A Reel Legend: John Cazale

A Reel Legend tells the stories of cinematic icons who are no longer with us. The actors, actresses, and directors who have shaped the silver screen as we know it today. 

 

This month’s Reel Legend is John Cazale. 

 

Born in Massachusetts in 1935, John Holland Cazale started as a theater actor in Boston, ranging from local, to off-Broadway, to Broadway…acting alongside Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Sam Waterston. In 1968, he had his only television role, appearing in an episode of N.Y.P.D. 

 

In 1972 he would land the role of a lifetime, when Francis Ford Coppola cast him as the gentle, yet weak Fredo Corleone in THE GODFATHER. His role was expanded in THE GODFATHER PART II in 1974. Both films would win Best Picture and are regarded as two of the greatest ever made. Also in 1974, Coppola would cast him in his acclaimed mystery thriller THE CONVERSATION, alongside the late Gene Hackman. And in 1975, he would appear in the heralded crime drama DOG DAY AFTERNOON with Al Pacino. 

 

He returned to the theatre in 1975, and in 1977 was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Despite the diagnosis, he continued to work and would appear in the towering Vietnam drama, THE DEER HUNTER; joining a stacked cast that included Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, and John Savage. THE DEER HUNTER would win Best Picture in 1978. 

 

Cazale would pass away in March of 1978. His filmography would finish with five feature films, three of which were Best Picture winners. 

 

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The greatness of John Cazale came from his bravery. This was an era that produced tough-guy characters such as Dirty Harry, Rocky Balboa, and Han Solo. Cazale went the opposite way and played guys who were weak, fragile, and confused. His role as Fredo broke hearts in the 70’s and still does today. He opened the door for actors to play men who were vulnerable. 

 

He did five films. Five perfect films. That is the outstanding legacy of John Cazale. Today, there is a lot of talk and debate over actors and directors who have a perfect track record. There are not many who can make that claim; even Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis have made a few clunkers. Cazale, even though he has a small sample size, had the talent to land in five films that defined an era…and all five are regarded as some of the best ever. It is a tragedy that he didn’t have the chance to do more, but his small filmography is one of the biggest.