Gianni Russo
Gianni Russo | |
|---|---|
 Gianni Russo (left) and Michael J. Arbouet at the 2013 Liife Film Fest | |
| Born | Gianni Vito Russo December 12, 1942 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Website | https://www.giannirusso.com/ |
Gianni Vito Russo (born December 12, 1942) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Carlo Rizzi in the 1972 film The Godfather.[1]
Life and career
Russo was born in Manhattan, raised in Little Italy[2]. After reprising the Rizzi character in a brief flashback scene at the end of The Godfather Part II, Russo went on to act in more than 46 movies, including Goodnight, My Love (1972), Lepke (1975, as Albert Anastasia), Laserblast (1978), Chances Are (1989), The Freshman (1990), Side Out (1990), Another You (1991), Super Mario Bros. (1993), Any Given Sunday (1999) and Seabiscuit (2003).
Russo claims that he started a fledgling career in organized crime working as an errand boy and mob associate for Frank Costello[1] as an adolescent but later abandoned the dangerous and volatile lifestyle of organized crime.
Over the years since the beginning of his career, Russo owned a Las Vegas restaurant called Gianni Russo's State Street at 2570 State Street on the Las Vegas Strip (closed in 1988), and defeated 23 federal criminal indictments on a variety of charges stemming from alleged organized crime associations.[1]
In 1988, Russo killed a man inside the Las Vegas club and casino he owned. When he tried to intervene to stop a member of the Medellín drug cartel from harassing a female patron, the man stabbed him with a broken champagne bottle. Russo, a legal carry owner, pulled his gun and shot him twice in the head.[1] Russo was not charged with the killing because it was ruled a justifiable homicide. However, when Pablo Escobar heard about the death, he ordered a contract on Russo's life. The Colombian drug lord supposedly only canceled it when he found out Russo had starred in one of his favorite films The Godfather.[3]
Russo is also a singer. In 2004, he released a CD called Reflections that pays homage to Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.[2]
Russo owns a wine brand, Gianni Russo Wines, which debuted in 2009.[4]
In 2019, he published his memoir, Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob.[5] According to his memoir, he was a friend and lover of Marilyn Monroe. Russo claims in the memoir that Monroe took his virginity when he was only 16 years old and she was 33.[6]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1972 | The Godfather | Carlo Rizzi | |
| 1974 | The Godfather Part II | ||
| 1975 | Rudeness | Salvatore Mannino | |
| 1975 | Lepke | Albert Anastasia | |
| 1975 | The Four Deuces | Chip Morono - the 'Deuce of Clubs' | |
| 1978 | Laserblast | Tony Craig | |
| 1979 | Winter Kills | Co-Pilot | |
| 1989 | Chances Are | Anthony Bonino | |
| 1990 | Side Out | Dick Sydney | |
| 1990 | The Freshman | Maitre D' Gourmet Club | |
| 1991 | Out for Justice | Sammy | |
| 1991 | Another You | Carlos | |
| 1992 | Stay Tuned | Guido | |
| 1993 | Super Mario Bros. | Scapelli | |
| 1996 | Striptease | Willy Rojo | |
| 1998 | Circles | Howard Thomas as Jeremy's father | |
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | Christina's Advisor | |
| 2000 | The Family Man | Nick | |
| 2000 | Rope Art | Sen. Bob Krause | |
| 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Money Cart Guard | |
| 2001 | Harvard Man | Andrew Bandolini | |
| 2001 | Rush Hour 2 | Red Dragon Pit Boss | |
| 2002 | Red Dragon | Newsie | |
| 2003 | Seabiscuit | Alberto Gianini | |
| 2004 | After the Sunset | Clippers Fan | |
| 2005 | Meet the Mobsters | Paul | |
| 2013 | Send No Flowers | Johnny Pisano | |
References
- ^ a b c d Jacobs, Andrew (April 9, 2005). "His Big Break? The Corleones Killed Him; Godfather's Son-in-Law Is Singing, Selling and Enjoying Life". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
- ^ a b "About Gianni Russo". Gianni Russo. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "The Wild Story of the Real-Life Mobster Who Starred in 'The Godfather'". www.vice.com. March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Celebrity Spotlight: The Intriguing Life of Gianni Russo Beyond The Godfather • Italia Living". July 28, 2010.
- ^ "Hollywood Godfather | Gianni Russo | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Kaplan, Michael (March 2, 2019). "'Godfather' actor claims he knows who killed Marilyn Monroe". The New York Post. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
