John Cazale is best known for playing the weak older brother Fredo Corleone in The Godfather franchise. But he was also an accomplished stage actor before his incredible run on film, starring in just five movies, all of them Academy Award nominees for Best Picture. Along the way, Cazale influenced every artist who appeared with him, especially Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, and inspired countless future character actors with his vulnerable performances. Many of the quotes below come from the 2009 documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale, one of the best documentaries about actors, and a film that brought some much-deserved attention to an often-overlooked career.

Early Life (1935-1958)

John Holland Cazale was born on August 12, 1935, in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. His namesake Italian-American father traveled around New England selling coal, while his Irish-American mother Cecilia raised John and his two siblings. Little is known of his childhood, but after moving away to attend high school at the Buxton School in Williamstown, he enrolled in Oberlin College in Ohio to study drama, then transferred to Boston University. Here he was taught by the famed Peter Kass, known for pushing his students (who included Cazale contemporaries Olympia Dukakis and Faye Dunaway) to be brutally honest and emotionally courageous, a lesson Cazale clearly took to heart.

Theatre (1959-1969)

Cazale began his acting career on stage in 1959 at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. After appearing in Hotel Paradiso and Our Town, he moved to New York but struggled to find stage work. Like many actors before and since, he was forced to do odd jobs, including driving a taxi and working as a photographer. In 1962, Cazale made his film debut, albeit in an obscure Boston University student short titled The American Way. Finally, in 1966, both Cavale and Al Pacino were working as messengers for Standard Oil when they were cast opposite each other in Israel Horovitz's The Indian Wants the Bronx, beginning a lifelong friendship and the first of three plays together. Both actors won Obie Awards for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theatre. Cazale would win again for his role in Horovitz's Line. He appeared in a single episode of the ABC television police drama N.Y.P.D. in late 1968, alongside future stars Martin Sheen and Raul Julia, but then returned to the stage. In 1969, Cazale joined the Long Wharf Theatre Company in New Haven, Connecticut, where he appeared in numerous productions over three seasons.

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The Godfather (1972)

In 1971, Cazale reprised his role in a new production of the play Line, this time with a young Richard Dreyfuss. Producer Fred Roos was in New York casting The Godfather for director Francis Ford Coppola and upon seeing Cazale's performance, thought him perfect for the role of Fredo Corleone. Cazale's first feature role was small but memorable. He is listed 14th in the end credits, and though he appears briefly in the opening wedding and later at a Las Vegas party (both with real-life friend Al Pacino), the scene that best captures his character finds Fredo dropping a gun and collapsing in tears after failing to protect Don Corleone (Cazale's idol Marlon Brando) from being shot repeatedly. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three, including the Oscar for Best Picture.

The Conversation (1974)

After working with Cazale on The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola wrote a part specifically for him in his next picture, The Conversation, starring Gene Hackman. Though still clearly second fiddle, viewers got a glimpse of a different Cazale, playing a good-natured professional, the assistant Stan. Hackman later remembered, "John pushed me and managed to make all those pieces come together." The film, centered on the world of private surveillance, did well post-Watergate. It won the highest prize at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival and received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. John Cazale was on a roll.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The lines and scenes that most fans remember from Fredo Corleone are actually in The Godfather Part II. A sequel is always risky, and perhaps even riskier was making Fredo such a central character, as Cazale's role was greatly expanded. The movie's plot is divided between young Vito (Robert De Niro) and older Michael (Al Pacino), with much of Michael's story revolving around Fredo's decision to betray the family. Cazale's scenes, especially those with Pacino, cemented him as a first-rate character actor, making Fredo sympathetic and his ultimate demise tragic. Reviews for the film were mixed upon its release but improved over time. Roger Ebert, re-evaluating Part II several years before his death wrote that it was "a film that everyone who values movies at all should see." It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture, making Cazale three for three.

Related: Colin Farrell's Penguin in The Batman is Inspired by Fredo from The Godfather

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

When director Sidney Lumet decided to make Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino, he wanted a young actor to play the part of Sal, just like the young man who took part in the real-life bank robbery that inspired the movie. But Pacino pushed for the 39-year-old Cazale to read for the part, and Lumet was convinced. Cazale brought intensity to the role but also injected it with humor. When Pacino's Sonny asked Sal which country he wanted to go to, Cazale improvised "Wyoming." In retrospect, perhaps the most chilling moment in the film is when Sal says he doesn't smoke because "I don't want the cancer." The film was both a critical and commercial hit. Cazale's fourth movie was the fourth to be nominated for Best Picture. And though the Academy continued to overlook him, Cazale finally got some personal recognition from the industry when he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

Return to Theatre (1975-1977)

Despite his success on screen, Cazale continued his work in theatre. In 1975, he returned to where it all began, the Charles Playhouse, to appear in a play with Pacino. The following year they appeared together on stage for the third and final time at Joe Papp's Public Theater in New York City. "All I wanted to do was work with John for the rest of my life. He was my acting partner." Pacino would later say. That summer of 1976, Cazale was cast in the Central Park production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. The female lead was a young recent graduate of the Yale School of Drama. Cazale told Pacino, "I met the greatest actress in the history of the world." Pacino confirmed, "Sure enough, it was Meryl Streep. He was right." Cazale and Streep fell in love and moved in together. In 1977, Cazale was set to play the title role of Agamemnon on Broadway but had to withdraw after a single performance. A heavy smoker, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Despite his diagnosis, Cazale remained optimistic and wanted to keep working. He had been cast in The Deer Hunter with Robert De Niro, and as was only recently confirmed, De Niro personally paid for Cazale's insurance to ensure his participation. Streep accepted a role, so she could remain at Cazale's side. Director Michael Cimino adjusted the shooting schedule to film Cazale's scenes first, but cancer spread to his bones and he did not live to see the film released. Still, he gave a powerful final performance with several subtle comic touches. The film earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning five Oscars including Best Picture, posthumously completing Cazale's perfect run.

Death and Legacy

John Cazale died in the early morning of March 13, 1978, at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, nine months before The Deer Hunter was released. He was only 42 years old. Streep stayed at his side until the end. In his eulogy, collaborator Israel Horovitz called John Cazale "a small perfection." To this day, Al Pacino continues to praise Cazale, saying "I think I learned more about acting from John than anybody. He was inspiring. He made you better." In spite of the popular and critical success of his movies, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never recognized John Cazale with an Oscar nomination. But the world of theatre, where Cazale first made his mark and where he returned whenever he had the chance, gave him a lasting tribute. In 1984, the McGinn/Cazale Theater was dedicated in New York City as the home of the Second Stage Theater company. Its name honors both Cazale and Walter McGinn, a friend and fellow BU graduate and actor who died the year before John in an auto accident. Finally, in 1990, Francis Ford Coppola chose to include archival footage of Cazale as Fredo in The Godfather Part III. The film was nominated for Best Picture, keeping John Cazale's streak alive long after his death.