Richard S. Castellano

Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather.[1][2][3]

Richard S. Castellano
Richard S. Castellano in The Super in 1972
Born
Richard Salvatore Castellano

(1933-09-04)September 4, 1933
The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1988(1988-12-10) (aged 55)
North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActor
Notable work
The Godfather
RelativesPaul Castellano (uncle)

Biography

Castellano was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, to an Italian Catholic family. According to Castellano's widow, he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano.[3][4]

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.[3][5]

Castellano also appeared on television, playing the lead role of Joe Girelli in the television situation comedy The Super (10 episodes in 1972). His real-life daughter Margaret Castellano portrayed his character's daughter Joanne. He also portrayed the lead Joe Vitale in Joe and Sons (1975–1976).

Castellano did not reprise his role as Clemenza in The Godfather Part II (1974). He was reportedly excluded because Castellano and his agent insisted on having control over the character's dialogue. Director Francis Ford Coppola said that this was untenable, and wrote Castellano out of the movie.[3] This account was disputed by Castellano's widow in a 1991 letter to People magazine.[6] Castellano said he did not have a part in the sequel because he did not believe that the character of Clemenza should become a traitor. He had other disagreements with Coppola, including confusion over how much weight he was expected to gain for the role.[3] Bruno Kirby portrayed Clemenza as a young man in The Godfather Part II. He had played the son of Castellano's character in The Super.

Death

Castellano died from a heart attack in 1988 at age 55.[3]

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1963Love with the Proper StrangerExtraUncredited
1965Three Rooms in ManhattanAngry AmericanUncredited
1966A Fine MadnessArnold
1968A Lovely Way to DieBartenderUncredited
1970Lovers and Other StrangersFrank Vecchio
1972The GodfatherPeter Clemenza
1973Honor Thy FatherFrank Labruzzo
1973Incident on a Dark StreetFrank Romeo
1980Night of the JugglerLt. Tonelli
1981The Gangster ChroniclesGiuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria
1982Dear Mr. WonderfulAgent(final film role)

References
  1. Canby, Vincent (March 16, 1972). "REVIEW 'THE GODFATHER' Moving and Brutal 'Godfather' Bows". The New York Times.
  2. Sheridan-Castellano, Ardell (2003). Divine Intervention and a Dash of Magic... Unraveling The Mystery of "The Method" + Behind the Scenes of the original Godfather film. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-866-5.
  3. Lumenick, Lou (March 15, 2012). "Leave the gun-Take my career". The New York Post. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. Sheridan-Castellano, pp. 183-184
  5. Seal, Mark (March 2009). "The Godfather Wars". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  6. Sheridan-Castellano, pp. 227–229
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