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I was thinking what iconic roles in movies made since his death do you think he could have played and exceeded at?

He could have done comedy. Just look at his classic response to Pacino in
Dog Day Afternoon
when asked which country he wanted to go, and Cazale responds, "Wyoming".
My take is he would have been like Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmett Walsh. Ebert once said that if one of those two guys were in the cast of any movie, you knew it was going to be watchable, if not outright good.
That's about how Cazale would have ended up. I can't imagine him not elevating any picture in which he took a role, regardless of how bad the project might otherwise have seemed.

I could see him being a character actor with very intense and deep characters. No comedies.
Probably not as big as Pacino or DeNiro but big for character actors.

i thought that too .. specially when i saw the deer hunter .. i knew that he died the same year .. and i asked myself the same question .. maybe oot de niro or pacino but maybe like joe pesci kinda guy

He'd have Harvey Keitel status and be cast in lots of Quentin Tarantino movies.
Kentoc'h mervel eget beza saotret

I think he would be the kind like Harvey Keitel and Robert Duvall - very talented character actor who makes any movie better but rarely the 5b4main character, except in roles like Willy Loman or Solness the Builder, which require exactly this type.

Valar morghulis

He'd be clawing at the roof of his coffin

He is still a much better actor than these ex supermodels with superficial looks and no talent calling themselves actors who rely on111c their looks in Hollywood and sadly some casting agents cast these wannabes over actors with real talent.

This is idiotic to begin with because all we have is a troll On our hands. Any intelligent person wouldn't sum up the body of work on an actor by the roles he embodies but by the performance and making them something more. An actor could play idiots his entire life in new and incredible ways but it doesn't make him an idiot. Obviously we are not beep 9 year olds and know that it's the quality not subject matter. So if Cazale played romantic leads or action hero's that would be different but your ignorant ass would insult his physical traits because bunts like you have nothing else to do.

Highly revered without question, but not famous or "iconic" on the level of some of his contemporaries. Not because he wasn't as talented (he was arguably even more gifted), but he probably would have continued to be a supporting actor with just a few leading roles sprinkled about his filmography. If he did break into more leading roles he probably would have been sharing roles with Dustin Hoffman.
You're gonna be bad for business I can tell.

He seemed like a private man. Doubt he would have wanted a more high profile career.

He might have got an AFI award

I think DeNiro may have actually been a better actor, but with Cazale having been so limited (alas) by time5b4, we'll never know. I don't think Pacino belongs in the pantheon that DeNiro, Walken, etc occupy, by the way, though I did like his work when he was youngercoincidentally, when he was working with Cazale.
I agree with the comparisons to Buscemi and Hoffman, both of them are superior actors who will never be matinee idol types, through no fault of their own.
As for the guy who has posted numerous times that he didn't see anything to lead him to believe the greatness of Cazale, well, it's your loss. Not everyone thinks that Monet was a great painter, or that Beethoven was a great composer. You're the guy who doesn't believe that Cazale was a great actor. I'm not disrespecting your opinion, though I don't agree with it, and no one else here is going to be convinced you're right. I would simply ask you to reexamine your assessment of the actor and try to appreciate what he did, but if you don't want to, that's fine too.
We'll never know what Cazale could have done had he lived longer, nor Randy Rhoads, nor Jimi Hendrix, nor John F. Kennedy, nor John Lennon, nor James Deanad infinitum. That doesn't take away from any of their greatness.

I think he would be a very respected actor like Keitel, although would not had been a big box office star. He probably would had got an Oscar by now.
Its that man again!!

I think he'd have status somewhat like Harvey Keitel. Probably never achieve huge popularity with mainstream audiences, just because he wasnt'a pretty boy, but nevertheless considered an actor's actor and very respected within the industry.

ha ha ha
the deer hunter is like fredo got away in godfather 2
and moved to a steel mill community

One of the most popular Jazz songs of the second half of the 20th century is called the One Note Samba.
Great. Now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the d5b4ay. Thanks a lot.
Working in the movie business since -92

Yeah, we should take your opinion on Cazale over Pacino, DeNiro and Streep? Why are people even arguing with Proteus? He obviously doesnt have a very perceptive eye for film and I would trust Pacino and DeNiro and Streep on the matter.

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You need to stop believing every post-obit you read.

i.e.; box office success does not equal acting ability. Tom Cruise is not even in the same game, ballpark,league as John Cazale although he made a million times more money. Bottom line is that any well-respected actor would laugh at your assertions. But if that's your opinion of his ability, so be it. You just need to acquire better taste and a keener eye for quality.

[sic: Cuba Gooding Jr.].

Sorry, but your blindness is beyond my abilit5b4y to miraculously give you sight and insight. If showing you the money is your criterion, I guess we must anoint Tom Cruise as the world's greatest actor.