John Cazalehas arguably one of the greatest filmographies of any actor or director ever and though he passed away much too soon, fans and loved ones can take solace in the fact that he left an incredible legacy of talent and accomplishment before he departed. Cazale came up in an acting generation alongside some of the industry’s finest, including Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Sam Waterston, who all acted in several Broadway plays together. While his success in theater is admirable, it’s Cazale’s film roles that most people recognize him for.
A gifted actor who was reportedly beloved by everyone he met, as cataloged by the tribute documentary,I Knew It Was You,Cazale lived an impressive lifeon and off the screen. On-screen,each of his five films, in which he had major roles, are considered critical movies in cinema canon. Off-screen, he was in a relationship with Meryl Streep beginning in 1976, which lasted until 1978, when he passed away from lung cancer. She never left his side (viaNYPost). Cazale’s filmography speaks for itself, and the only regret is that it isn’t longer.
The Conversation
Cast
The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a 1974 thriller following a paranoid surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma. As he becomes increasingly immersed in his latest case, he fears that his recordings may be linked to a potential murder, challenging his professional detachment.
The Conversationwasthe second film Francis Ford Coppolacast John Cazale in afterThe Godfather, in this instance as Stanley “Stan” Ross, a tech guru and friend of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert in San Francisco. Caul, who has always had qualms about his wiretapping business, faces a moral dilemma when he overhears what he believes is a murder plot. Caul brings in his associate Stan to help him uncover an ever-growing web of intrigue and plots.
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While Cazale is not nearly as big a part ofThe Conversationas Hackman, he still plays a critical role in the film, sporting a much more beleaguered appearance than his perfectly coiffed one inThe Godfather.He injects the film with a much-needed dose of humor at just the right timewithout coming off as silly or out of place. Stan is confused by Caul’s game, but his direct way of speaking makes his constant questions seem well-intended and intelligent.
The Godfather
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
The Godfatherwas the beginning of John Cazale’sincredible streak of movies, and while he may not play as important a role in Coppola’s seminal film as he does the second, it’s still an incredibly nuanced and memorable performance. Cazale co-stars as Fredo Corleone, the middle brother in the family, and though he is privy to the goings-on of the family’s business, he proves time and time again that he is not completely cut out for the mob life.
Fredo is with his father, Vito (Marlon Brando), when an assassination attempt is made on him, and he is as useless in that situation as he is later in the film when Moe Green (Alex Rocco) and Michael (Al Pacino) have their fight in Las Vegas. He’s kind, sweet, and simple, andCazale makes him into a completely sympathetic character, but one the audience knows they cannot rely on.
Dog Day Afternoon
A man tries to rob a bank to pay for his lover’s operation, who ends up in a hostage situation besieged by the media.
Dog Day Afternoonis based on a true bank robberythat occurred in 1972. Al Pacino and John Cazale co-star as Sonny Wortzik and Sal Naturile, two men who rob First Brooklyn Savings Bank only for the police to show up and begin a tense, but darkly funny standoff. It’s an acting showcase from both legends, with Pacino earning Best Actor nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and Cazale getting a Best Supporting Actor nod at the Golden Globes.
It’s the perfect balance and Cazale plays Naturile like he has a death wish.
Naturile is haunted and sallow, compared to Wortzik who is energetic and bug-eyed, screaming, “Attica!” at the press and police present. It’s the perfect balance and Cazale plays Naturile like he has a death wish.Cazale’s role is not as flashy as Pacino’s, but it’s slightly more intense, hinting at the distressing underbelly of theDog Day Afternoonthat some of the gaudiness and loopiness papers over.
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 war drama film by director Michael Cimino that centers on three men in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania during the Vietnam War. The film explores the effects of the war on small-town workers, with the trio of Russian-American friends bonding over one last hunting trip. Holding onto the hope of bringing home militaristic glory back to their friends and families, their reality quickly comes crashing down when they experience the war in Vietnam firsthand.
The Deer Hunter, from director Michael Cimino, was John Cazale’s final role. The producers did not want Cazale to appear in the film, considering his health was waning, but Meryl Streep and Cimino refused to participate unless he was cast. Robert De Niro ended up paying for his medical insurance to get the green light (viaTelegraph). It’s a good thing they all fought for him because Cazale is a necessary piece to the distressing war drama.
Cazale died shortly beforeThe Deer Hunterfilming wrapped and he never saw the completed project.
Stan (Cazale) is one of Mike Vronsky’s (Robert De Niro) friends at the steel mill, but he doesn’t go to fight in Vietnam. When Mike and the others return, Stan and those who didn’t go can’t understand what those men have been through. In a sequence where Stan pretends to point a gun at another hunter, Mike plays a round of Russian roulette with the shuddering Stan. Cazale goes through a spectrum of emotions in the scene, from ignorance to anger to absolute fear, and everything feels completely genuine moving across his face.
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a continuation of the Corleone crime family saga. The film explores Vito Corleone’s early life in Sicily and 1910s New York, while Michael Corleone navigates the 1950s, seeking to expand the family’s influence into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba. Released in 1974.
IfTheGodfatheris Michael and Vito’s movie,TheGodfather Part IIis Michael and Fredo’s, and John Cazale puts on an acting tour de force as the looked-over, bitter, ultimately sad, middle brother. InThe Godfather Part II, Michael becomes the devil, exactly what his father had hoped he wouldn’t be, and his final crime is one of the worst things he’s ever done. Despite everything Fredo puts Michael through, Cazale’s desperate acting makes it clear Michael is making a mistake.
There are no characters like Fredo Corleone and without Cazale, there may never be again.
Sometimes it’s a plea from a sunken chair, other times it’s a happy invitation over a drink, and other times it’s a distraught look from across the room, but whatever Cazale does inThe Godfather Part IIis filled with years of memory and emotion. He makes the character his, and it’s easy to see why Fredo makes the decisions he does in the film. There are no characters like Fredo Corleone and without Cazale, there may never be again.
1John Cazale’s Perfect Filmography Explained
Every One Of John Cazale’s Roles Could Be His Best
While “perfect” is a hard thing to categorize,if there were an award for “perfect filmography”, John Cazale would be the front-runner. Every one of the movies he appeared in was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and onlyThe ConversationandDog Day Afternoondid not win the award. While Cazale himself only earned one nomination from a major award body, his co-stars were frequently nominated and won Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress awards at the Golden Globes and Oscars.
Cazale was Midas and everything he touched turned to gold. He does not have minor roles in these films either, and in each, he acts across from some of the greatest performers to ever appear on-screen, from Hackman to Streep to Pacino. He could play off them all, no matter the size of his part. IfJohn Cazaledoes not have a perfect filmography, then such a thing does not exist.
