Actor. The only actor in history where every motion picture he appeared in to be nominated for Best Picture, John Cazale left behind a small but impressive contribution to film. He started acting on the stage, with off-Broadway productions of plays such as The Indian Wants the Bronx It's Called the Sugar Plum (1968); and Acrobats & Line (1971). He would then start his film career with The Godfather (1972), playing Fredo Corleone, reprising his role in its sequel, The Godfather II (1974), both winning Best Picture for their respective years. He would have a small role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974), alongside Gene Hackman. He had his biggest role in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), playing an accomplice to a bank robbery to help his friend (played by Al Pacino) pay for his wife's sex change operation. He met his fiancée, actress Meryl Streep, during a production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, in 1976. They would star together in The Deer Hunter (1978). By this time, Cazale, a chain smoker, was terminally ill with lung cancer. As such, the studio almost recast him, only keeping him because of Robert De Niro's and Streep's insistence, with director Michael Cimino filming Cazale's scenes first. He died just a few days after filming all of his scenes, never seeing the final product, nor its Best Picture win. He had a posthumous appearance in The Godfather III (1990), via archive footage, which would also be nominated for Best Picture.

Actor. The only actor in history where every motion picture he appeared in to be nominated for Best Picture, John Cazale left behind a small but impressive contribution to film. He started acting on the stage, with off-Broadway productions of plays such as The Indian Wants the Bronx It's Called the Sugar Plum (1968); and Acrobats & Line (1971). He would then start his film career with The Godfather (1972), playing Fredo Corleone, reprising his role in its sequel, The Godfather II (1974), both winning Best Picture for their respective years. He would have a small role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974), alongside Gene Hackman. He had his biggest role in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), playing an accomplice to a bank robbery to help his friend (played by Al Pacino) pay for his wife's sex change operation. He met his fiancée, actress Meryl Streep, during a production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, in 1976. They would star together in The Deer Hunter (1978). By this time, Cazale, a chain smoker, was terminally ill with lung cancer. As such, the studio almost recast him, only keeping him because of Robert De Niro's and Streep's insistence, with director Michael Cimino filming Cazale's scenes first. He died just a few days after filming all of his scenes, never seeing the final product, nor its Best Picture win. He had a posthumous appearance in The Godfather III (1990), via archive footage, which would also be nominated for Best Picture.

Bio by: Andrew :)