Vito Corleone
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Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather |
Vito Corleone (Born:
Vito Andolini), aka 'The Godfather', is the
fictional head of one of the five
New York Mafia families in
Mario Puzo's
novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. He was played by
Marlon Brando as an older man in
The Godfather and by
Robert De Niro as a younger man in
The Godfather Part II. He is depicted as an ambitious
Italian immigrant to
Little Italy who builds a mafia empire, yet still loves his family. His youngest son,
Michael Corleone becomes the Don upon his death. He has two other sons,
Santino "Sonny" Corleone and
Fredo Corleone, and a daughter,
Connie Corleone. He also informally adopted another son,
Tom Hagen, who grew up to become the Family's
consigliere.
He was born
Vito Andolini on
December 7,
1892 in
Corleone,
Sicily.
In
1901, his father, Antonio Andolini, was murdered by a
Sicilian mob boss named
Don Francesco Ciccio because he refused to pay tribute, considered an insult by the don. Vito's older brother, Paolo, swore
revenge and disappeared into the mountains. Vito was the only male heir left to stand with his mother at the funeral of his father. However, during the funeral, Paolo, who had come to watch, was also murdered. Some time afterwards, Ciccio's henchmen came to the residence of the Andolinis to take Vito away and have him killed. Desperate, Signora Andolini took her son to see the
mafia chieftain herself.
When she went to see Don Ciccio, she begged for her son's life to be spared, but Ciccio refused, reasoning that Vito would seek revenge as an adult. Upon Ciccio's refusal, Signora Andolini put a knife to his throat and told Vito to run. She was immediately killed by one of Ciccio's henchmen, but Vito ran from the residence and successfully evaded the henchmen sent after him. Later that night, he was secretly smuggled away, fleeing Sicily to seek refuge in
America on a cargo ship full of
immigrants. Unable to speak
English, he was renamed on
Ellis Island as Vito Corleone when the immigration clerks saw the tag pinned to his clothes labelled "Vito Andolini from Corleone" (in
the book, he chose to be named Corleone).
Corleone was later adopted by the Abbandando family in
New York, and he befriended
Genco Abbandando, who later became like a brother to him. In the years to come, Corleone married and started a family. Corleone began working at Abbandando's grocery store, but lost the job, as an intimidated Abbandando was forced to employ Don Fanucci's nephew.
Corleone later met
Peter Clemenza, who gave him an opportunity to obtain a rug for his home. So, both men went into the home of Clemenza's "friend," who was not home, and took his rug, almost being caught by a police officer.
Corleone soon learned to survive and prosper through petty
crime and performing favors in return for loyalty. He committed his first
murder, killing Don Fanucci, the neighborhood
padrone, rumoured to be a member of the
Black Hand, in
1919.
While he loved all of his children, he was proudest of Michael, a college graduate and decorated
WWII veteran, and wished for him a life away from the bloody, treacherous world of the "family business", hoping that his son would attain a legitimate seat of political power.
As a young man, Corleone started an
olive oil business, Genco Importers, with his friend Genco Abbandando. Over the years he used it as a legal front for his
organized crime syndicate, while amassing a fortune with its illegal operations. During a journey with his family to his native Sicily in
1925, he avenged his murdered parents and brother by killing Don Ciccio and his henchmen.
By the early 1930's, Vito Corleone had established the Corleone Family along with Clemenza,
Salvatore Tessio, and Abbandando. Genco Abbandando became the consigliere of the family.
While he oversaw a business founded on
gambling,
bootlegging, and murder, he was known as a kind, generous man who lived by a strict moral code of loyalty to friends and, above all, family. He tried to spread these values throughout the New York crime world; he disagreed with many of the vicious crimes carried out by gangs and so sought to control crime in New York by either consuming or eliminating rival gangs.
In
1945, Corleone was badly injured in an
assassination attempt, provoked when he refused the request of
Virgil Sollozzo to invest in a drug operation and use his political contacts for the operation's protection, sparking a chain of events that resulted in Sonny's murder and Michael's eventual ascension to the head of the family, which Vito never wanted for his favorite son.
He died of a
heart attack on
July 29,
1955, aged 62, while playing with his grandson, Anthony.
Vito Corleone is said to be a composite based on real mafia dons
Joseph Bonanno,
Frank Costello, and
Vito Genovese. Puzo claimed to have used his own mother as a model for the character.
Family
*
Carmella Corleone — Wife, played by
Morgana King*
Santino 'Sonny' Corleone — Eldest son; played by
James Caan*
Tom Hagen — informally adopted son, played by
Robert Duvall*
Federico "Fredo" Corleone — Middle son; played by
John Cazale*
Michael Corleone — Youngest son; played by
Al Pacino*
Costanza 'Connie' Corleone-Rizzi — Daughter; played by
Talia Shire*
Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone — Illegitimate grandson; played by
Andy Garcia.
*
Anthony Corleone — Grandson; played by
Franc D'Ambrosio*
Mary Corleone — Granddaughter; played by
Sofia Coppola*
Plot Summary - The Godfather*
Corleone. A small city in Italy
