top prize. Technically Cazale also appeared in The Godfather Part III via archival footage which would make his streak of six films and six Best Picture nominations. It is an impressive record that will likely never be matched.

THE GODFATHER (1972) - After Pacino was cast as Michael Corleone he suggested to director Francis Ford Coppola that Cazale might be good for the role of older brother Fredo. Apparently Coppola agreed because Coppola hired Cazale after just a brief read through with Pacino without having to test with Marlon Brando or James Caan. Cazale played Fredo, the middle brother, as a weak man who enjoyed the fruits of being part of a mafia family but would crumble when push came to shove. That is never more evident then when Don Corleone (Brando) is ambushed outside a fruit stand on the street and Fredo jumps from the car dropping his gun and can only helplessly watch as his father's bullet riddled body lays on the street and he cries out, "Papa!" Fredo, despite his weaknesses, fully expects to take over the family reign when the time comes and vehemently objects when younger brother Michael is given the job.

Cazale shines in his first film role but was unfortunately overlooked due to stronger performances from stronger characters played by the likes of Pacino, Caan and Robert Duvall.

THE CONVERSATION (1974) - Cazale re-teamed with Coppola in what I believe is one of the best films of the 1970's starring Gene Hackman as surveillance expert Harry Caul, who gets wrapped up in his latest job recording the conversation of a couple walking in the park trying to decipher what it all means. Cazale plays Hackman's loyal assistant Stan who wants to learn and become an expert like his boss only to realize that his boss refuses to give up secrets even to his own employee. Fed up, Stan quits and goes to work with Harry's nearest and best competitor. Cazale is at his most understated in this film but still shows subtle hints of a dark side beneath the exterior. His role is a small but important one in this psychologically frightening film.

THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) - In a banner year for Cazale (and Coppola), he returned to the Corleone saga in the epic sequel as brother Fredo who here helps run casinos in Las Vegas and, through his illegal activities, inadvertently helps to cause an assassination attempt on Michael. Fredo, bitter about being passed over as Don, let's Michael know his feelings.

"I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over! "

"That's the way Pop wanted it" replies Michael.

"It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!"

Later Fredo foolishly gives away the fact that he knows more then he should and Michael realizes he has been betrayed. In a powerful moment at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, Michael clutches Fredo's face with both hands, kisses him hard on the lips and announces he knows what Fredo has done. Months later Fredo comes home to make amends with the cold and unforgiving Michael and is told, "Fredo, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the hotels; I don't want you near my house. When you see our mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there. You understand?"

Fredo accepts these provisions and returns for his mother's funeral only to have Tom Hagen (Duvall) rebuff Fredo's attempts to see his brother. When their sister Connie (Talia Shire) talks Michael into it Fredo clutches Michael and falls to his knees completely unaware that Michael is making darker plans at that very moment told simply to the audience by a simple glance.

Once again Cazale topped himself and gave the best performance of his career. And once again thanks to the plethora of terrific performances within the film, Cazale's simple performance as the outcast Fredo was overlooked while Robert DeNiro, Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strasberg were nominated instead.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975) - Cazale's attempts to return to the stage continued to be rebuffed as top directors came to him to appear in their movies. Here pal Al Pacino convinced Cazale to re-team with him in Sidney Lumet's dramedy based on the true life incident of a couple of bank robbers who suddenly find themselves under the media spotlight when police and television surround the bank while the two are still inside it. Pacino stars as Sonny, the brains of the operation, while Cazale plays the reserved but very dangerous Sal who can crack at any minute and kill everyone. It is Cazale's quiet threats that perfectly counterbalance Pacino's obvious flustered state. I included a quote from this movie at the top of this article. In a quiet moment between the two bank robbers Sonny is reveling in the fact that a jet is being prepared to take the two men anywhere in the world. He simply asks Sal what country he wants to visit and, after a deep moment of thought, Sal declares he wants to go to Wyoming. This turned out to be a complete ad-lib by Cazale with Pacino's reaction a natural one. Lumet loved the moment enough to keep it in the film. Pacino would later say that Cazale was his life acting partner and would have settled for making every movie alongside him. For this film Cazale would receive his only acting award nomination, the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, but did not win.

Cazale finally decided it was time to get back on stage and for the next few years he worked exclusively there. While doing a particular play off-Broadway Cazale met and fell in love with co-star Meryl Streep. Cazale would help Streep to land her first important film role and lead to a career unmatched by any other actress. After appearing together the two became inseparable. Cazale chose to do his first play on Broadway to stay close to his new love that he proposed to in 1977. She accepted and the two planned to marry after the run of the play was completed. It was during rehearsals of this play in early 1977 when Cazale received some devastating news.

Cazale had been feeling arthritic like pain throughout his body at the end of each night of rehearsal and he was finally convinced to see a doctor. After a battery of tests Cazale was given the terrible news: He had terminal bone cancer and no more then one year to live. Cazale immediately dropped out of the play and went home to seek a second opinion. A second and third opinion concurred with the original diagnosis. Cazale was dying.

THE DEER HUNTER (1978) - Not long after, director Michael Cimino came to Cazale and offered him the role of Stan, an obnoxious loser, in his epic film about the Vietnam War. Cazale was advised against working but fell in love with the script plus the fact that Streep had won an important role in the film and it gave him another opportunity to work with old friend DeNiro. Cazale went to Cimino and confided his condition to him. Cimino agreed to keep it secret and no one else on the film knew except for the two of them and Streep. Universal executives quickly took notice, however, when Cimino switched the shooting schedule around giving top priority to getting all of Cazale's scenes out of the way immediately. With prodding the executives discovered Cazale's condition and ordered Cimino to replace him. Cimino balked. He and Streep offered to put up their salaries as collateral in case Cazale died before shooting was complete and scenes had to be re-shot with another actor. The studio refused at first until Cimino and Streep threatened to walk off the picture. Seeing it was too late to replace the director and leading actress the studio okayed Cazale's inclusion.

The character of Stan was typical Cazale. He was a loudmouth who talked a great game but was all talk. When viewing his girl being groped during a wedding dance Stan goes up and punches her in the face and not the groping pig of a man. Stan loves to go deer hunting with his friends but always seems to forget to bring something like shoes. And he doesn't go off to war with his friends - the ultimate weakness.

As always Cazale was masterful in his performance but his gaunt appearance sadly identifies his terminal condition. The film would open to smashing reviews and go on to win the Best Picture Award in April of 1979. By then John Cazale has been dead for over a year.

Sadly this was all we have of John Cazale on film. Underappreciated then and now, Cazale's film work is a truly great legacy he left us with to admire over and over again. On March 12, 1978, one month after completing his work on The Deer Hunter, Cazale died in Meryl Streep's arms. He was only 43.