Corleone
—  Comune  —
Città di Corleone
Corleone Location of Corleone in Italy
Coordinates: 37°49′N 13°18′E / 37.817°N 13.3°E / 37.817; 13.3
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Palermo (PA)
Frazioni	Ficuzza
Government
• Mayor	Nino Iannazzo
Area
• Total	229 km2 (88 sq mi)
Elevation	600 m (2,000 ft)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	11,373
• Density	50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Demonym	Corleonesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	90034
Dialing code	091
Patron saint	St. Leoluca
Website	Official website

Corleone (Sicilian: Cunigghiuni) is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.

It is known primarily as the birthplace of several Mafia bosses, some fictional, such as The Godfather's Vito (Andolini) Corleone, and some real, such as Jack Dragna, Giuseppe Morello, Michele Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Leoluca Bagarella, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano.

The local mafia clan, the Corleonesi, led the Mafia in the 1980s and 1990s, and were the most violent and ruthless Mafia clan ever to take control of the organization.

History[link]

During the Emirate of Sicily, the city was known as Qurlayun. The Normans later achieved prominence after their conquest of Sicily.

A lookout tower built between the 11th and 12th century, known as Saracena, still stands. The view from the tower includes the Cascata delle Due Rocche, a sheer drop following the path of the Corleone river.

At one time the town was surrounded by defensive walls that connected the Castello Soprano and Castello Sottano. The latter is better preserved than the Soprano, but it cannot be visited since it serves as a Franciscan retreat.

Corleone was known as “Courageous Civitas” because of its position on the front line in all wars fought in Sicily. Halfway between Palermo and Agrigento, the town controlled one of the main arteries and was therefore one of the most strategic locations on the island.

Corleone was largely repopulated by Ghibellines from Alessandria (modern Piedmont), Brescia and elsewhere - "Lombards" led by one Oddone de Camerana - when it became obvious that emperor Frederick II of Sicily could not prevail over the Guelph-leaning Lombard communes in the middle of the 13th century.

Corleone became a royal property around the end of the 14th century, and later passed into the feudal holdings of Federico Ventimiglia.

Remarkable demographic growth was reported in the 15th and 16th centuries, following the arrival of several religious orders.

In 1943, the Duke of Aosta created the title of Count of Corleone, awarded to Arturo Faini for his merits in the Italian occupation of Ethiopia.

Main sights[link]

The Chiesa Madre (“Mother Church”), dedicated to the 4th Century French Bishop St. Martin of Tours, was started in the late 14th century. Its appearance today has been influenced by numerous changes and renovations. Its interior has a nave and aisles divided into various chapels containing precious artwork, including a wooden statue representing San Filippo d’Agira from the 17th century, a statue representing San Biagio (Saint Blaise) (16th century), and a fine marble panel depicting the Baptism of Christ from this same period.

The Chiesa dell'Addolorata is a church of the 18th century, dedicated to the Basilian abbot and patron saint San Leoluca, the Chiesa di Santa Rosalia, and the small Sant'Andrea (the latter two from the 17th century), all with important frescoes and paintings, are notable landmarks. The Santuario della Madonna del Rosario di Tagliavia, a religious building from the 19th century, is now a destination for pilgrims on Ascension Day.

Corleone today[link]

Beginning in the 1960s, the town became infamous for its Mafia, being the town in which some well-known clans had their headquarters (the Clan dei Corleonesi).

The most notable recent event in Corleone was the arrest in 2006 of Bernardo Provenzano, "Boss of Bosses", who had been in hiding for more than 40 years. This gave rise to much celebration. "Liberation Day" on April 11 (the date of Provenzano's capture) and naming a street "11 Aprile" shows just how much the arrest has affected Corleone. Gaetano Riina, Corleone's recent mob boss, was arrested on July 1, 2011.^[1]

In literature and film[link]

The name of the town was used as the adopted surname of the title character in Mario Puzo's book and Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather. In the novel, Vito Andolini emigrates from the village of Corleone. In the theatrical release of The Godfather, Part II, young Vito is assigned the Corleone surname while passing through immigration at Ellis Island. Shy and unable to speak English, Vito is unable to respond when asked for his proper name and is given the last name Corleone by an immigration official. Throughout the film series, various members of the Corleone family visit the town. Michael Corleone is played by Al Pacino, whose real-life maternal grandparents were Corleonese.

The US TV drama series The Sopranos is named after the 'Castello Soprano', which is situated near Corleone.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Corleone

References[link]

See also[link]

• People from Corleone
• Mafia members from Corleone

v t e The Godfather series Novels The Godfather · The Sicilian · The Godfather Returns · The Godfather's Revenge · The Family Corleone Films The Godfather · The Godfather Part II · The Godfather Part III Video games The Godfather · The Godfather: The Game · The Godfather II Corleone family Vito Corleone · Michael Corleone · Tom Hagen · Sonny Corleone · Fredo Corleone · Carmela Corleone · Connie Corleone-Rizzi · Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone · Kay Adams-Corleone · Anthony Corleone · Mary Corleone · Vincent Mancini-Corleone · Sandra Corleone Corleone allies Genco Abbandando · Luca Brasi · Willi Cicci · Peter Clemenza · Dominic Corleone · Sam Drago · B. J. Harrison · Carmine Marino · Rocco Lampone · Monk Malone · Tony Molinari · Sal Narducci · Al Neri · Tommy Neri · Ritchie Nobilio · Eddie Paradise · Frank Pentangeli · Salvatore Tessio · Don Tommasino · Carlo Tramonti · Joe Zaluchi Corleone enemies Ozzie Altobello · Momo Barone · Emilio Barzini · Ottilio Cuneo · Don Fanucci · Vincent Forlenza · Paulie Fortunato · Nick Geraci · Archbishop Gilday · Moe Greene · Frederick Keinszig · Joe Lucadello · Licio Lucchesi · Captain McCluskey · Mosca · Johnny Ola · Carlo Rizzi · Antonio "Tony" Rosato · Carmine Rosato · Hyman Roth · Louie Russo · Virgil Sollozzo · Anthony Stracci · Bruno Tattaglia · Philip Tattaglia · Rico Tattaglia · Joey Zasa Other characters Amerigo Bonasera · Johnny Fontane · Senator Pat Geary · Cardinal Lamberto · Lucy Mancini · Danny Shea · Mickey Shea · Billy Van Arsdale · Jack Woltz · Aldo Trapani Music The Godfather (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part II (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part III (soundtrack) · Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather) · Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from The Godfather Part III) · The Godfather: The Game Soundtrack Related Francis Ford Coppola · Mario Puzo · Albert S. Ruddy · Nino Rota · Dean Tavoularis · Gordon Willis · Mark Winegardner · Ed Falco · Crime film · Organized crime · Mafia · Five Families · Five Families (The Godfather) · Corleone · The Sicilian · The Freshman · The Godfather Saga Book · Category

Godfather Don is a New York City hip hop record producer. He was in Cenobites with Kool Keith and The Groove Merchantz with Victor Padilla, The Beatnuts production team. He has been "a creative force within New York City's underground hip-hop scene" since he appeared with debut in 1991.^[1]

Biography[link]

Godfather Don first appeared in 1991 with Hazardous, released on the Select Records. The album established the Godfather as an MC influenced by the blatant, hard-hitting style of Chuck D. A few years later, the Don appeared on and produced the Ultramagnetic MC's' The Four Horsemen, which led to a collaboration with that group's standout, Kool Keith. The Cenobites EP was issued on Fondle 'Em Records, which was started by New York b-boy, DJ, and man about town Bobbito Garcia. The material on the EP had originally been recorded as gags or promos for Garcia's underground hip-hop radio show on New York's WKCR. The Cenobites EP was then reissued by Fondle 'Em as a full-length LP. Throughout the 1990s, Godfather Don continued to work as a producer, working on tracks from Kool Keith, Hostyle, and Ayatollah, among others. In 1999, he released his second album, Diabolique, on which his flow was very similar to the bludgeoning raps of his 1991 debut. The album included cameo appearances from Kool Keith and Sir Menelik, and appeared on the Hydra Entertainment imprint, for which Godfather Don continued to record, releasing several 12" singles and Instrumental hip hop albums.

In the 2000s, Don was known for his work with Screwball, a Queensbridge hip hop group, producing much of their 3 albums.

In 2007, Don resurfaced with 'The Slave Of New York E.P.': an EP of previously-unreleased archive material in association with hip-hop website Diggers With Gratitude who tracked him down and worked on putting this project out. 150 copies of this six track vinyl E.P. were released, with the first 45 copies having signed sleeves. The material used was recorded before and during his time with Hydra, with the title track coming directly from a cassette that Don had given to Bobbito to play on WKCR. Due to the resurge in interest, Don was then asked to release a CD compilation of material by another label, titled The Nineties Sessions, out now.

On May 21, 2011 Don dropped another EP of previously unreleased material titled "The Reformation Circa. 1999" a collabortive effort between Mic-el The Don, (who featured on tracks from the "Diabolique" album)and Godfather Don. The EP was recorded sometime in the late 1990s, it is one of Godfather Don's last full bodies of work in the hip-hop genre before he moved on to a career in Jazz music.

Discography[link]

• 1991: Hazardous
• 1994: Cenobites (EP & LP)
• 1998: Diabolique
• 2007: The Slave Of New York E.P. (Limited Edition)
• 2007: The Nineties Sessions
• 2009: The Ill Funk Freaker EP (Limited Edition)
• 2010: Donnie Brasco (Previously Unreleased Third Official Studio Album)
• 2010: Properties of Steel (Single Collection)
• 2011: The Reformation Circa. 1999 E.P.

References[link]

External links[link]

• On The Go magazine Interview (1997)
• Allmusic

Marlon Brando
Publicity photo for The Wild One (1953)
Born	Marlon Brando, Jr. (1924-04-03)April 3, 1924 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	July 1, 2004(2004-07-01) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Respiratory failure
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Education	The New School
Alma mater	Actors Studio
Years active	1944–2004
Influenced by	Stella Adler, Constantin Stanislavski, Elia Kazan, Erwin Piscator
Home town	Libertyville, Illinois
Height	5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m)
Spouse	Anna Kashfi (1957–59) Movita Castaneda (1960–62) Tarita Teriipia (1962–72)
Children	15, including: Christian Brando (deceased) Cheyenne Brando (deceased) Stephen Blackehart
Parents	Marlon Brando, Sr. Dodie Brando
Website
www.marlonbrando.com

Marlon Brando, Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture,^[1] Brando was one of only three professional actors, along with Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe, named by Time magazine as one of its 100 Persons of the Century in 1999.^[2]

Brando had a significant impact on film acting, and was the foremost example of the "method" acting style. While he became notorious for his "mumbling" diction and exuding a raw animal magnetism,^[3] his mercurial performances were nonetheless highly regarded, and he is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century.^[4][5] Director Martin Scorsese said of him, "He is the marker. There's 'before Brando' and 'after Brando'."^[6] Actor Jack Nicholson once said, "When Marlon dies, everybody moves up one."^[7] He was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth greatest screen legend among male movie stars.

An enduring cultural icon, Brando became a box office star during the 1950s, during which time he racked up five Oscar nominations as Best Actor, along with three consecutive wins of the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He initially gained popularity for recreating the role as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a Tennessee Williams play that had established him as a Broadway star during its 1947-49 stage run; and for his Academy Award-winning performance as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront (1954), as well as for his iconic portrayal of the rebel motorcycle gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild One (1953), which is considered to be one of the most famous images in pop culture. Brando was also nominated for the Oscar for playing Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata! (1952); Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; and as Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver in Sayonara (1957), Joshua Logan's adaption of James Michener's 1954 novel. Brando made the Top Ten Money Making Stars, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual survey of movie exhibitors, three times in the decade, coming in at number 10 in 1954, number 6 in 1955, and number 4 in 1958.

Brando directed and starred in the cult western film One-Eyed Jacks that was released in 1961, after which he delivered a series of box office failures beginning with the non-success of the 1962 film adaptation of Mutiny on the Bounty. The 1960s proved to be a fallow decade for Brando, and after 10 years in which he did not appear in a commercially successful movie, he won his second Academy Award for playing Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), a role critics consider among his greatest. The movie, which became the most commercially successful film of all time when it was released — along with his Oscar-nominated performance as Paul in Last Tango in Paris (1972), another smash hit — revitalized Brando's career and reestablished him in the ranks of top box office stars, placing him at number 6 and number 10 in Top 10 Money Making Stars poll in 1972 and 1973, respectively.

Brando failed to capitalize on the momentum of his revitalized career, taking a long hiatus before appearing in The Missouri Breaks (1976), a box office bomb. Afterwards, he was content to be a highly-paid character actor in parts that were glorified cameos in Superman (1978) and The Formula (1980) before taking a nine-year break from motion pictures. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Brando was paid a record $3.7 million ($14,190,445 in today's funds^[8]) plus 11.75% of the gross profits for 13 days work playing Jor-El in Superman, further adding to his mystique. He finished out the decade of the 1970s with his highly-controversial performance as Colonel Walter Kurtz in another Coppola film, Apocalypse Now (1979), a box office hit for which he was highly paid and that helped finance his career layoff during the 1980s.

Brando was also an activist, supporting many issues, notably the African-American Civil Rights Movement and various American Indian Movements.

Early life[link]

Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Marlon Brando, Sr., a pesticide and chemical feed manufacturer, and his wife, Dorothy Julia (née Pennebaker).^[4] His parents moved to Evanston, Illinois, but separated when he was eleven years old. His mother took her three children: Jocelyn (1919–2005), Frances (1922–1994) and Marlon, to live with her mother in Santa Ana, California.^[4] In 1937, Brando's parents reconciled and moved together to Libertyville, Illinois, north of Chicago.^[4]

Brando's ancestry included German, Dutch, English, and Irish.^[9][10][11] His patrilineal ancestor, Johann Wilhelm Brandau, was a German immigrant to New York in the early 1700s.^[12] Brando was raised a Christian Scientist.^[13] His paternal grandmother, Marie Holloway, abandoned her family when Marlon Brando, Sr., was five years old. She used the money her husband Eugene sent her to support her gambling and alcoholism.^[9]

Marlon Brando, Sr., was a talented amateur photographer. His wife, known as Dodie, was unconventional but talented, having been an actress.^[14][15] She smoked, wore trousers, and drove cars, unusual for women at the time. However, she was an alcoholic and often had to be brought home from Chicago bars by her husband; she finally joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Dodie Brando acted and was a theater administrator. She helped Henry Fonda to begin his acting career, and fueled her son Marlon's interest in stage acting. However, Brando was closer to his maternal grandmother, Bessie Gahan Pennebaker Meyers, than to his mother. Widowed while young, Meyers worked as a secretary and later as a Christian Science practitioner. Her father, Myles Gahan, was a doctor from Ireland; her mother, Julia Watts, was from England.^[16]

Brando was a mimic from early childhood and developed an ability to absorb the mannerisms of people he played and display them dramatically while staying in character. His sister Jocelyn Brando was the first to pursue an acting career, going to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Art. She appeared on Broadway, then movies and television. Brando's sister Frances left college in California to study art in New York. Brando soon followed her.

Brando had been held back a year in school and was later expelled from Libertyville High School for riding his motorcycle through the corridors.^[17] He was sent to Shattuck Military Academy, where his father had studied before him. Brando excelled at theatre and did well in the school. In his final year (1943), he was put on probation for being insubordinate to a visiting army colonel during maneuvers. He was confined to his room, but sneaked into town, and was caught. The faculty voted to expel him, though he was supported by the students, who thought expulsion was too harsh. He was invited back for the following year, but decided instead to drop out of high school.^[18]

Brando worked as a ditch-digger as a summer job arranged by his father. Brando then attempted to join the army, but at his induction physical it was discovered that a football injury that he had sustained at Shattuck had left him with a trick knee. Brando was therefore classified as a 4-F, and not inducted into the army.^[9] He then decided to follow his sisters to New York. His father supported him for six months, then offered to help him find a job as a salesman. However, Brando left to study at the American Theatre Wing Professional School, part of the Dramatic Workshop of The New School with the influential German director Erwin Piscator and at the Actors Studio. He also studied with Stella Adler and learned the techniques of the Stanislavski System. There is a story in which Adler spoke about teaching Brando, saying that she had instructed the class to act like chickens, then adding that a nuclear bomb was about to fall on them. Most of the class clucked and ran around wildly, but Brando sat calmly and pretended to lay an egg. Asked by Adler why he had chosen to react this way, he said, "I'm a chicken - What do I know from a bomb?"^[19]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

A 24-year-old Brando as Stanley Kowalski on the set of the stage version of A Streetcar Named Desire, photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1948

Brando used his Stanislavski System skills for his first summer-stock roles in Sayville, New York, on Long Island. His behavior got him kicked out of the cast of the New School's production in Sayville, but he was discovered in a locally produced play there and then made it to Broadway in the bittersweet drama I Remember Mama in 1944. Critics voted him "Broadway's Most Promising Actor" for his role as an anguished veteran in Truckline Café, although the play was a commercial failure. In 1946 he appeared on Broadway as the young hero in the political drama A Flag is Born, refusing to accept wages above the Actor's Equity rate because of his commitment to the cause of Israeli independence.^[20][21] In that same year, Brando played the role of Marchbanks with Katharine Cornell in her production's revival of Candida, one of her signature roles.^[22] Cornell also cast him as The Messenger in a her production of Jean Anouilh's Antigone that same year. Brando achieved stardom, however, as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams's 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Elia Kazan. Brando sought out that role,^[23] driving out to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where Williams was spending the summer, to audition for the part. Williams recalled that he opened the screen door and knew, instantly, that he had his Stanley Kowalski. Brando's performance revolutionized acting technique and set the model for the American form of method acting.

In 1947, Brando was asked to do a screen test for Warner Brothers. The screen test used an early script for Rebel Without A Cause that bears no relation to the film eventually produced in 1955.^[24] The screen test appears as an extra in the 2006 DVD release of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Brando's first screen role was as the bitter paraplegic veteran in The Men in 1950. True to his method, Brando spent a month in bed at the Birmingham Army Hospital in Van Nuys to prepare for the role. By Brando's own account, it may have been because of this film that his draft status was changed from 4-F to 1-A. He had had an operation on the knee he had injured at Shattuck, and it was no longer physically debilitating enough to incur exclusion from the draft. When Brando reported to the induction center, he answered a questionnaire provided to him by saying his race was "human", his color was "Seasonal-oyster white to beige", and he told an Army doctor that he was psycho neurotic. When the draft board referred him to a psychiatrist, Brando explained how he had been expelled from Military School, and that he had severe problems with authority. Coincidentally enough, the psychiatrist knew a doctor friend of Brando, and Brando was able to avoid military service during the Korean War.^[9]

Rise to fame[link]

Brando as Emiliano Zapata in a trailer for the 1952 film Viva Zapata!

Brando brought his performance as Stanley Kowalski to the screen in Kazan's adaptation of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for that role, and again in each of the next three years for his roles in Viva Zapata! in 1952, Julius Caesar in 1953 as Mark Antony, and On the Waterfront in 1954. These first five films of his career established Brando, as evidenced in his winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in three consecutive years, 1951 to 1953.

In 1953, Brando also starred in The Wild One riding his own Triumph Thunderbird 6T motorcycle which caused consternation to Triumph's importers, as the subject matter was rowdy motorcycle gangs taking over a small town. But the images of Brando posing with his Triumph motorcycle became iconic, even forming the basis of his wax dummy at Madame Tussauds.

Later that same year, Brando starred in Lee Falk's production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man in Boston. Falk was proud to tell people that Marlon Brando turned down an offer of $10,000 per week on Broadway, in favor of working on Falk's play in Boston. His Boston contract was less than $500 per week. It would be the last time he ever acted in a stage play.

Marlon Brando with Eva Marie Saint in the trailer for On the Waterfront (1954)

Brando won the Oscar for his role as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront. For the famous I coulda' been a contender scene, Brando convinced Kazan that the scripted scene was unrealistic, and with Rod Steiger, improvised the final product.

Brando then took a variety of roles in the 1950s: portraying Napoleon in Désiréa, Sky Masterson in the musical Guys and Dolls; Sakini, a Japanese interpreter for the U.S. Army in postwar Japan in The Teahouse of the August Moon; as a United States Air Force officer in Sayonara, and a German officer in The Young Lions.

In the 1960s, Brando starred in films such as One-Eyed Jacks (1961), a western that would be the only film Brando would ever direct; Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), The Chase (1966), and Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), portraying a repressed gay army officer. It was the type of performance that later led critic Stanley Crouch to write, "Brando's main achievement was to portray the taciturn but stoic gloom of those pulverized by circumstances."^[25] He also played a guru in the sex farce Candy (1968). Burn! (1969), which Brando would later claim as his personal favorite, was a commercial failure. His career slowed down by the end of the decade as he gained a reputation for being difficult to work with.

[edit] The Godfather

Brando's performance as Vito Corleone or 'the Don' in 1972's The Godfather was a mid-career turning point. Director Francis Ford Coppola convinced Brando to submit to a "make-up" test, in which Brando did his own makeup (he used cotton balls to simulate the puffed-cheek look). Coppola was electrified by Brando's characterization as the head of a crime family, but had to fight the studio in order to cast the temperamental Brando. Mario Puzo always imagined Brando as Corleone.^[26] However, Paramount studio heads wanted to give the role to Danny Thomas in the hope that Thomas would have his own production company throw in its lot with Paramount. Thomas declined the role and actually urged the studio to cast Brando at the behest of Coppola and others who had witnessed the screen test.

Eventually, Charles Bluhdorn, the president of Paramount parent Gulf + Western, was won over to letting Brando have the role; when he saw the screen test, he asked in amazement, "What are we watching? Who is this old guinea?"

Brando won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but turned down the Oscar, becoming the second actor to refuse a Best Actor award (the first being George C. Scott for Patton). Brando boycotted the award ceremony, sending instead American Indian Rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who appeared in full Apache dress, to state Brando's reasons, which were based on his objection to the depiction of American Indians^[27] by Hollywood and television.

The actor followed with Bernardo Bertolucci's 1973 film Last Tango in Paris, but the performance was overshadowed by an uproar over the erotic nature of the film. Despite the controversy which attended both the film and the man, the Academy once again nominated Brando for the Best Actor.

Brando, along with James Caan, was later scheduled in 1974 to appear in the final scene of The Godfather Part II. However, rewrites were made to the script when Brando refused to show up to the studio on the single day of shooting, due to disputes with the studio.

Later career[link]

Brando portrayed Superman's father Jor-El in the 1978 film Superman. He agreed to the role only on assurance that he would be paid a large sum for what amounted to a small part, that he would not have to read the script beforehand and his lines would be displayed somewhere off-camera. It was revealed in a documentary contained in the 2001 DVD release of Superman, that he was paid $3.7 million for just two weeks of work.

Brando also filmed scenes for the movie's sequel, Superman II, but after producers refused to pay him the same percentage he received for the first movie, he denied them permission to use the footage. However, after Brando's death, the footage was reincorporated into the 2006 re-cut of the film, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.

Two years after Brando's death, he "reprised" the role of Jor-El in the 2006 "loose sequel" Superman Returns, in which both used and unused archive footage of Brando as Jor-El from the first two Superman films was remastered for a scene in the Fortress of Solitude, and Brando's voice-overs were used throughout the film.

Brando starred as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now. Brando plays a highly decorated American Army Special Forces officer who goes renegade. He runs his own operations based in Cambodia and is feared by the US military as much as the Vietnamese. Brando was paid $1 million a week for his work.

Despite announcing his retirement from acting in 1980, he subsequently gave interesting supporting performances in movies such as A Dry White Season (for which he was again nominated for an Oscar in 1989), The Freshman in 1990 and Don Juan DeMarco in 1995. In his last film, The Score (2001), he starred with fellow method actor Robert De Niro, who played Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II. Some later performances, such as The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), earned Brando some of the most uncomplimentary reviews of his career.

Brando conceived the idea of a novel called Fan-Tan with director Donald Cammell in 1979, which was not released until 2005.^[28]

In 2004, Brando signed with Tunisian film director Ridha Behion and began pre-production on a project to be titled Brando and Brando. Up to a week before his death, Brando was working on the script in anticipation of a July/August 2004 start date.^[29] Production was suspended in July 2004 following Brando's death, at which time Behi stated that he would continue the film as an homage to Brando,^[30] with a new title of Citizen Brando.^[31][32]

Personal life[link]

Relationships and family[link]

In Songs My Mother Taught Me, Brando claimed he met Marilyn Monroe at a party where she played piano, unnoticed by anybody else there, and they had an affair and maintained an intermittent relationship for many years, receiving a telephone call from her several days before she died. He also claimed numerous other romances, although he did not discuss his marriages, his wives, or his children in his autobiography.

Brando married actress Anna Kashfi in 1957. Kashfi was born in Calcutta and moved to Wales from India in 1947. She is said to have been the daughter of a Welsh steel worker of Irish descent, William O'Callaghan, who had been superintendent on the Indian State railways. However, in her book, Brando for Breakfast, she claimed that she really is half Indian and that the press incorrectly thought that her stepfather, O'Callaghan, was her real father. She said her real father was Indian and that she was the result of an "unregistered alliance" between her parents. Brando and Kashfi had a son, Christian Brando, on May 11, 1958; they divorced in 1959.

In 1960, Brando married Movita Castaneda, a Mexican-American actress seven years his senior; they were divorced in 1962. Castaneda had appeared in the first Mutiny on the Bounty film in 1935, some 27 years before the 1962 remake with Brando as Fletcher Christian. They had two children together, Miko Castaneda Brando (born 1961) and Rebecca Brando (born 1966).

Tahitian actress Tarita Teriipia, who played his love interest in Mutiny on the Bounty, became Brando's third wife on August 10, 1962. She was 20 years old, 18 years younger than Brando, who was reportedly delighted by her naiveté.^[33] Because Teriipia was a native French speaker, Brando became fluent in the language and gave numerous interviews in French.^[34][35] Teriipia became the mother of two of his children, Simon Teihotu Brando (born 1963) and Tarita Cheyenne Brando. Brando also adopted Teriipia's daughters Maimiti Brando (born 1977) and Raiatua Brando (born 1982). Brando and Teriipia divorced in July 1972.

Brando had a longterm relationship with his housekeeper Maria Christina Ruiz, by whom he had three children, Ninna Priscilla Brando (born May 13, 1989), Myles Jonathan Brando (born January 16, 1992), and Timothy Gahan Brando (born January 6, 1994). He had four more children by unidentified women, Stephen Blackehart (born 1967),^[36][37] Michael Gilman (born 1967), who was adopted by Brando's longtime friend Sam Gilman, Dylan Brando (born 1968), and Angelique Brando. Brando also adopted Petra Brando-Corval (born 1972), the daughter of his assistant Caroline Barrett and novelist James Clavell.^{[citation needed]}

Brando's grandson Tuki Brando (born 1990), son of Cheyenne Brando, is a successful fashion model. His numerous grandchildren also include Michael Brando (born 1988), son of Christian Brando, Prudence Brando and Shane Brando, children of Miko C. Brando, the three children of Teihotu Brando and the children of Michael Gilman, among others.^[38] Singer-actress Courtney Love has claimed to be Brando's granddaughter, making Frances Bean Cobain (1992) his great-granddaughter.^[39]

Death of Dag Drollet

In May 1990, Dag Drollet, the Tahitian lover of Brando's daughter Cheyenne, died of a gunshot wound after a confrontation with Cheyenne's half-brother Christian at the family's hilltop home above Beverly Hills. Christian, then 31 years old, claimed he was drunk and the shooting was accidental. After heavily publicized pre-trial proceedings, Christian pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and use of a gun. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. Before the sentence, Brando delivered an hour of testimony, in which he said he and his former wife had failed Christian. He commented softly to members of the Drollet family: "I'm sorry... If I could trade places with Dag, I would. I'm prepared for the consequences." Afterward, Drollet's father, Jacques, said he thought Brando was acting and his son was "getting away with murder." The tragedy was compounded in 1995, when Cheyenne, suffering from lingering effects of a serious car accident and said to still be depressed over Drollet's death, committed suicide by hanging herself in Tahiti. Christian Brando died of pneumonia at age 49, on January 26, 2008.

Lifestyle[link]

Marlon Brando earned a "bad boy" reputation for his public outbursts and antics. According to Los Angeles magazine, "Brando was rock and roll before anybody knew what rock and roll was".^[40] His behavior during the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) seemed to bolster his reputation as a difficult star. He was blamed for a change in director and a runaway budget, though he disclaimed responsibility for either. On June 12, 1973, Brando broke paparazzo Ron Galella's jaw. Galella had followed Brando, who was accompanied by talk show host Dick Cavett, after a taping of The Dick Cavett Show in New York City. He reportedly paid a $40,000 out-of-court settlement and suffered an infected hand as a result. Galella wore a football helmet the next time he photographed Brando at a gala benefiting the American Indians Development Association.

Brando made the following comment about his sex life in an interview with Gary Carey, for his 1976 biography The Only Contender, "Homosexuality is so much in fashion it no longer makes news. Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences and I am not ashamed. I have never paid much attention to what people think about me. But if there is someone who is convinced that Jack Nicholson and I are lovers, may they continue to do so. I find it amusing."^[41]

The filming of Mutiny on the Bounty affected Brando's life in a profound way, as he fell in love with Tahiti and its people. He bought a 12-island atoll, Tetiaroa, which he intended to make partly an environmental laboratory and partly a resort. Brando eventually had a now-closed hotel built on Tetiaroa, which went through many redesigns as a result of changes demanded by Brando over the years.^[42] His son Simon is the only inhabitant of Tetiaroa. Brando was an active ham radio operator, with the call signs KE6PZH and FO5GJ (the latter from his island). He was listed in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records as Martin Brandeaux to preserve his privacy.^[43]

Final years and death[link]

Brando's notoriety, his troubled family life, and his obesity attracted more attention than his late acting career. He gained a great deal of weight in the 1980s and by the mid 1990s he weighed over 300 lbs. (136 kg) and suffered from diabetes. Like Orson Welles or Elvis Presley, he had a history of weight fluctuations through his career, attributed to his years of stress-related overeating followed by compensatory dieting. He also earned a reputation for being difficult on the set, often unwilling or unable to memorize his lines and less interested in taking direction than in confronting the film director with odd demands. Brando also dabbled with some innovation in his last years. Brando had several patents issued in his name from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, all of which involve a method of tensioning drum heads, in June 2002 – November 2004. For example, see U.S. Patent 6,812,392 and its equivalents.

The actor was a longtime close friend of entertainer Michael Jackson and paid regular visits to his Neverland Ranch, resting there for weeks at a time. Brando also participated in the singer's two-day solo career thirtieth-anniversary celebration concerts in 2001, and starred in his 13-minute-long music video, "You Rock My World," in the same year. The actor's son, Miko, was Jackson's bodyguard and assistant for several years, and was a friend of the singer. He stated "The last time my father left his house to go anywhere, to spend any kind of time... was with Michael Jackson. He loved it... He had a 24-hour chef, 24-hour security, 24-hour help, 24-hour kitchen, 24-hour maid service."^[44] On Jackson's 30th anniversary concert, Brando gave a speech to the audience on humanitarian work which received a poor reaction from the audience and was unaired.

On July 1, 2004, Brando died, aged 80. He left behind eleven children as well as over thirty grandchildren. The cause of death was intentionally withheld, his lawyer citing privacy concerns. It was later revealed that he had died at UCLA Medical Center of respiratory failure brought on by pulmonary fibrosis. He also suffered from congestive heart failure,^[45] failing eyesight caused by diabetes, and liver cancer.^[46] Shortly before his death and despite needing an oxygen mask to breathe, he recorded his voice to appear in The Godfather: The Game, once again as Don Vito Corleone.

Karl Malden, Brando's fellow actor in A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, and One-Eyed Jacks (the only film directed by Brando), talks in a documentary accompanying the DVD of A Streetcar Named Desire about a phone call he received from Brando shortly before Brando's death. A distressed Brando told Malden he kept falling over. Malden wanted to come over, but Brando put him off telling him there was no point. Three weeks later, Brando was dead. Shortly before his death, Brando had apparently refused permission for tubes carrying oxygen to be inserted into his lungs, which, he was told, was the only way to prolong his life.

Brando was cremated, and his ashes were put in with those of his childhood friend Wally Cox and another longtime friend Sam Gilman.^[47] They were then scattered partly in Tahiti and partly in Death Valley.^[48]

In 2007, a 165-minute biopic of Brando, Brando: The Documentary, produced by Mike Medavoy (the executor of Brando's will) for Turner Classic Movies, was released.^[49]

Politics[link]

Civil rights[link]

Brando with James Baldwin at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.

In 1946, Brando showed his dedication to the idea of a Jewish homeland by performing in Ben Hecht's Zionist play A Flag is Born. Brando's involvement had an impact on three of the most contentious issues of the early postwar period: the fight to establish a Jewish state, the smuggling of Holocaust survivors to Israel, and the battle against racial segregation in the United States.

Brando attended some fundraisers for John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election.

In August 1963, Brando participated in the March on Washington along with fellow celebrities Harry Belafonte, James Garner, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, and Sidney Poitier.^[50] Brando also, along with Paul Newman, participated in the freedom rides.

In the aftermath of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Brando made one of the strongest commitments to furthering King's work. Shortly after King's death, Brando announced that he was bowing out of the lead role of a major film (The Arrangement) which was about to begin production, in order to devote himself to the civil rights movement. "I felt I’d better go find out where it is; what it is to be black in this country; what this rage is all about," Brando said on the late night ABC-TV talk show Joey Bishop Show.

Brando's participation in the African-American civil rights movement actually began well before King's death. In the early 1960s Brando contributed thousands of dollars to both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (S.C.L.C.) and to a scholarship fund established for the children of slain Mississippi N.A.A.C.P. leader Medgar Evers. By this time, Brando was already involved in films that carried messages about human rights: Sayonara, which addressed interracial romance, and The Ugly American, depicting the conduct of US officials abroad and its deleterious effect on the citizens of foreign countries. For a time Brando was also donating money to the Black Panther Party and considered himself a friend of founder Bobby Seale.^[51] However, Brando ended his financial support for the group over his perception of its increasing radicalization, specifically a passage in a Panther pamphlet put out by Eldridge Cleaver advocating indiscriminate violence, "for the Revolution."

At the 1973 Academy Awards ceremony, Brando refused to accept the Oscar for his performance in The Godfather. Sacheen Littlefeather represented Brando at the ceremony. She appeared in full Apache clothing. She stated that owing to the "poor treatment of Native Americans in the film industry", Brando would not accept the award.^[52] At this time the 1973 standoff at Wounded Knee occurred, causing rising tensions between the government and Native American activists. The event grabbed the attention of the US and the world media. This was considered a major event and victory for the movement by its supporters and participants.

Outside of his film work, Brando not only appeared before the California Assembly in support of a fair housing law, but personally joined picket lines in demonstrations protesting discrimination in housing developments.

Comments on Jews, Hollywood, and Israel[link]

In an interview in Playboy magazine in January 1979, Brando said: "You've seen every single race besmirched, but you never saw an image of the kike because the Jews were ever so watchful for that—and rightly so. They never allowed it to be shown on screen. The Jews have done so much for the world that, I suppose, you get extra disappointed because they didn't pay attention to that."^[53]

Brando made a similar comment on Larry King Live in April 1996, saying "Hollywood is run by Jews; it is owned by Jews, and they should have a greater sensitivity about the issue of—of people who are suffering. Because they've exploited—we have seen the—we have seen the Nigger and Greaseball, we've seen the Chink, we've seen the slit-eyed dangerous Jap, we have seen the wily Filipino, we've seen everything but we never saw the Kike. Because they knew perfectly well, that that is where you draw the wagons around." Larry King, who is Jewish, replied, "When you say—when you say something like that you are playing right in, though, to anti-Semitic people who say the Jews are—" at which point Brando interrupted. "No, no, because I will be the first one who will appraise the Jews honestly and say 'Thank God for the Jews.'"^[54]

Jay Kanter, Brando's agent, producer and friend defended him in Daily Variety: "Marlon has spoken to me for hours about his fondness for the Jewish people, and he is a well-known supporter of Israel."^[55] Similarly, Louie Kemp, in his article for Jewish Journal, wrote: "You might remember him as Don Vito Corleone, Stanley Kowalski or the eerie Col. Walter E. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now," but I remember Marlon Brando as a mensch and a personal friend of the Jewish people when they needed it most."^[20] Brando was also a major donor to the Irgun, a Zionist political-paramilitary group. In his later years he became critical of Israel and a supporter of the Palestinian cause.^[56][20]

In an interview with NBC Today one day after Brando's death, King also defended Brando's comments, saying that they were out of proportion and taken out of context.

Legacy[link]

Honors and tributes[link]

Brando is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century.^[57] Largely credited for popularizing the "method" acting style, he has earned great respect among critics and theatre experts for his memorable performances and charismatic screen presence.^[58] In the book Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia, James Delmont wrote: "Marlon Brando was arguably the finest screen actor of the twentieth century, winning worldwide acceptance as both a movie star of the first rank and as a performer of uncommon skill."^[4] Film scholar Richard Schickel, while examining his charismatic screen presence and acting ability, argued: "As a movie actor he [Brando] has no peer in this generation. That he consistently underplays, yet still packs more emotion into a scene than anyone else, is a sign of a charisma that may be an act of God."^[59] Similarly, Roger Ebert, writing of his iconic performance in Last Tango in Paris, said: "This was the greatest movie actor of his time, the author of performances that do honor to the cinema."^[60]

Tennessee Williams, among the many who acknowledged his finesse, described Brando as "the greatest living actor ever... greater than [Laurence] Olivier."^[61] Laurence Olivier himself said: "Brando acted with an empathy and an instinctual understanding that not even the greatest technical performers could possibly match."^[59] Johnny Depp credits Brando with changing the way actors work, stating that "Marlon reinvented acting, he revolutionized acting."^[62] He also said he was "probably the most important actor - just speaking in terms of him as an actor - of the past two centuries".^[63] In a 2007 Best Life article, praising his performance in On the Waterfront, Rob Reiner wrote: "Marlon Brando gives the single greatest performance ever. It's just so natural, powerful, real, and honest."^[64]

Cultural impact[link]

Madame Tussauds waxwork exhibit of Brando in The Wild One albeit with a later 1957/8 model Triumph Thunderbird.

Marlon Brando is a cultural icon whose popularity has endured for over six decades. Brando's rise to national attention in the 1950s had a profound effect on the motion picture industry and influenced the broader scope of American culture.^[65] According to film critic Pauline Kael, "[Marlon] Brando represented a reaction against the post-war mania for security. As a protagonist, the Brando of the early fifties had no code, only his instincts. He was a development from the gangster leader and the outlaw. He was antisocial because he knew society was crap; he was a hero to youth because he was strong enough not to take the crap ... Brando represented a contemporary version of the free American ... Brando is still the most exciting American actor on the screen."^[65] Sociologist Dr. Suzanne Mcdonald-Walker states: "Marlon Brando, sporting leather jacket, jeans, and moody glare, became a cultural icon summing up 'the road' in all its maverick glory."^[66] His portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild One has become an iconic image, used both as a symbol of rebelliousness and a fashion accessory that includes a Perfecto style motorcycle jacket, a tilted cap, jeans and sunglasses. Johnny's haircut inspired a craze for sideburns, followed by James Dean and Elvis Presley, among others.^[57] Dean copied Brando's acting style extensively and Presley used Brando's image as a model for his role in Jailhouse Rock.^[67] The "I coulda been a contenda" scene from On the Waterfront, according to the author of Brooklyn Boomer, Martin H. Levinson, is "one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history and the line itself has become part of America's cultural lexicon."^[57] Brando's powerful 'Wild One' image was still as of 2011 being marketed by the makers of his Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle in a range of clothing inspired by his character from the film and licenced by Brando's estate ^[68]

Marlon Brando was also considered a sex symbol, one of the earliest in the film industry to achieve widespread attention due to his enigmatic and sexy persona and the reports of his dalliances and relationships with various major Hollywood celebrities. Film scholar Linda Williams writes: "Marlon Brando [was] the quintessential American male sex symbol of the late fifties and early sixties".^[69]

He was one of the first actor-activists to march for civil and Native American rights.

Financial legacy[link]

Upon his death in 2004, Marlon Brando left an estate valued at $21.6 million.^[70] Brando's estate still earns about $9,000,000 per year, according to Forbes. He was named one of the top-earning dead celebrities in the world by the magazine.^[71]

Filmography[link]

Honors, awards and nominations[link]

Brando was named the fourth greatest male star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.^[72] He was also named one of the top 10 "Icons of the Century" by Variety magazine.^[59][73]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Bain, David Haward. The Old Iron Road: An Epic of Rails, Roads, and the Urge to Go West. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. ISBN 0-14-303526-6.
• Bosworth, Patricia. Marlon Brando. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001. ISBN 0-297-84284-6.
• Brando, Anna Kashfi and E.P. Stein. Brando for Breakfast. New York: Crown Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-517-53686-2.
• Brando, Marlon and Donald Cammell. Fan-Tan. New York: Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4471-5.
• Brando, Marlon and Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me. New York: Random House, 1994. ISBN 0-679-41013-9.
• Pierpont, Claudia Roth. Method Man. New Yorker, October 27, 2008.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Marlon Brando

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marlon Brando

• Marlon Brando at the Internet Movie Database
• Marlon Brando at the TCM Movie Database
• Marlon Brando at the Internet Broadway Database
• Marlon Brando at AllRovi
• The Oddfather, Rolling Stone, Jod Kaftan, April 25, 2002
• Vanity Fair: The King Who Would Be Man by Budd Schulberg
• The New Yorker: The Duke in His Domain – Truman Capote's influential 1957 interview.

Obituaries[link]

• Marlon Brando, Oscar-Winning Actor, Is Dead at 80
• Obituary from The Washington Post
• Long article on auction of Brando's possessions at The Observer (UK)

John "Johnny" Fontane is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone.

Novel and film[link]

In the novel and film, Fontane is a famous crooner and occasional movie star in the vein of Frank Sinatra. He is also the godson of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a major Mafia crime family. There are four occasions on which the Corleone family intervenes to help his career. The first, years before the main time frame of the original novel and film, is when Vito Corleone uses violent persuasion (an "offer he can't refuse") to buy out a contract that Fontane is locked into with a big band leader; after the bandleader turns down Vito Corleone's offer to buy out the contract, the Mafia chieftain orders his personal assassin Luca Brasi to put a gun to the man's forehead and says that, in five seconds, either the man's signature or his brains will be on the contract.

The second, the infamous "horse-head" scene, is an act of intimidation, carried out at the Godfather's behest, to ensure Fontane receives a part in a war film. The film's producer, Jack Woltz, despises Fontane for "ruining" a woman he was sexually interested in, and thus blacklists him from the production. After Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen fails to persuade Woltz to give Fontane the part, Brasi beheads Woltz's prize racehorse, Khartoum, and puts the animal's head in Woltz's bed as a warning. Terrified, Woltz relents and casts Fontane. Months later, Vito uses his Hollywood connections to ensure that Fontane wins the Academy Award for Best Actor. Finally, the Corleones lend Fontane money to start his own film studio.

Fontane is a minor character in the movie adaptation. In the original novel, however, the character is far more central, with large portions of the book dedicated to his adventures and misadventures in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Nevada, his precarious relationship with childhood friend and former partner Nino Valenti, and his struggles with losing the singing voice that made him famous. In the novel, Fontane develops (and eventually is cured of) lesions on his vocal cords.

Fontane was widely seen to have been based on Frank Sinatra, whose career was in a slump before being saved by his academy award-winning appearance in "From Here to Eternity." While Puzo never made this claim, he also never denied it.^[1]

Novel sequels[link]

The character is expanded upon in the novel The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner. In the 2004 novel, he campaigns for the presidential election of his friend, James Kavanaugh "Jimmy" Shea, who is based on former President John F. Kennedy.

In Winegardner's sequel The Godfather's Revenge, Fontane becomes romantically involved with Francesca Corleone, daughter of Sonny. They are married at the end of the novel. In this novel, the real Sinatra is mentioned twice, even within a discussion between Fontane and Francesca.

Film casting[link]

According to Al Martino, he was cast in the film in a similar manner to Johnny Fontane. Martino claims that used a connection to Mafia boss Russell Bufalino to intervene on his behalf and secure his role in the film.^[2]

Notes[link]

v t e The Godfather series Novels The Godfather · The Sicilian · The Godfather Returns · The Godfather's Revenge · The Family Corleone Films The Godfather · The Godfather Part II · The Godfather Part III Video games The Godfather · The Godfather: The Game · The Godfather II Corleone family Vito Corleone · Michael Corleone · Tom Hagen · Sonny Corleone · Fredo Corleone · Carmela Corleone · Connie Corleone-Rizzi · Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone · Kay Adams-Corleone · Anthony Corleone · Mary Corleone · Vincent Mancini-Corleone · Sandra Corleone Corleone allies Genco Abbandando · Luca Brasi · Willi Cicci · Peter Clemenza · Dominic Corleone · Sam Drago · B. J. Harrison · Carmine Marino · Rocco Lampone · Monk Malone · Tony Molinari · Sal Narducci · Al Neri · Tommy Neri · Ritchie Nobilio · Eddie Paradise · Frank Pentangeli · Salvatore Tessio · Don Tommasino · Carlo Tramonti · Joe Zaluchi Corleone enemies Ozzie Altobello · Momo Barone · Emilio Barzini · Ottilio Cuneo · Don Fanucci · Vincent Forlenza · Paulie Fortunato · Nick Geraci · Archbishop Gilday · Moe Greene · Frederick Keinszig · Joe Lucadello · Licio Lucchesi · Captain McCluskey · Mosca · Johnny Ola · Carlo Rizzi · Antonio "Tony" Rosato · Carmine Rosato · Hyman Roth · Louie Russo · Virgil Sollozzo · Anthony Stracci · Bruno Tattaglia · Philip Tattaglia · Rico Tattaglia · Joey Zasa Other characters Amerigo Bonasera · Johnny Fontane · Senator Pat Geary · Cardinal Lamberto · Lucy Mancini · Danny Shea · Mickey Shea · Billy Van Arsdale · Jack Woltz · Aldo Trapani Music The Godfather (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part II (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part III (soundtrack) · Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather) · Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from The Godfather Part III) · The Godfather: The Game Soundtrack Related Francis Ford Coppola · Mario Puzo · Albert S. Ruddy · Nino Rota · Dean Tavoularis · Gordon Willis · Mark Winegardner · Ed Falco · Crime film · Organized crime · Mafia · Five Families · Five Families (The Godfather) · Corleone · The Sicilian · The Freshman · The Godfather Saga Book · Category

Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. He also appears as an infant, as a young boy, and an adult in The Godfather Part II.

In the novel and film, he is the oldest son of New York City Mafia Don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael, an adoptive brother, Tom Hagen, and a sister, Connie. In the film, Sonny was portrayed by James Caan, who reprised his role for a flashback scene in Part II. Director Francis Ford Coppola's son Roman Coppola played Sonny as a boy in the 1920s scene of that film.

[edit] Role in the Godfather saga

Born in 1916, Sonny is depicted in both the novel and the movies as the most impulsive and violent of Vito's children and the most involved in his father's criminal operations. The novel provides additional backstory for Sonny: when he was 16, he committed a robbery. His father learns about it from Peter Clemenza, who stood as godfather to Sonny. When Vito asks Sonny why he did this, Sonny tells him that he saw his father kill the blackhander Don Fanucci years earlier. He then tells his father, "I want to learn how to sell olive oil." Vito realizes what Sonny really means, and sends him to Clemenza for training.

Sonny "makes his bones" when he is 19, and soon afterward becomes a capo in his father's family. By the end of World War II, he is his father's underboss and heir apparent, respected and feared as a ruthless killer with an explosive temper. He is not without a softer side, however; at the age of 11, he takes in a homeless boy, Tom Hagen, who thereafter lives with the family and becomes the family's consigliere. As the oldest child, he serves as a protector to his younger siblings and is shown to have a very close relationship with his brother, Michael, and sister, Connie. The book also reveals that he cannot bring himself to harm women or children, or anyone who can't defend themselves.

Although Sonny has a wife, Sandra, and four children, he frequently cheats on her with other women, including Lucy Mancini, who served as one of his sister's bridesmaids. The normal course of events in Sonny’s life is upturned when Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo comes to Don Vito with an offer of entering the narcotics trade, backed by the Tattaglia Family. During the meeting, Sonny speaks out of turn and expresses interest in the plan. Vito refuses the offer, however, and Sollozzo tries to assassinate him in hopes that Sonny, as his father's successor, will go into business with him.

The assassination attempt fails but leaves Vito near death, although he eventually recovers. Sonny takes over as acting boss. When Sonny finds out that the Tattaglias also killed longtime Corleone enforcer Luca Brasi, he orders the death of Bruno Tattaglia, son and underboss of family boss Philip Tattaglia. He then issues an ultimatum to the Tattaglias: Turn over Sollozzo or face war. This sets off the first real conflict in the New York Mafia in a decade, and puts the novel's plot in motion.

Michael, who had previously distanced himself from the family's criminal enterprise, volunteers to kill Sollozzo and his bodyguard, police Captain McCluskey. Sonny is impressed by Michael's loyalty, but doubts that his "college boy" brother has it in him to commit murder. Additionally, despite his violent streak, Sonny is leery of killing a police officer, as it has long been a hard and fast rule in the American Mafia that police and other law enforcement officials are not to be harmed. However, Sonny ultimately gives Michael the clearance to carry out the hit after Michael convinces him that since McCluskey is serving as Sollozzo's bodyguard, he has crossed into their world and is fair game. Sollozzo and McCluskey set a meeting with him in a small Italian restaurant in the Bronx. Michael kills them both, and is sent immediately to Sicily to wait out the inevitable crackdown on the Five Families.

In retaliation, Don Emilio Barzini, the real mastermind of the conspiracy, enlists the help of Sonny's brother-in-law, Carlo Rizzi, in setting a trap for Sonny. Sonny had already beaten Carlo to a pulp upon learning that Carlo was abusing Connie. To draw Sonny out into the open, a vengeful Carlo inflicts a particularly vicious beating on Connie, who telephones Sonny, begging for help. In a fit of rage, Sonny speeds out of the family compound unaccompanied, and heads for Connie's apartment in Hell's Kitchen to confront Carlo. As Sonny approaches the Long Beach Causeway toll plaza, Barzini's men emerge with tommy guns and gun him down before he can flee.

Sonny's death does not go unavenged, however. Vito realises, during a meeting with the heads of the other crime families, that Barzini was responsible, and following Michael's ascension to power, Michael orders the deaths of the other mafia heads to cement his position as the most powerful mafia head in New York. Michael also has Clemenza kill Carlo after getting him to confess by falsely promising him exile instead of death for Connie's sake.

[edit] Role in Godfather sequels

Sonny appears in the original Godfather and in its sequel, The Godfather Part II. In the latter film, he briefly appears in some flashbacks as a young child. A later scene portrays the family dinner in which Michael announces he is volunteering to fight in World War II. He is angered by Michael's decision, and he berates his brother for risking his life "for a bunch of strangers." The flashback reveals that Sonny introduced Carlo to Connie and the rest of the family, hence their later marriage.

In The Godfather Part III, Vincent Mancini is introduced as the illegitimate son of Sonny and Lucy Mancini. Vincent succeeds Michael as head of the Corleone family at the end of the film. Vincent inherites Sonny's fiery temper which causes Michael to fear that Vincent will meet an early death like Sonny. Vincent's existence in the film contradicts the literary universe, as Puzo's original novel stated that Lucy never bore a child with Sonny.

Family[link]

• Vito Corleone — Father; played by Marlon Brando; in Part II played by Robert De Niro as young adult Vito Corleone.
• Carmela Corleone — Mother; played by Morgana King.
• Costanza 'Connie' Corleone-Rizzi — Sister; played by Talia Shire.
• Fredo Corleone — oldest brother; played by John Cazale.
• Michael Corleone — Youngest brother; played by Al Pacino.
• Tom Hagen — Adopted brother; played by Robert Duvall.
• Mary Corleone — Niece; played by Sofia Coppola.
• Anthony Vito Corleone — Nephew; played by Anthony Gounaris in The Godfather, played by James Gounaris in The Godfather Part II, and played by Franc D'Ambrosio in The Godfather Part III.
• Sandra Corleone — Wife; played by Julie Gregg.
• Francesca Corleone — daughter, born 1937.
• Kathryn Corleone — daughter, born 1937.
• Frank Corleone — son, born 1940.
• Santino Corleone Jr. — son, born 1945.
• Vincent Corleone — illegitimate son with Lucy Mancini born circa 1946, played by Andy García.

Ordered murders[link]

• Paulie Gatto: Sonny ordered Peter Clemenza to kill Paulie because he betrayed Don Vito Corleone. (1945)
• Bruno Tattaglia: Sonny ordered Salvatore Tessio to kill Bruno because he plotted Don Vito Corleone's attempted assassination with Virgil Sollozzo. (1945)
• Virgil Sollozzo: Sonny ordered Sollozzo "The Turk" killed because he plotted Don Vito Corleone's attempted assassination with Bruno Tattaglia. (1947)
• Captain McCluskey: Sonny ordered Captain McCluskey killed because he was assisting the Tattaglia Family. (1947)

Behind the Scenes[link]

• Coppola staged Sonny's death scene in The Godfather to be reminiscent of the final death scene of Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) in Bonnie and Clyde.

• Coppola had the car radio play the broadcast of the baseball playoff game won by Bobby Thomson hitting the Shot Heard Round the World. This would place Sonny's death on October 3, 1951, contradicting the novel by several years.

• Among the actors auditioning for the role of Michael during casting for The Godfather, one unknown off-Broadway actor named Robert De Niro also read for Sonny's part, as well as Michael's and Carlo's, without success. Raw footage of him in the scene where Paulie Gatto offers to kill Rizzi can be seen on the DVD. Eventually, Coppola cast Caan in the role and gave De Niro the part of Paulie, but he "traded" him to the film The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight for Al Pacino, who soon got the part of Michael. Anthony Perkins not only auditioned for Sonny, but also for Tom Hagen.

• Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character Michael Corleone (Sonny's youngest brother), while Carmine Caridi was signed as Sonny. However Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead. The studio agreed to Pacino but insisted on having Caan be cast as Sonny, so he remained in the production.^[1]

• Caan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, competing with co-stars Pacino and Robert Duvall, giving the movie three entries in that category.

Cultural references[link]

• Sonny's death scene has been parodied several times on The Simpsons, including in the final scene of "All's Fair in Oven War," an episode in which Caan lent his voice. In that episode, the tollbooth death scene is re-enacted as part of Cletus Spuckler's revenge on Caan for "stealing" his wife Brandine's heart. The scene where Sonny beats Carlo Rizzi has also been parodied, in the episode "Strong Arms of the Ma". In the episode "Mr. Plow", Bart is pelted with snowballs in a similar fashion to that of Sonny's final moments.

• The tollbooth scene was parodied along with the execution montage in the final scene of the "Dabba Don" episode of the series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. In this scene the Ant Hill Mob from Wacky Races gun down Judge Mightor from their car.

• Bill Simmons, a columnist for ESPN.com, frequently compares the "Sonny Corleone move" to the "Michael Corleone move" when referring to hasty, rash decisions that end badly when a patient, reasoned approach would have been far more successful. Often, this analogy applies to free agent signings and trades in the NBA.

• In the episode "The Sundance Kids" of HBO's Entourage, after pelting Ari Gold with snowballs, Turtle makes a reference to Sonny's death by saying "we went Sonny Corleone on your ass." Also, in Season 3 in the episode "What about Bob?" Turtle makes a similar reference when he says "Vince, what the hell is going on? I feel like Sonny Corleone at the toll booth!".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Plot Summary - The Godfather

v t e The Godfather series Novels The Godfather · The Sicilian · The Godfather Returns · The Godfather's Revenge · The Family Corleone Films The Godfather · The Godfather Part II · The Godfather Part III Video games The Godfather · The Godfather: The Game · The Godfather II Corleone family Vito Corleone · Michael Corleone · Tom Hagen · Sonny Corleone · Fredo Corleone · Carmela Corleone · Connie Corleone-Rizzi · Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone · Kay Adams-Corleone · Anthony Corleone · Mary Corleone · Vincent Mancini-Corleone · Sandra Corleone Corleone allies Genco Abbandando · Luca Brasi · Willi Cicci · Peter Clemenza · Dominic Corleone · Sam Drago · B. J. Harrison · Carmine Marino · Rocco Lampone · Monk Malone · Tony Molinari · Sal Narducci · Al Neri · Tommy Neri · Ritchie Nobilio · Eddie Paradise · Frank Pentangeli · Salvatore Tessio · Don Tommasino · Carlo Tramonti · Joe Zaluchi Corleone enemies Ozzie Altobello · Momo Barone · Emilio Barzini · Ottilio Cuneo · Don Fanucci · Vincent Forlenza · Paulie Fortunato · Nick Geraci · Archbishop Gilday · Moe Greene · Frederick Keinszig · Joe Lucadello · Licio Lucchesi · Captain McCluskey · Mosca · Johnny Ola · Carlo Rizzi · Antonio "Tony" Rosato · Carmine Rosato · Hyman Roth · Louie Russo · Virgil Sollozzo · Anthony Stracci · Bruno Tattaglia · Philip Tattaglia · Rico Tattaglia · Joey Zasa Other characters Amerigo Bonasera · Johnny Fontane · Senator Pat Geary · Cardinal Lamberto · Lucy Mancini · Danny Shea · Mickey Shea · Billy Van Arsdale · Jack Woltz · Aldo Trapani Music The Godfather (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part II (soundtrack) · The Godfather Part III (soundtrack) · Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather) · Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from The Godfather Part III) · The Godfather: The Game Soundtrack Related Francis Ford Coppola · Mario Puzo · Albert S. Ruddy · Nino Rota · Dean Tavoularis · Gordon Willis · Mark Winegardner · Ed Falco · Crime film · Organized crime · Mafia · Five Families · Five Families (The Godfather) · Corleone · The Sicilian · The Freshman · The Godfather Saga Book · Category