Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 â€" December 10, 1988)
was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers
and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The
Godfather.Castellano was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York
City, to an Italian Catholic family. According to Castellano's widow,
he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul
Castellano.Castellano gained worldwide fame for his role in Lovers and
Other Strangers (1970), for which he was nominated for an Academy
Award. He achieved further stardom in 1972 for playing the part of
Peter Clemenza, in The Godfather. The Godfather became the
highest-grossing film up to that time. Castellano, along with several
other cast members, became widely known from the popular film. He
spoke one of the film's most famous lines, "Leave the gun; take the
cannoli," which he partially ad-libbed.Castellano also appeared on
television, playing the lead role of Joe Girelli in the television
situation comedy The Super (10 episodes in 1972). His real-life
daughter Margaret Castellano portrayed his character's daughter
Joanne. He also portrayed the lead Joe Vitale in Joe and Sons
(1975â€"1976).
was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers
and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The
Godfather.Castellano was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York
City, to an Italian Catholic family. According to Castellano's widow,
he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul
Castellano.Castellano gained worldwide fame for his role in Lovers and
Other Strangers (1970), for which he was nominated for an Academy
Award. He achieved further stardom in 1972 for playing the part of
Peter Clemenza, in The Godfather. The Godfather became the
highest-grossing film up to that time. Castellano, along with several
other cast members, became widely known from the popular film. He
spoke one of the film's most famous lines, "Leave the gun; take the
cannoli," which he partially ad-libbed.Castellano also appeared on
television, playing the lead role of Joe Girelli in the television
situation comedy The Super (10 episodes in 1972). His real-life
daughter Margaret Castellano portrayed his character's daughter
Joanne. He also portrayed the lead Joe Vitale in Joe and Sons
(1975â€"1976).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.