Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

's 1969 novel ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'' and its 1972 film adaptation. He is the eldest son of the

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfathe ...

and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael, and a sister,

Connie Connie is a given name. It is often a pet form (hypocorism) of Concetta, Constance, Cornelia, or Cornelius. Given name or nickname Women * Connie Achurra, Chilean chef * Connie Binsfeld (1924–2014), American politician * Connie Booth ...

. In the film, Sonny was portrayed by

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

, who briefly reprised his role for a flashback scene in ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

''. Director Francis Ford Coppola's son Roman Coppola played Sonny as a boy in the 1920s scenes of ''The Godfather Part II''.

Novel and film biography

In both the novel and the movie, Sonny is the eldest of Vito Corleone's four children. Unlike his quiet, level-headed father, Sonny is fiery-tempered and prone to violence. At age 16, Sonny commits a robbery. When

Peter Clemenza Peter Clemenza is a fictional character who first appeared in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. He is played by Academy Award-nominee Richard Castellano in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film adaptation of the novel, and by Bruno Kirby (as ...

, Vito's right-hand man and Sonny's godfather, informs Vito about it, Vito demands his son explain himself. Sonny replies that he had witnessed Vito murder the "

Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s * Black Hand (e ...

" gangster

Don Fanucci Don Fanucci is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and the 1974 film ''The Godfather Part II'', a sequel to the 1972 film version of Puzo's novel. Fanucci is portrayed by Gastone Moschin and is based on t ...

years before, and he now wants to join the "family business". Vito sends him to Clemenza for training. Sonny " makes his bones" at age 19. By his mid-20s, he is promoted to a ''

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...

'' in the Corleone family. By the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he is his father's

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...

and heir apparent, popular and feared as a merciless killer with a short temper. Sonny is not without a sensitive side, however; at age 11, he brings home a homeless boy, Tom Hagen, demanding he be allowed to live with the family. Vito informally adopts Hagen, who eventually rises through the ranks to become Vito's ''

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...

''. As the eldest child, Sonny acts as protector to his younger siblings and has a soft-spot for his youngest brother, Michael. Although he can beat up and kill other men without hesitation, he cannot bring himself to harm women, children, or anyone unable to defend themselves. Sonny has four children with his wife Sandra. He also has several mistresses, including his sister Connie's friend

Lucy Mancini This is a list of characters from the film series ''The Godfather'' consisting of ''The Godfather'' (1972), ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974) and ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), based on Mario Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name, as ...

. In the novel, Sandra allows – and is grateful for – his infidelities because she is unable to take the size of his penis. Sonny's life is upturned in 1945, when drug lord Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, backed by the

Tattaglia family ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...

, approaches Vito with an offer to enter the narcotics trade. During the meeting, Sonny speaks out of turn, expressing an interest in the deal that Vito declines. Vito later castigates Sonny for revealing his thoughts to an outsider. Sollozzo later attempts to have Vito assassinated, believing Sonny, as his father's successor, will bring the Corleone family into the drug trade. The failed assassination attempt leaves Vito near death, making Sonny acting boss of the Corleone family. Sonny orders Clemenza to execute Vito's traitorous bodyguard Paulie Gatto. Sollozzo mounts a second assassination attempt on Vito at the hospital, which Michael prevents. Sonny then orders Bruno Tattaglia, son and underboss of Sollozzo's ally Philip Tattaglia, to be murdered. Sollozzo proposes that Michael be sent to promote a truce. Sonny, believing it is a trick, refuses and demands that the other Mafia families hand over Sollozzo to the Corleone family or face war. Hagen successfully convinces Sonny to wait, because Captain Mark McCluskey, a corrupt NYPD captain on Sollozzo's payroll, has agreed to be Sollozzo's bodyguard. Hagen warns Sonny that killing McCluskey would violate a longstanding Mafia rule not to kill members of law enforcement, and that the backlash from rival Mafia families and law enforcement would be severe. Michael, who had before wanted nothing to do with the family business, volunteers to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey, arguing that McCluskey is fair game because he is a corrupt cop mixed up in the drug trade. Sonny is impressed with Michael's confidence and seriousness, but doubts that his " nice college boy" brother is capable of murder. Ultimately, however, he approves the hit. Michael meets with Sollozzo and McCluskey at an Italian restaurant in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

and kills both men. This ignites the New York underworld's first Mafia war in a decade. Sonny arranges for Michael to flee to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

under the protection of Vito's friend Don Tommasino. The war between the Five Families drags on, and Sonny, unable to break the stalemate, orders bloody raids that earn him a legendary reputation. He also begins plotting to take out the rival Mafia bosses.

Emilio Barzini Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in its 1972 film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte. The Barzini crime family was inspired by the Geno ...

, Vito's rival and the power behind Sollozzo, enlists Connie's abusive husband, Carlo Rizzi, to help set a trap. Earlier, Sonny assaulted Carlo after he attacked Connie. To draw Sonny out into the open, Carlo provokes Connie into an argument before severely beating her. Hysterical and in pain, she telephones the Corleone compound, asking Sonny for help. Enraged, Sonny speeds towards Connie's apartment in

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...

ahead of his bodyguards. At the

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Causeway toll plaza, Barzini's men trap Sonny and shoot him. During a meeting with the other crime family dons to establish peace, Vito realizes that Barzini masterminded Sonny's murder. After Michael returns from Sicily, he assumes Sonny's place as Vito's heir apparent. Vito and Michael secretly continue Sonny's plot to wipe out the other New York dons to avenge Sonny's death and eliminate their rivals once and for all. After Vito dies in 1955 from a heart attack, Michael has the other dons murdered, including Barzini, who is shot twice in the back on the steps of a courthouse in broad daylight. Michael informs Carlo that the rival dons have been killed and coerces Carlo's confession for his part in arranging Sonny's murder. Carlo admits Barzini was the mastermind. On Michael's orders, Clemenza garrotes Carlo to death. With that strike, the Corleones become the most powerful crime family in the country.

Role in ''Godfather'' sequels

As well as appearing in the original film, ''

'', Sonny is featured in the sequel, ''

''. In this film, he briefly appears in some scenes as an infant and as a young child. He makes a final appearance at the end of the film, in a flashback scene that portrays Vito's birthday celebration in 1941. Michael announces that he has dropped out of college and enlisted to fight in World War II. Sonny is furious at the decision and berates his brother for risking his life "for a bunch of strangers". This scene also reveals that Sonny introduced Carlo to Connie, and the rest of the family, which led to their marriage. In ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegn ...

'', Vincent Corleone is introduced as Sonny's illegitimate son with

. Vincent succeeds Michael as head of the Corleone family at the end of the film. Vincent's existence in the film contradicts Puzo's original novel, which stated that Lucy never bore a child with Sonny.

Family

: father; played by Marlon Brando and by Robert De Niro as young adult Vito Corleone * Carmela Corleone: mother; played by

Morgana King Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.Liner notes by Joel Dorn – Morgana King album ''The Complete Reprise Recordings'' (2000).Liner notes by Ed Osborne � ...

* Sandra Corleone: wife; played by Julie Gregg * Tom Hagen: adoptive brother; played by

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

* Fredo Corleone: brother; played by John Cazale *

Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominate ...

: brother; played by Al Pacino * Constanzia "Connie" Corleone: sister; played by Talia Shire *

Mary Corleone Mary Corleone is a fictional character in ''The Godfather Part III'', portrayed by Sofia Coppola. She is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone. ''The Godfather Part II'' Mary first appears in '' Th ...

: niece; played by

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

* Anthony Corleone: nephew; played by Anthony Gounaris (''The Godfather''); played by James Gounaris (''The Godfather Part II''); played by Franc D'Ambrosio in ''The Godfather Part III'' * Francesca Corleone: daughter, born 1937 * Kathryn Corleone: daughter, born 1937 * Frank Corleone: son, born 1940 * Santino Corleone Jr.: son, born 1945 * Vincent Corleone: son with

born 1948, played by

Andy García Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956), known professionally as Andy García, is a Cuban-born American actor, director and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's ''The Untouchables'' (1987) alongside ...

Behind the scenes

* Coppola staged Sonny's death scene in ''The Godfather'' to be reminiscent of the final death scene of

Clyde Barrow Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

(

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

) and Bonnie Parker (

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...

) in '' Bonnie and Clyde''. * Coppola had the car radio play the broadcast of the baseball playoff game won by Bobby Thomson hitting the

Shot Heard Round the World "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" is a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which began the American Revolutionary War and led to the creation of the United States of America. It was an ...

. This would place Sonny's death on October 3, 1951, contradicting the novel by several years. * Among the actors auditioning for the role of Michael during casting for ''The Godfather'', one unknown off-Broadway actor named Robert De Niro also read for Sonny's part, as well as Michael's and Carlo's, without success. Raw footage of him in the scene where Paulie Gatto offers to kill Rizzi can be seen on the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

. Eventually, Coppola cast Caan in the role and gave De Niro the part of Paulie, but he "traded" him to the film '' The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' for Al Pacino, who soon got the part of Michael.

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

not only auditioned for Sonny, but also for Tom Hagen. * Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character

(Sonny's youngest brother), while

Carmine Caridi Carmine Caridi (January 23, 1934 – May 28, 2019) was an American film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' The Godfather Part II'' (1974) and ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990). In 2004, Caridi became the ...

was signed as Sonny. However Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead. The studio agreed to Pacino but insisted on having Caan be cast as Sonny, so he remained in the production. * Caan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, competing with co-stars Pacino and

, giving the movie three entries in that category.

Cultural references

* Sonny's death scene has been parodied several times on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', including in the final scene of " All's Fair in Oven War", an episode in which Caan lent his voice. In that episode, the tollbooth death scene is re-enacted as part of

Cletus Spuckler The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

's revenge on Caan for "stealing" his wife Brandine's heart. Sonny's death was parodied in the earlier episode " Mr. Plow", in a scene where

Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...

is pelted with snowballs by his schoolmates when his father

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

clears the snow in front of the school. The scene where Sonny beats Carlo Rizzi has also been parodied, in the episode " Strong Arms of the Ma". * The tollbooth scene was parodied along with the execution montage in the final scene of the ''

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. A spin-off of ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', the ...

'' episode "Dabba Don". In this scene the Ant Hill Mob from '' Wacky Races'' gun down Judge Mightor from their car. * Popular sportswriter Bill Simmons used to frequently compare the "Sonny Corleone move" to the "Michael Corleone move" when referring to hasty, rash decisions that end badly when a patient, reasoned approach would have been far more successful. Often, this analogy was applied to free agent signings and trades in the NBA. * Conan O'Brien also used the tollbooth scene in a parody on '' Conan'', explaining how he was dropped from

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. * In the HBO series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'', the fictional strip club Bada Bing is named after the catchphrase "bada bing" that Sonny uses to describe an up-close shooting.Vanity Fair: The Godfather Wars
/ref> * In an episode of ''

Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor' ...

'' when the Mayor is attacked in a campaign ad and the others discuss what to do, Deputy Mayor Charlie Crawford immediately suggests swift, ruthless, and immediate retaliation to which his coworker Caitlin (sarcastically) replies "Thank you Sonny Corleone." * The main antagonist of the story in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Sonny Forelli, is possibly based on Sonny Corleone. Both of them act as a boss for their family, and both have the same ruthless, short-tempered personality.

References

External links

Plot Summary - The Godfather
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corleone, Santino 'Sonny' The Godfather characters Characters in American novels of the 20th century Fictional characters from New York City Literary characters introduced in 1969 Fictional capos Fictional crime bosses Fictional gangsters Fictional Italian American people Fictional murderers Fictional underbosses Male characters in literature Male characters in film Cultural depictions of the Mafia Fictional murdered people