John Robert Hoffman

Trailer for the documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale. Between 1972 and 1978, John Cazale appeared in 'The Godfather,' 'The Godfather: Part II,' 'The Conversation,' 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'The Deer Hunter.' Collectively, the films hauled in 40 Oscar nominations, including 14 for Cazale's co-stars, and hundreds of millions in box office receipts. But while even casual film fans can name many of the stars of Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 Oscar -winning masterpiece 'The Godfather,' many draw a blank when it comes to the actor who played Fredo Corleone. Notes director and producer Richard Shepard, 'It's amazing how many young actors and filmmakers revere Cazale's work, because he's not generally known to most people. Part of the reason for doing this movie was to rectify that.' Along with clips from Cazale's movies and rarely seen photos and home video, 'I Knew It Was You' features candid interviews with a pantheon of Hollywood royalty, including Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss, Meryl Streep and Sidney Lumet, many of whom befriended and worked alongside the Massachusetts-born actor, and one of whom - Streep - fell in love with him. The film also includes insights from younger actors and filmmakers inspired by Cazale, among them Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Brett Ratner, one of the documentary's producers. In addition to exploring Cazale's stellar filmography, I Knew It Was You revisits his roots in theater. Cazale was discovered by Fred Roos, casting director of 'The Godfather,' in a 1971 off-Broadway revival of 'Line.' Francis Ford Coppola immediately saw in Cazale the potential for what would become his most memorable role, Fredo in 'The Godfather' films. (The title of the documentary is derived from Michael Corleone's famous line, 'I know