The film industry often comes across people who will never be forgotten for centuries to come. With their expert skills and undeniable charm, these people manage to make a mark on the industry that does not dull with time. The Godfather’s John Cazale was one such extraordinary actor who managed to deliver one great performance after the other.
Unfortunately, his time in Hollywood was limited as the actor passed away in 1978, just after being a part of six total films. Even though John Cazale doesn’t have an extensive filmography to his name, he holds a record that no actor has been or will be able to break. From his feature film debut in 1972 to his last film in 1978, all five of them have been cinematic masterpieces.
The Godfather’s John Cazale Holds a Unique Record
Hollywood has been blessed with some of the finest actors in the history of cinema, including Daniel Day-Lewis, who possesses an impressive portfolio and has a few cabinets worth of awards as proof of their brilliance. However, none of them come close to beating John Cazale’s unique record.
Cazale, who started off as a theatre actor, has a total of six full-length films to his name. He played the small role of Tom Andrews in N.Y.P.D. but then went on to have his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. From there, the actor starred in four more films – The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter.
All five of these films are critically acclaimed and considered to be cinematic masterpieces. They have been nominated for an Academy Award, with some even taking a few home.
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II both won Best Picture at the 45th and 47th Academy Awards, respectively. The Conversation was also up for three categories at the 47th Oscars but didn’t manage to bag a win. As for Dog Day Afternoon, the film was nominated for 6 Oscars and took home the award for Best Original Screenplay.
The Deer Hunter was nominated in nine categories and won a whopping number of five out of those. According to well-known film critic Roger Ebert, the 1978 epic war drama is “one of the most emotionally shattering films ever made.” Unfortunately, by the time The Deer Hunter was released, Cazale’s life on Earth had come to an end. The legendary actor couldn’t see the all praise he received for his work as Stan Stosh, nor did he get to see the finished product in all its glory.
John Cazale Left a Mark on the Industry
From Meryl Streep to Al Pacino, Cazale worked with many incredible names in the film industry, all of whom have nothing but praise and love for the late actor. In an interview with The New York Times, Pacino heavily praised his co-star calling him “one of the greatest actors of our time.” He then added,
“I learned so much from him. I had done a lot of theatre and three films with him. He was inspiring, he just was. And he didn’t get credit for any of it. He was in five films, all Oscar-nominated films, and he was great in all of them. He was particularly great in Godfather II and I don’t think he got that kind of recognition.”
Streep shared a tragic romance with Cazale which came to an abrupt end after he lost his battle to lung cancer. As per New York Post, the actress once said that Cazale “wasn’t like anybody [she’d] ever met.” She then added, “It was the specificity of him, and his sort of humanity and his curiosity about people, his compassion.”
Describing the effect Cazale had on his co-stars, Streep stated, “[He] challenged them to take their own games up a notch.”
Clearly, his co-stars were very fond of him and his passing was a heartbreak for them and many more. Cazale’s career in Hollywood may have been short-lived, but it has managed to make the actor go down in history as one of the most successful actors of all time.
