Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather, from Paramount Pictures via the Canadian Press

Vito Corleone is the fictional head of one of the five big New York Mafia families in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie 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. His other sons are Sonny Corleone and Fredo Corleone. Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather Site: http://story. ... Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather Site: http://story. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1987 to 1995. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Mafia, also referred to as La Cosa Nostra (Italian, variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the collective name of various secret organizations in Italy, Sicily, Corsica and the United States. ... Mario Puzo Mario Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his fictional books about the Mafia. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... The Godfather is a novel written by Mario Puzo about a fictitious Italian Mafia family. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1948 Marlon Brando, Jr. ... Robert De Niro Robert De Niro, Jr. ... Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II The Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather. ... Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated (or formerly populated) primarily by Italians. ... Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzos novel, The Godfather. ... Santino Sonny Corleone is a fictional character, the oldest son of fictional New York Mafia Don Vito Corleone in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation. ... In Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation, Fredo Corleone is the middle brother to older brother Sonny Corleone and younger brother Michael Corleone. ...

Born Vito Andolini in 1887 in Corleone, Sicily, his family was murdered by the local don when he was 14 years old (a crime he would avenge years later when he himself was don) and he fled to New York. He was accidentally listed on Ellis Island as Vito Corleone because he was given a name tag with his hometown and couldn't speak the English necessary to correct the mistake. He later took the name as a point of pride. Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather, from Paramount Pictures via the Canadian Press Vito Corleone is the fictional head of one of the five big New York Mafia families in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Corleone is a small town of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Immigration Museum on Ellis Island Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River, was at one time the main immigration port for immigrants entering the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

He soon learned to survive and prosper through petty crime and performing favors in return for loyalty. He committed his first murder, killing the neighborhood don, in 1919. 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

As a young man, he started an olive oil business with his lifelong friend and "consigliere" (advisor) Genco Abbandando, and over the years used it both to amass a fortune and as a legal front for his organized crime syndicate. In agriculture, olive oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the European olive tree , which originated in the Mediterranean area. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

While he oversaw a business founded on gambling, prostitution, 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. Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving risking money or valuables (making a wager or placing a stake) on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity depends partially or totally upon chance or upon ones ability to do something. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services, such as oral sex or sexual intercourse, for money. ... Bootlegging is the illegal sale or manufacture of cigarettes, liquor, and other consumer goods (such as compact discs or DVDs) subject to taxes for the purposes of evading those taxes, or licensing fees. ...

In 1946, a rival tried to have Vito assassinated when he refused to have his underlings sell drugs, sparking a chain of events that resulted in Sonny's murder and Michael's eventual ascension to the head of the family, which he never wanted for his favorite son. 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ... Many drugs are provided in tablet form. ...

He died of a heart attack in 1954, while playing with his grandson, Anthony. Vito Corleone's character was clearly based on Frank Costello. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Francesco Castiglia (January 21, 1891 - February 18, 1973), known as Frank Costello, was a famous mafia leader. ...

Family

• Santino 'Sonny' Corleone — Eldest son; played by James Caan
• Constanzia 'Connie' Corleone-Rizzi — Daughter; played by Talia Shire
• Fredo Corleone — Middle son; played by John Cazale
• Michael Corleone — Youngest son; played by Al Pacino
• Mary Corleone — Granddaughter; played by Sofia Coppola
• Mama Corleone
• Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone — Grandson; played by Andy Garcia.

Santino Sonny Corleone is a fictional character, the oldest son of fictional New York Mafia Don Vito Corleone in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation. ... James Caan (born March 26, 1939, Bronx, New York) is an American actor. ... Constanzia Connie Corleone-Rizzi is a fictional character from The Godfather by Mario Puzo Connie is the sister of Sonny, Fredo and Michael Corleone. ... Talia Shire (born April 25, 1946) is an American actress. ... In Mario Puzos novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation, Fredo Corleone is the middle brother to older brother Sonny Corleone and younger brother Michael Corleone. ... John Cazale (August 12, 1935 – March 12, 1978) was a distinguished American film actor whose career was tragically brief. ... Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzos novel, The Godfather. ... Al Pacino, pictured at the age of 21. ... Mary is the daughter of crime boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone. ... Sofia Coppola Sofia Coppola (born May 14, 1971) is an American film director, actress, producer, and writer and is the daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola. ... Vinnie Mancini-Corleone becomes succeeding Don of the fictional Corleone Mafia family in the movie The Godfather Part III. Born the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone in 1948, Vincent was never treated as a real member of the Corleone family and so was never given access to his the family... Andy Garcia Andy García (born April 12, 1956) is an American actor. ...

References

• Plot Summary - The Godfather