20 Facts About John Cazale and his Five Movies (That Changed Cinema Forever)

In a parallel universe, we don’t have to explain who John Cazale is. In a parallel universe, Cazale is as universally known as Al Pacino or Robert De Niro, which means in a parallel universe Cazale is alive and kicking and we’re lamenting the lame Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller comedies he has bizarrely been in. In a parallel universe, Cazale got, like, all the Academy Awards, and ruled the movie industry for decades, probably doing a bunch of movies with Scorsese, some mainstream role in a Spielberg blockbuster, you get it.

But we don’t live in that universe. John Cazale died in 1978, aged 42. He only appeared in five movies, gave performances that our favorite actors admire, and those five movies happen to be some of the best and most iconic works of the decade. Pull out a pen and paper: they’re The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. That is insane. He’s friggin’ Fredo Corleone! Yes, that’s the guy we’re talking about! In this Pictofact, we take a look at the life and work of John Cazale, a man Al Pacino loved and looked up to. John Cazale, John Cazale, John Cazale. We’re not forgetting that name ever again.

20 John Cazale and Al Pacino

19 Beginnings