Gianni Russo

Listen to "Gianni Russo Releases Hollywood Godfather" on Spreaker. "Gianni Russo walks the walk and talks the talk. What a life. Fascinating. A worthy read." -Robert De Niro "Gianni Russo is a true character who has led a most colorful life."-Gay Talese "Gianni Russo has seen a lot, done a lot, and tells it all. Amazing."-Nick Pileggi Kirkus (12/22)--Reads like a narrative for a mob movie script...Russo is an engaging raconteur, no doubt about it." Booklist (12/1)--"Fascinating...it's a hell of a story...and Russo comes across as a hell of an interesting guy." Library Journal(11/15)--"Fans of mob movies and unlikely success stories will find Russo's account compelling" In HOLLYWOOD GODFATHER: My Life in the Movies and the Mob, Gianni Russo reveals the behind the scenes story of the making of The Godfather, why it was almost never made at all, and how he landed a role in it with virtually no acting experience. He leveraged his connection with the mafia to get out of the crime business and into Hollywood, and eventually to a career as a Las Vegas casino and nightclub owner. In addition to behind the scenes stories of the making of the iconic movie, Gianni shares stories from his own incredible life, including: . Acting as a messenger to New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, and being sent out of the country afterwards . Going on the run after shooting and killing a member of Pablo Escobar's drug cartel in his Vegas club. . Laundering mob casino money through the Vatican, until Pope John Paul I put a stop to it . Getting the Shah of Iran fortune out of the country before his regime fell Celebrity names and encounters fill the book, including an out-of-control food fight with Liza Minelli in Dionne Warwick's Las Vegas mansion, and a very unusual encounter with Zsa Zsa Gabor. This is a riveting mafia memoir filled with Hollywood glamour and more than one near death experience. This year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of the novel The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, and the anniversary of the release of the movie is also coming up in March (it premiered on March 24th, 1972), Gianni is the real thing--he grew up in Little Italy, and worked for infamous mobster Frank Costello as a young man. He parlayed his mob connections into a role in the movie with virtually no acting experience, and helped avert a complete shutdown of the film production during shooting in Little Italy. He even had to threaten Marlon Brando when he tried to get him fired from the film (the New York Post Page Six item is below) Marlon Brando didn't want to work with acting rookie Gianni Russo on "The Godfather" and tried to get him fired - until Russo threatened to kill him. Russo, who played Carlo Rizzi in the Francis Ford Coppola classic, tells in his memoir, "Hollywood Godfather," how Brando cornered him during a break and started asking about his résumé. "Brando finally realized that I had zero experience in the acting game. I could tell he was upset. He turned to Francis Ford Coppola," Russo writes. Russo quotes Brando as saying, "Francis, this guy married my [character's] daughter, sells out the family and is instrumental in getting my boy Sonny [James Caan] killed. This part needs to be given to an experienced actor. You should reconsider who has this part." "I put my arm around Brando," Russo writes, "and ushered him into a corner. I got right in his face, but kept my voice subdued. 'Who the f - - k are you to try to do this to me? I'll cut your heart out, you rat motherf - - ker. I'm part of this picture whether you like it or not, you c - - ksucker.' "Brando stared at me for what seemed like a minute . . . 'Man, you're f - - king good,' he said. 'I take back what I said. You've got great acting chops.' "