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John Holland Cazale was born on August 12, 1935, in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. His namesake Italian-American father traveled around New England selling coal, while his Irish-American mother Cecilia raised John and his two siblings. Little is known of his childhood, but after moving away to attend high school at the Buxton School in...
Cazale began his acting career on stage in 1959 at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. After appearing in Hotel Paradiso and Our Town, he moved to New York but struggled to find stage work. Like many actors before and since, he was forced to do odd jobs, including driving a taxi and working as a photographer. In 1962, Cazale made his film debut, albei...
In 1971, Cazale reprised his role in a new production of the play Line, this time with a young Richard Dreyfuss. Producer Fred Roos was in New York casting The Godfatherfor director Francis Ford Coppola and upon seeing Cazale's performance, thought him perfect for the role of Fredo Corleone. Cazale's first feature role was small but memorable. He i...
After working with Cazale on The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola wrote a part specifically for him in his next picture, The Conversation, starring Gene Hackman. Though still clearly second fiddle, viewers got a glimpse of a different Cazale, playing a good-natured professional, the assistant Stan. Hackman later remembered, "John pushed me and manag...
The lines and scenes that most fans remember from Fredo Corleone are actually in The Godfather Part II. A sequel is always risky, and perhaps even riskier was making Fredo such a central character, as Cazale's role was greatly expanded. The movie's plot is divided between young Vito (Robert De Niro) and older Michael (Al Pacino), with much of Micha...
When director Sidney Lumet decided to make Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino, he wanted a young actor to play the part of Sal, just like the young man who took part in the real-life bank robberythat inspired the movie. But Pacino pushed for the 39-year-old Cazale to read for the part, and Lumet was convinced. Cazale brought intensity to the role but...
Despite his success on screen, Cazale continued his work in theatre. In 1975, he returned to where it all began, the Charles Playhouse, to appear in a play with Pacino. The following year they appeared together on stage for the third and final time at Joe Papp's Public Theater in New York City. "All I wanted to do was work with John for the rest of...
Despite his diagnosis, Cazale remained optimistic and wanted to keep working. He had been cast in The Deer Hunter with Robert De Niro, and as was only recently confirmed, De Niro personally paid for Cazale's insurance to ensure his participation. Streep accepted a role, so she could remain at Cazale's side. Director Michael Cimino adjusted the shoo...
John Cazale died in the early morning of March 13, 1978, at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, nine months before The Deer Hunter was released. He was only 42 years old. Streep stayed at his side until the end. In his eulogy, collaborator Israel Horovitz called John Cazale "a small perfection." To this day, Al Pacino continues to praise Cazale, say...
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Mar 19, 2019 · John Cazale was five-for-five when he died: five big screen appearances, all of them classic performances in classic '70s films. " The Godfather ," " The Conversation ," " The Godfather, Part II ," " Dog Day Afternoon ," and finally, " The Deer Hunter ." And then he died at 40 of of lung cancer in New York City in March, 1978, eight months ...
His hit streak was worthy of Joe DiMaggio, but 25 years ago on March 12, 1978, it was cut tragically short when Cazale died of bone cancer. He was 42. Despite the fact that he spent his entire...
May 26, 2010 · So why, 32 years after his untimely death, are actors still singing his praises? Because, as they explain in HBO's "I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale," airing Tuesday, June 1, he...
Apr 10, 2024 · Three years after the film’s release, the actor John Cazale died of cancer at the age of forty-two—much too young, but old enough to have played Sal and done impeccable supporting work in ...
Mar 15, 2022 · Cazale is only in the first Godfather for a matter of minutes, but his performance lays the groundwork for Fredo’s tragic, consequential arc in The Godfather II.
