John Keizer was an Italian-American actor with a stage background and starred in five films in the seven years leading up to his death, namely The Godfather, The Godfather 2, Hot Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter and Dialogue. All of these films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, with "The Godfather," "The Godfather 2" and "The Deer Hunter" also winning awards. Regrettably, before Keizer's career shone brighter, the disease found him.
"My boyfriend was very sick and sometimes, as he is now, would stay in the hospital. He was very sweet and I tried not to screw my two hands together in front of him, but I was always worried and had to pretend to be happy in front of him, which made me feel physically and mentally exhausted like never before. ”
That's what Meryl Streep said in March 1978, when John Kaiser was last admitted to the hospital.
Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actresses of our time, and her acting achievements are there for all to see. She is who she is today, inextricably linked to the influence of John Kaizer on her.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the pre-1976 Meryl Streep</h1>
Although he had received some vocal training as a teenager and had participated in school acting, Streep was not sure whether to make acting a lifelong career. She likes to sing, but she feels that she has not mastered the art of singing. She also did not want to act in movies, first, because she felt that actresses in movies could only make vases, and second, because she felt that she was not beautiful enough, "I think I am too ugly to be an actor."
In 1967, Streep entered Vaasa College to study theatre and costume design, and two years later, at the school, she performed in the stage play Miss Julie. People noticed that the sleeping talent for acting in her body was suddenly awakened, and no one had ever taught her how to perform, but she realized it herself.
After graduating from college, she had applied to law school, but the alarm did not ring on the day of the admission interview and she overslept.
In 1976, at the age of 27, Streep, who had just received a master's degree in fine arts from Yale University, came to New York and performed six plays a year on Broadway. Like all young people, she has to run for her livelihood.
Meryl Streep, 1970
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > John Keizer before 1976</h1>
John Keizer, 14 years older than Streep, also worried about bread at her age. He studied acting at Boston University, and after graduation, he had a hard job to find, and worked as a taxi driver for a while to earn a living.
In 1959, at the age of 23, Keizer performed "Our Little Town" at the Charles Theater in Boston, playing the role of George Gibbs. Critic Jean-Pierre Franken hughes described his performance as a "revolution that will not soon be forgotten" and "Keizer's performance is stunning, funny, touching and gripping." Definitely a comedian of the first class. ”
Later, Kaiser moved to New York, earning money as a photographer while looking for a job in acting. In 1965, while working for Standard Oil, he met Al Pacino, who was also working there.
"When I first met him, I immediately thought he was funny, and he was very kind to people," Al Pacino later recalled Keizer. Shared experiences and hobbies brought them together, and the two soon became close friends.
In 1972, when Pacino got michael Corleone's role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, he immediately realized that Keizer was the best person to play Michael's brother Fredo, just as Michael knew in the film that the person who betrayed him was Fredo.
Stills from The Godfather
Keizer was invited to audition and managed to get the role. However, it was not Kaiser's role as Fredo in "The Godfather" that impressed and amazed the audience, but the nervous, melancholy-eyed robber Celeste played in the crime comedy "Hot Afternoon".
Sidney Lumet, the director of "Hot Afternoon," took only 10 seconds for Kaiser to read a line and give him the role. When the film was released in 1975, Lumet said: "I really enjoy john Keizer's performance, and there is a deep sadness in him, I don't know where his sadness comes from, but my God, the sadness is there – in every shot of him." ”
Since then, Keizer has become a recognized actor, both professional and dedicated, meticulous in his work.
Stills from "Hot Afternoon"
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > fateful encounter</h1>
At the 1976 Shakespeare Festival in New York, Keizer and Streep played each other in Shakespeare's famous play "One Newspaper after aNother", with Streep playing Isabella and Kayser playing judge. The two talked about each other in the play, but fell in love at first sight outside the play.
Keizer described to Pacino how he felt about Streep: "I met the greatest actress in the world". He turned out to be right, the actress, though unknown at the time, is known to everyone today.
"He's different from anyone I've ever met. His kindness, curiosity and compassion for people make him special," Streep said when asked about his first love.
In this way, their lives changed forever. Pacino said: "They are so happy, I feel like they can do everything together. ”
Another friend said, "They're a strange looking couple, and it's fun to watch them together." ”
They are indeed not idols, but absolute acting schools. Falling in love, the two quickly warmed up and moved into Keizer's attic on Franklin Street in Manhattan. They agreed to marry as soon as Kaysel got the next important role.
They date happily, talking about work, vacations, and future plans together, unaware that at this time, a black hand is coming towards Kaiser.
Keizer knew he had some problems with his body, but he dragged his feet until he went to see the doctor. In May 1977, When Kaiser missed a show due to ill health, he knew he couldn't put it off and finally decided to go to the doctor.
The diagnosis was lung cancer, which had metastasized bone. Hearing this, Keizer was silent, and so was Streep. But Streep wasn't one to give up and wait in despair, and after a while she looked up and said, "So, where are we going to eat?" "Then they went on talking like they were all right.
By this time, Keizer had already gotten an important role in Michael Simino's war drama The Deer Hunter. Life is cruel at times, and if it weren't for the illness, they would have been ready to get married, as originally planned.
In order to spend more time with her lover, Streep agreed to play a character she hated in the play, Linda.
During the filming of the film, Keizer's condition became more and more serious, and the producers tried to cancel his contract with him and replace him with a replacement. But Streep threatened that if they did, she would quit filming. The film's lead actor, Robert De Niro, also offered to pay for Kayser's insurance premiums. Finally, Cimino rearranged the schedule to shoot all of Keizer's scenes first.
Streep and Keizer in Deer Hunter
In order to pay for the huge medical expenses, after completing the filming mission of "Deer Hunter", Streep took over a role in the TV series "Massacre". Unfortunately, most of the scenes on the show were filmed on the ground in a concentration camp in Austria, and she had to leave Keizer for a while.
"I'm going crazy, John is sick and I want to be with him," she said later.
During the two months that Streep left, Keizer's old friend Al Pacino took him to radiation therapy. When she came back, she thought everything was changing for the better. On Christmas Eve 1977, Streep and Keizer shut the world away, staying at home without any work, Streep accompanied Keizer to therapy, and the two stayed together all the time.
Al Pacino said: "I have never seen a person take such wholehearted care of another person like John who is dying so wholeheartedly, and her love for John is touching. ”
In early March 1978, Keizer's condition deteriorated and he was hospitalized again. At 3 a.m. on the 12th, Streep was woken up by the doctor, who told her: "He's gone." ”
Streep pounced on Kaysel's bed, slapped his chest with his hand, and cried out for him to wake up. Surprisingly, he actually opened his eyes and said in a weak voice, "It's all right, Meryl, don't be upset." Then his eyes closed forever.
Streep's first call was to Keizer's brother Stephen, who sobbed and said, "I tried, I tried..."
Keizer was only 43 years old when he died.
Streep, 1979
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > life goes on</h1>
Stricip, who is less than 30 years old, lives alone in the city and doesn't want to stay in Kaysel's apartment to see people. At this point, one of her brother's friends, Don Gummer, was preparing to travel, and Gummer told Streep where he was going, saying that if she wanted to escape from reality, she could go with him. At this time, Gummer did not expect that six months later, he and Streep would be married.
"Meryl was crushed by John's death, and I did everything I could to help her, and soon, I realized I was in love with her," Gummer said.
Speaking at the wedding, Streep said: "I haven't recovered from John's death, but I have to keep living, and Don has taught me how to do it. ”
The marriage, which was not favored at the time, had lasted for more than 40 years, and Gummer had been the spiritual backbone of Streep, and both men had successful careers (Gumer was a sculptor) and they had four children.
Streep and Gummer in 1981
Keizer was a lifelong pain for Streep, and many years later, Streep said of the pain that Keizer's death caused him, "I didn't overcome it, I didn't want to overcome it." No matter what you do, the pain is always in your head and it affects everything that happens later. ”
She knew how Kaysel had influenced her life, her performances, and she still felt him to this day.
Streep said: "As time goes by, I am even more grateful to be alive. ”
"I have so many sick friends and I really appreciate everything I get."
"I've got a lot."
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > postscript</h1>
Streep is undoubtedly a very strong man. She was unfortunate and never lost in love; she was lucky that someone who loved her showed up in time to accompany her through the most difficult moments of her life. She is emotional and does not give up the last glimmer of hope; she is rational, grateful, and let go.
Al Pacino said years after Keizer's death, "I learned more acting from John than from anyone, and I just want to work with John for the rest of my life." ”
If Kaiser hadn't been sick, it would only be a matter of time before he won the Oscar. Many of his dreams in his short life did not come true, but he left an immortal legacy and continued to live in the hearts of those who loved him.
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