Who hasn’t heard of John Cazale? Well, just about everybody. They haven’t heard of the guy, but they sure do know his roles and the creepy intensity he goes about acting them.
John, while only active for a brief 6 years in Hollywood, has given us some of the most memorable characters of all time. He starred in 5 feature films during those short years and all five of those films were nominated for Best Picture by the Motion Picture Academy—a very special and unique achievement held only by Cazale.
Cazale was known for playing weak, sickly characters who were emotionally vulnerable, but were also capable of causing great damage to those around him. He is most known for his character Fredo Corleone in the classic films Godfather I and Godfather II, but his greatest role was perhaps his portrayal of the quietly menacing Sal in Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon. Set against Pacino’s violent and flamboyant Sonny, Cazale is a threatening and sternly intimidating presence who, despite his general lack of intelligence, will chill you to the bone. In one scene, Sonny asks Sal what country he wishes to go to, which Sal (in an ad-lib by Cazale) replies “Wyoming.” The utter hopelessness, violence, and desperation of the whole movie is summed up in that one word reply, and Cazale delivers it with such idiotic sympathy, the viewer cannot decide whether to laugh or be frightened.
The following films, while being “must see” for any true movie fan, are also John Cazale’s brief resume, as he died of bone cancer in 1978:
* The Godfather
* The Conversation (opposite Gene Hackman)
* The Godfather: Part II
* Dog Day Afternoon
* The Deer Hunter (opposite Robert De Niro)
* He was also shown briefly in The Godfather: Part III in archival footage.
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