ACTOR · BORN 1935 · DIED 1978
John Cazale
- Born
- 8 December 1935, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Died
- 13 March 1978
- Known for
- The Godfather Part II (1974), The Deer Hunter (1978), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Godfather (1972)
30 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
John Cazale (8 December 1935 – 13 March 1978) was an actor best known for The Godfather Part II, The Deer Hunter and Dog Day Afternoon.
30 Interesting Facts About John Cazale
Interesting Facts (1)
Production Story (3)
- #002
Unlike most of the casting of the film, Cazale easily won his part as Fredo Corleone in The Godfather (1972) after being seen in the play 'Line' by producer of the film, Albert S. Ruddy, who was invited to see the play by Cazale's co-star Richard Dreyfuss. He was an obvious choice to both Ruddy and Coppola for the role of Fredo.
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Friend Al Pacino requested him to audition for the role of Sal in Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Director Sidney Lumet was, however, unsure, with Cazale not being anything like the real-life counterpart (the real Sal was eighteen, while Cazale was in his late thirties). Cazale immediately won over the part with the audition.
Behind the Scenes (5)
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Playing Fredo, the younger brother of Sonny Corleone, whom James Caan portrayed in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Cazale was in real life five years older than Caan. This age difference makes his success in portraying the character all the more striking.
- #008
In The Godfather (1972), Cazale played Fredo, the son of Morgana King and Marlon Brando, and in real life he was only five years younger than King and eleven years younger than Brando. These age differences made it easier for him to fit the character thanks to his youthful appearance and acting skill.
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Career & Awards (9)
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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.
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He has appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and The Deer Hunter (1978). He is the only actor to have every film he appeared in be in the registry.
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- #017
Of the four actors who played Vito Corleone's children in the Godfather films, he was the only one not nominated for an Oscar for doing so. Al Pacino and James Caan were nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the first film. Al Pacino was nominated again, this time for Best Actor, for the second film, in which Talia Shire was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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Life & Family (12)
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In spite of the desperate, violent characters he played in a handful of films, he was by all accounts an enormously kind and gentle person off screen, having been a close personal friend of most of the actors he had worked with. Among his greatest achievements was that he helped the discovery of childhood friend Al Pacino, fellow, actor Robert De Niro, and his girlfriend at the time of his early death, Meryl Streep.
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Related pages
- Morgana King — John Cazale comes up in the facts on that page
- Marlon Brando — John Cazale comes up in the facts on that page
- Meryl Streep — John Cazale comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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