John Cazale

John Cazale was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to an Irish-American mother, Cecilia (Holland), and an Italian-American father, John Cazale. Cazale only made five feature films in his career, all which many fans and critics alike call classics. But before his film debut, the short The American Way (1962), he won numerous Obie Awards for his stage performances in "The Indian Wants the Bronx" and "The Line".

Cited as a "Distinguished Performance" by the Off-Broadway Obie Awards for the 1967-1968 season for his performance in Israel Horovitz's play "The Indian Wants the Bronx".

Cazale scored the role of Fredo Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), after his long time friend, Al Pacino, invited him to audition.

He reprised his role as the troubled Fredo in The Godfather: Part II (1974), where his character endures one of the most infamous movie moments in the history of cinema.

Cazale also starred with Gene Hackman and Harrison Ford in the thriller, The Conversation (1974), as Hackman's assistant, Stan. The Godfather's director, Francis Ford Coppola, also directed the movie.

Cazale's fourth feature film, Dog Day Afternoon (1975), earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Sal, a bank robber. His long time friend and Godfather co-star, Al Pacino, played his partner, Sonny.

His final film, The Deer Hunter (1978), was filmed whilst he was ill with cancer.

Years after his death he appeared in a sixth feature film, The Godfather Part III (1990) in archive footage. That film, like all of the films Cazale appeared in, was nominated for Best Picture.