John Cazale
Actor · Died March 13, 1978, aged 42 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA
John Holland Cazale (August 12, 1935 - March 12, 1978) was an American actor. He appeared in five films during six years, each one nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. He appeared in archival footage in The Godfather Part III, also nominated for Best Picture, making him the only actor to have this multi-film distinction. From his start as a theater actor, he became one of Hollywood's premier character actors, starting with his role as the doomed, weak-minded Fredo Corleone opposite longtime friend Al Pacino in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather and its 1974 sequel.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 8, 1935
- March 13, 1978 (aged 42)
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Actor
- 9 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
What are John Cazale's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 4
Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Stan in The Conversation (1974)
- Tricksteras Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974)
- Allyas Sal in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
- Tricksteras Stan in The Deer Hunter (1978)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John Cazale's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for John Cazale's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Making of 'Dog Day Afternoon' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Godfather Part III(1990)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Freshman(1990)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Dog Day Afternoon(1975)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Godfather Part II(1974)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Conversation(1974)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Godfather(1972)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
N.Y.P.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The American Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Career shape
Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 13 titles from 1962 to 2006; peak year 1974.
Film career
Peak 1974 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1972Screen debut· The Godfather
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do John Cazale's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 96th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 97th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 9 titles divides audiences: 7 are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved7
- Crowd Pleaser2
Reviewers score the acting 94/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 96, detractors 70. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John Cazale's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does John Cazale work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Cazale's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Francis Ford Coppola shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Francis Ford CoppolaShared titles: The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Francis Ford Coppola
Actors
- Richard BrightShared titles: The Godfather Family: A Look Inside (1990), The Godfather Part II (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Bright
- Robert De NiroShared titles: The Deer Hunter (1978), The Godfather Part II (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Robert De Niro
- Al PacinoShared titles: Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Godfather Part II (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Al Pacino
Editors
- Peter ZinnerShared titles: The Deer Hunter (1978), The Godfather Part II (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Zinner