Question: The American playwright nominated for a role in "The Godfather Part II" appeared in what 1980 German/American action film?

Context articles: Barry Malkin
Salvatore Tessio
Cuba Crossing
The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Saga
Joe Spinell
Michael V. Gazzo
Carmine Coppola
The Godfather's Revenge
John Cazale

Barry M. Malkin (born October 26, 1938) is an American film editor with about 30 film credits.
 He is noted for his extended collaboration with director Francis Ford Coppola, having edited most of Coppola's films from 1969-1997.
 In particular, Malkin worked with Coppola on four of the component and compilation films of the "Godfather Trilogy", although he was not involved in the original 1972 film.
 Roger Ebert has written of "The Godfather Part II", which Malkin edited, "... why is it a "great movie"?
 Because it must be seen as a piece with the unqualified greatness of "The Godfather."
 The two can hardly be considered apart ("Part III" is another matter).
 When the characters in a film take on a virtual reality for us, when a character in another film made 30 years later can say "The Godfather" contains all the lessons in life you need to know, when an audience understands why that statement could be made, a film has become a cultural bedrock."
Salvatore "Sal" Tessio is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel "The Godfather", as well as two of the films based on it: "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" (1974).
 His given name was created for the films; in the novel he is referred to only as "Tessio".
 In the film "The Godfather", Tessio was portrayed by Abe Vigoda.
 In "The Godfather Part II", John Aprea portrayed the younger Tessio, while Vigoda reprised the role in a flashback, set in late 1941, at the end of the film.
Cuba Crossing, also known as Assignment: Kill Castro, Kill Castro and Sweet Dirty Tony, is a 1980 German/American international co-production action film directed by Chuck Workman and distributed by Troma Entertainment.
 The film was produced by Wolfgang Bellenbaum and Jack White.
 The film stars Stuart Whitman, Robert Vaughn, Woody Strode, Albert Salmi, Sybil Danning, Michael Gazzo and White's then wife Marie-Louise Gassen.
The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American crime film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola.
 A sequel to "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974), it completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who attempts to legitimize his criminal empire.
 The film also includes fictionalized accounts of two real-life events: the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981–82, both linked to Michael Corleone's business affairs.
 The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Andy García, and features Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, and Sofia Coppola.
The Godfather Saga is a TV miniseries that combines "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" into one film.
 It originally aired on NBC over four consecutive nights (one three-hour segment and three two-hour segments) in November 1977.
 "The Godfather Saga" is also known as The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television, The Godfather: A Novel for Television, The Godfather Novella, and The Godfather Epic (on HBO).
 The television version was the basis for a shorter, 1981 video release known as The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic.
 Following the release of "The Godfather Part III" in 1990, a third unified version was released to video in 1992 entitled The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980.
Joe Spinell (born Joseph J. Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an American character actor, who appeared in numerous films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and off Broadway.
 His notable roles included performances in "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974), "Rocky" (1976) and "Rocky II" (1979), "Taxi Driver" (1976), William Friedkin's "Sorcerer" (1977) and "Cruising" (1980), and the cult horror film "Maniac" (1980), which he also wrote.
Michael Vincenzo Gazzo (April 5, 1923 – February 14, 1995) was an American playwright who later in life became a film and television actor.
 He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "The Godfather Part II" (1974).
Carmine Coppola (June 11, 1910 – April 26, 1991) was an American composer, flautist, editor, musical director, and songwriter who contributed original music to "The Godfather", "The Godfather Part II", "Apocalypse Now", and "The Godfather Part III", all directed by his son Francis Ford Coppola.
The Godfather's Revenge, a 2006 novel written by author Mark Winegardner, is the sequel to "The Godfather", "The Sicilian", and "The Godfather Returns".
 The story takes place from 1963–1964, and picks up the story from where "The Godfather Returns" left off.
 The novel deals with Michael Corleone's guilt over the events of "The Godfather Part II", particularly his ordering the death of his brother, Fredo.
 Subplots include Nick Geraci's plans for revenge against the Corleones, Tom Hagen's being implicated in a murder, and organized crime's battle with a presidential family (the Sheas, who are analogous to the Kennedy family).
John Holland Cazale ( ; ] ; August 12, 1935 – March 13, 1978) was an American actor.
 He appeared in five films over a period of six years, all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: "The Godfather", "The Conversation", "The Godfather Part II", "Dog Day Afternoon", and "The Deer Hunter."
 He appeared in archival footage in "The Godfather Part III", also nominated for Best Picture, making him the only actor to have this multi-film distinction.
 From his start as a theater actor, he became one of Hollywood's premier character actors, starting with his role as the doomed, weak-minded Fredo Corleone opposite longtime friend Al Pacino in Francis Ford Coppola's film "The Godfather" and its 1974 sequel.
 Cazale chose to continue acting despite being diagnosed with lung cancer.
 He died in New York City on March 13, 1978, shortly after completing his role in "The Deer Hunter".