Portland Public Library

Hollywood godfather, my life in the movies and the mob, Gianni Russo with Patrick Picciarelli

eng

autobiography

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Hollywood godfather

1031543821

Gianni Russo with Patrick Picciarelli

my life in the movies and the mob

"Gianni Russo was a handsome 25-year-old mobster with no acting experience when he walked onto the set of The Godfather and entered Hollywood history. He played Carlo Rizzi, the husband of Connie Corleone, who set her brother Sonny--played by James Caan--up for a hit. Russo didn't have to act--he knew the mob inside and out: from his childhood in Little Italy, where Mafia legend Frank Costello took him under his wing, to acting as a messenger for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, to having to go on the lam after shooting and killing a member of the Colombian drug cartel in his Vegas club. Along the way, Russo befriended Frank Sinatra, who became his son's godfather, and Marlon Brando, who mentored his career as an actor after trying to get Francis Ford Coppola to fire him from The Godfather. Russo had passionate affairs with Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minelli, and scores of other celebrities. He went on to become a producer and starred in The Godfather: Parts I and II, Seabiscuit, Any Given Sunday and Rush Hour 2, among many other films. Hollywood Godfather is a no-holds-barred account of a life filled with violence, glamour, sex--and fun." -- Amazon.comRusso was a mobster with no acting experience when he walked onto the set of The Godfather and entered Hollywood history. He played Carlo Rizzi, the husband of Connie Corleone, who set her brother Sonny up for a hit. Russo didn't have to act-- he knew the mob inside and out: from his childhood in Little Italy, where Mafia legend Frank Costello took him under his wing, to acting as a messenger for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, to having to go on the lam after shooting and killing a member of the Colombian drug cartel in his Vegas club. This is Russo's no-holds-barred account of a life filled with violence, glamour, sex-- and fun. -- adapted from jacket

A death in Sin City -- A childhood lost -- The Ambassador, Marilyn Monroe, and my Mafia education begins -- My involvement in the crime of the century -- The Godfather -- On the set of The Godfather: always looking to make a score -- Filming The Godfather -- Markers -- International moneyman -- Pablo Escobar channels Michael Corleone -- Sunday sauce was never like this -- A door closes while another one opens and Brando lives a nightmare