Richard S. Castellano

Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor who is best remembered for his Oscar-nominated role in Lovers and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather.

Biography

Richard Salvatore Castellano was born in the Bronx, New York to an Italian Catholic family. According to Castellano's widow, he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano.

Career

Castellano gained worldwide fame for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He achieved further stardom in 1972 for playing the part of Peter Clemenza, in The Godfather. The Godfather became the highest-grossing film up to that time. Castellano, along with several other cast members, became widely known from the popular film. He spoke one of the film's most famous lines, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," which he partially ad-libbed. He also had the line: "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." This is spoken in response to Sal Tessio, played by Abe Vigoda, bringing in a dead fish wrapped in Luca Brasi's bulletproof vest.