John Cazale, a struggling actor in the 1960s, met Al Pacino while working as a delivery boy. Pacino urged Cazale to audition for the role of Fredo in The Godfather, which was his first film role. Cazale appeared in five films before his death from lung cancer in 1978. Despite being widely recognized as a talented actor, his only formal recognition was a Golden Globe nomination. Cazale’s health began to fail while filming The Deer Hunter, but Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep threatened to quit if he was replaced. Cazale died shortly after completing his scenes in the film.
In the 1960s, aspiring actor John Cazale appeared in stage and off-Broadway productions. To pay the rent, he also worked as a taxi driver and delivery boy in New York City after graduating from Boston University. While delivering a package to Standard Oil one day, Cazale met a boy named Al Pacino, also a struggling actor in the mid-1960s. In 1972, when Pacino landed the part of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, he urged Cazale to audition for the role of Fredo, Michael’s strong-willed brother. Fredo Corleone was Cazale’s first film role, and The Godfather was the first of five films he appeared in over the next six years, before his acting career was cut short by his 1978 death at the age of 42. . those films garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. Archival footage of Cazale was used in The Godfather Part III in 1990, which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Brief But Illustrious Career Of John Cazale:
While widely recognized as one of the finest actors of his generation, Cazale’s only formal recognition was a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Dog Day Afternoon.
Cazale was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977 and his health began to fail while filming The Deer Hunter. The producers suggested replacing him, but Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep (Cazale’s girlfriend at the time) threatened to quit, so director Michael Cimino agreed to shoot his scenes first.
Cazale died in March 1978 after cancer metastasized to his bones, shortly after completing his scenes in The Deer Hunter. “He was like nobody I’ve ever met,” said Streep, who was by his side when he died.
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