Tonight at the Oscars, viewers and attendees alike will keep track of the wins, the losses, the wardrobe and the off-the-cuff remarks. But there's one segment sure to subdue snarkiness on site and at home: The annual In Memoriam montage. As you watch this year's "honorees," take a moment of silence to remember a worthy performer who died way too young. No, not Heath Ledger -- John Cazale.

A character actor with feral looks and a mind-boggling list of credits, Cazale died of bone cancer 30 years ago this March. He was only 42 years old, but during his brief lifetime, he appeared in some of the most important films of the '70s. A real-life buddy of Al Pacino, Cazale's portrayal of the sweet but dimwitted accomplice in Dog Day Afternoon, netted him a Golden Globe nod. His last big-screen appearance was opposite his real-life fiancée, Meryl Streep, in The Deer Hunter.

In between, he starred as Pacino's tormented brother, Fredo, in the first two Godfather movies. Although the Academy recognized the flashier performances of his costars, Cazale imbued the fatally imperfect Fredo with heartbreaking humanity. The scene in which Pacino's Michael kisses Fredo to seal his fate has probably been studied and spoofed more than any other moment in cinema history. While Cazale never earned an Oscar nomination, had he lived, he undoubtedly would have snagged a little gold man for himself, like all of his friends. The only upside to his untimely demise is that he never got a chance to make anything subpar... unlike Streep in Death Becomes Her or Pacino, in most everything post-2003.

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II begin today, Sunday, February 24 @ 1:30 PM | 12:30 C on AMC.