By just about every measure, the 1972 film “The Godfather” was one of the high-water marks of cinema not just of its era, but of all time. BBC News calls it “America’s Greatest Film,” and the movie, about the machinations of a powerful mafia family and the toll the lifestyle took on its members, went on to be nominated for, and win, multiple awards, including three Academy Awards, according to IMDb: best picture, best actor (Marlon Brando), and best adapted screenplay.

James Caan’s performance in the film was certainly a show of bravura as well, and the Academy took notice, nominating him for best supporting actor for his portrayal of violent mafioso Sonny Corleone. Unfortunately, that year Caan was up against two other “Godfather” actors — Robert Duvall and Al Pacino — as well as Eddie Albert (“The Heartbreak Kid”) and Joel Grey (“Cabaret”), according to the Academy’s website. Though there was a three in five chance that the award would go to a “Godfather” actor, it actually went to Grey that year. It would be the one and only time in his career that Caan was nominated for his industry’s highest honor.

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