List of The Godfather characters
This is a list of characters from the film series The Godfather, consisting of The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III, based on Mario Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name, as well as the book series The Godfather consisting of the original, Puzo's The Sicilian, Mark Winegardner's The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge, and Edward Falco's prequel novel The Family Corleone. There are also three video games set within The Godfather universe: The Godfather, The Godfather and The Godfather II.
Corleone family
Vito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is the patriarch of the Corleone family, as well as leader of the Corleone crime family. He appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and in the first two films of the trilogy. He is portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and as a young man by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Brando and De Niro both winning Oscars for their performances marked the first time two separate actors won Oscars for portraying the same character.Carmela Corleone
Carmela "Mama" Corleone is the wife of Vito Corleone and the mother of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie Corleone, and the adoptive mother of Tom Hagen. She appears in Mario Puzo's The Godfather, as well as its first two film adaptations, where she is portrayed by Morgana King.Santino "Sonny" Corleone
Santino "Sonny" Corleone is the oldest son of the Vito and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael, and a sister, Connie. Sonny's hot-tempered nature eventually leads to his early death.Sonny appears in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. In the film, Sonny was portrayed by James Caan, who reprised his role for a flashback scene in The Godfather Part II. Roman Coppola played Sonny as a boy in the 1920s scenes of The Godfather Part II.
Fredo Corleone
Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is the second born son of Vito and Carmela Corleone, but is passed over when his younger brother Michael succeeds their father as head of the family due to Fredo's incompetence. He appears in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation, as well as its 1974 sequel, where he is portrayed by John Cazale. In The Godfather Part II, betrayal of his family eventually leads to Michael having him killed.Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is the protagonist of Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy based on the novel. He is the third son of Vito and Carmela Corleone. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the films. His journey from family outsider to ruthless Mafia boss and eventual redemption is the central focus of the novel and the films.Connie Corleone
Constanzia "Connie" Corleone is the only daughter and youngest child of Vito and Carmela Corleone. She appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy, where she is portrayed by Talia Shire. The first film and novel begins with her marriage to her abusive husband, Carlo Rizzi. After her husband's murder is arranged by her brother, Michael, she becomes estranged from her family. The death of her mother Carmela prompts her to become closer to her family. She eventually becomes one of Michael's closest allies.Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Hagen is a consigliere and lawyer for the Corleone crime family. He is also an informally adopted member of the Corleone family. Hagen appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola's films The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. He is portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films.Sandra Corleone
Sandrinella "Sandra" Corleone is the wife of Sonny Corleone. Sandra and Sonny bore four children. Two boys and a set of twin girls. She appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and its first film adaptation, where she was portrayed by Julie Gregg. Neither her fate nor those of her four children are mentioned in the second sequel, The Godfather, Part III.Vincent Corleone
Vincent Santino "Vinnie" Mancini is the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone and Lucy Mancini. He succeeds his uncle Michael Corleone as head of the Corleone crime family using the title Don Vincent Corleone. He appears in The Godfather Part III, portrayed by Andy García.Anthony Corleone
Anthony "Tony" Corleone is the son of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams-Corleone. While he is the son of a Mafia boss, he does not join the family business and becomes an opera singer in The Godfather Part III. Anthony appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy, portrayed by Franc D'Ambrosio in the third film.Mary Corleone
Mary Corleone is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams-Corleone. She is a childish and naive girl. Mary attempts to begin a relationship with her cousin, Vincent Corleone. Her murder at the end of The Godfather Part III devastates her father Michael. She appears in Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy The Godfather portrayed by Sofia Coppola.Kay Adams / Kay Corleone
Katherine "Kay" Corleone is the second wife of Michael Corleone and the mother of Anthony and Mary Corleone. She has an abortion while pregnant with the couple's prospective second son. Kay appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy, portrayed by Diane Keaton. In contrast to most of the characters in the novel and films, Kay Adams is from a well-to-do White Anglo-Saxon Protestant family.Apollonia Vitelli / Apollonia Corleone
Apollonia Corleone is the first wife of Michael Corleone. She appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and in the film adaptation of the same name, where she is portrayed by Simonetta Stefanelli. She also appears in flashbacks in The Godfather Part III.Apollonia is a young Sicilian woman of Greek descent born in 1931 who meets Michael Corleone during his exile in Sicily. After seeing her for the first time, Michael and his bodyguards inquire about her to Signore Vitelli, a local tavern keeper, to try to find out who she is. After describing her in detail, Vitelli angrily says he does not know her and leaves. When Michael's bodyguards realize that the girl is Signore Vitelli's daughter, they both ask Michael to leave, but Michael, speaking through his bodyguard and interpreter Fabrizio, soon gains Signore Vitelli's respect by introducing himself and apologizing. Michael asks and receives Signore Vitelli's permission to court Apollonia under the chaperonage of her family. After a brief courtship, they are married.
Soon afterward, however, Apollonia is killed by a car bomb intended for Michael, in 1948. The attack was set up by Fabrizio, who had betrayed Michael to Corleone family enemies back in Michael's native New York City. In an unfortunate twist of fate, she unknowingly puts herself in danger when she tries to impress Michael by showing him that she taught herself how to drive, which was uncommon for Sicilian women. In the book, she is pregnant at the time of her death, but this detail is not specified in the film. The explosion is powerful enough to throw Michael off his feet and knock him unconscious. The local Mafia chieftain, Don Tommasino, an old friend of Michael's father Vito, moves Michael to a hospital. Michael regains consciousness a few days later, whereupon Don Tommasino informs Michael of his wife's death. After returning to the United States, Michael reconnects with his previous girlfriend, Kay Adams, but does not tell her that he had been married while he was living in Sicily. They marry and have two children. However, in The Godfather Part III, Kay mentions Michael's first marriage when she and Michael visit Sicily together. Michael also tells his daughter Mary Corleone that she bears a resemblance to his first wife Apollonia.
In the novel, Michael avenges Apollonia's death. Fabrizio is found running a pizza parlor in Buffalo, New York, under the alias of Fred Vincent. He is shot in the chest by an assassin who walks into the pizza parlor. The assassin then tells him "Michael Corleone sends his regards", before shooting him again in the head. In a deleted scene from the film's script, Michael himself kills Fabrizio with a shotgun. This scene was never released, although publicity photos were distributed of Al Pacino, who portrayed Michael, firing a shotgun. A scene was filmed for Part II in which Michael is informed that Fabrizio has been found. The former bodyguard is killed in his car with a powerful bomb wired to the ignition, matching the car bomb that he used to kill Apollonia. The scene was removed from the final cut of the film, but it can be seen in The Godfather Saga.
Johnny Fontane
Johnny Fontane, a mob-associated singer and Vito's godson, seeks Vito's help in securing a movie role; Vito dispatches his consigliere, Tom Hagen, to Los Angeles to persuade studio head Jack Woltz to give Johnny the part. Woltz refuses until he wakes up in bed with the severed head of his prized stallion.Al Martino, a then famed singer in nightclubs, was notified of the character Johnny Fontane by a friend who read the eponymous novel and felt Martino represented the character of Johnny Fontane. Martino then contacted producer Albert S. Ruddy, who gave him the part. However, Martino was stripped of the part after Francis Ford Coppola became director and then awarded the role to singer Vic Damone. According to Martino, after being stripped of the role, he went to Russell Bufalino, his godfather and a crime boss, who then orchestrated the publication of various news articles that claimed Coppola was unaware of Ruddy having given Martino the part. Damone eventually dropped the role because he did not want to provoke the mob, in addition to being paid too little. Ultimately, the part of Johnny Fontane was given to Martino.
Frank Sinatra was convinced that Johnny Fontane was based on his life. Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather novel wrote in 1972 that when he met Sinatra in Chasen's, Sinatra "started to shout abuse", calling Puzo a "pimp" and threatening physical violence. Francis Ford Coppola, director of the film adaptation, said in the audio commentary that "obviously Johnny Fontane was inspired by a kind of Frank Sinatra character".