Alfredo Lettieri (February 24, 1928 – October 18, 1975) was an American actor. Active during the 1960s and 70s, he commonly portrayed villainous characters. He achieved recognition for his performance as mobster Virgil Sollozzo in the crime film ''

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 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...

'' (1972) and appeared in several other productions alongside Hollywood's biggest screen stars.

Background

Lettieri was an Italian-American who spoke Italian fluently. His brother-in-law was Pasquale Eboli, brother of

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Italian-American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as ...

boss Thomas Eboli.

Career

1950s to 1960s

Lettieri had a role in the 1958 ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'' episode "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse" as Arthur Strome. At the age of 36, he had a role in the television film '' The Hanged Man'' (1964).

1970s

Lettieri is best known for his role as Sicilian heroin trafficker Virgil Sollozzo in the 1972 American crime film ''

''. This was the second film in which he and Marlon Brando had worked together, the first being ''

The Night of the Following Day ''The Night of the Following Day'' is a 1969 American Technicolor crime film directed by Hubert Cornfield starring Marlon Brando, Richard Boone, Rita Moreno and Pamela Franklin. Filmed in France, around Le Touquet it tells the story of a ki ...

'' (1969). He wrote the film adaptation that became the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, ...

for the 1971 gangster movie ''

Villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

'', which starred

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable p ...

and

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series '' Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in ''Deadwood'' (20 ...

. Lettieri played the henchman, Rudy Butler, in Steve McQueen's 1972 action film, '' The Getaway'', and the menacing hit-man Frank Renda in the 1974

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

film, ''

Mr. Majestyk ''Mr. Majestyk'' is a 1974 American action film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Elmore Leonard. Charles Bronson stars as the title character, a melon farmer and Vietnam War veteran who comes into conflict with gangsters. Leonard, w ...

''. He played the part of Ciro Musante in the Tonino Valerii-directed 1976 film, '' Go Gorilla Go''.Rotten Tomatoes
The Hired Gun (Vai Gorilla) (Go Gorilla Go), Cast
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Death

Lettieri died of a heart attack in 1975.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1928 births 1975 deaths American people of Italian descent American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors {{US-actor-stub