Al Lettieri

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Wikipedia

Al Lettieri
Lettieri as Virgil Sollozzo
in The Godfather
Born
Alfredo Lettieri[1]

(1928-02-24)February 24, 1928
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1975(1975-10-18) (aged 47)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1958–1975

Alfredo Lettieri (February 24, 1928 – October 18, 1975) was an American actor. Active during the 1960s and 1970s, he commonly portrayed villainous characters. Lettieri achieved recognition for his performance as mobster Virgil Sollozzo in the crime film The Godfather (1972) and appeared in several other productions alongside Hollywood's biggest screen stars.

Background

An Italian-American from New York City, Lettieri spoke Italian fluently. His brother-in-law was Pasquale Eboli, brother of Genovese crime family boss Thomas Eboli.[2]

Career

Lettieri — credited as "Anthony Lettier" — had a role in the 1958 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse" as Arthur Strome.[3] At the age of 36, he had a role in the television film The Hanged Man (1964).[4]

Before his notable film roles materialized, Lettieri offered his services as a dialogue coach on five productions, including the 1968 wartime classic Where Eagles Dare. He was credited variously as "Alfredo Lettieri" and "Al Lettier" during this phase of his career.[5]

Lettieri is best known for his role as Sicilian heroin trafficker Virgil Sollozzo in the 1972 American crime film The Godfather. In his 2024 autobiography, Al Pacino describes how Lettieri took him to visit a suburban New York family that resembled the Corleones after telling him, “You should meet this guy. It’s good for what you’re doing”. Pacino concluded, "Little Al knew some guys. Some real guys. And now he was introducing me to one of them."[6] This was the second film in which Lettieri and Marlon Brando worked together, the first being The Night of the Following Day (1969).[citation needed]

He wrote the film adaptation that became the screenplay for the 1971 gangster movie Villain, which starred Richard Burton and Ian McShane.[7][8] Lettieri played the brutal, libidinous henchman Rudy Butler in Steve McQueen's 1972 action film The Getaway,[9] and the menacing hit man Frank Renda in the 1974 Charles Bronson film Mr. Majestyk.[10][11] He played Ciro Musante in Go Gorilla Go (1976).[12]

Death

At age 47, Lettieri died of a heart attack in New York City in October 1975.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1964The Hanged ManAlTV movie
1965Wild SeedBartendera.k.a. Fargo (as Anthony Lettier)
Dark Intruder2nd SergeantTV movie, a.k.a. Black Cloak (as Anthony Lettier)
1966After the Fox(as Anthony Lettier)
1967The BoboEugenio Gomez
1969The Night of the Following DayPilot Al(as Al Lettier, though is also listed on the credits as Alfredo Letteri, associate producer)
1971A Town Called BastardLa Bomba
Villainscreenplay adaptation
1972The GodfatherVirgil "The Turk" Sollozzo
PulpMiller
FootstepsZimmermanTV movie
The GetawayRudy Butler
1973The Don Is DeadVince Fargoa.k.a. Beautiful But Deadly, a.k.a. The Deadly Kiss
The Deadly TrackersGutierrez, Mexican Policeman
1974McQManny Santiago
Mr. MajestykFrank Renda
1975Piedone a Hong KongFrank Barellaa.k.a. Flatfoot Goes East, a.k.a. Flatfoot in Hong Kong
Winner Take AllMan at TrackEpisode: "Time Lock"
1976Dublin Murders
Go Gorilla GoCiro Musante
House of Pleasure for WomenEddie Mordace

References

  1. ↑ "Person Details for Alfredo Lettieri, "U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014" — ancestry.com". Ancestry.com.
  2. ↑ "Meadow Soprano on Line One!" by Mark Seal, Vanity Fair, 26 February 2009
  3. ↑ Aveleyman.com - Al Lettieri
  4. ↑ AllMovie - The Hanged Man (1964)
  5. ↑ "Al Lettieri | Actor, Additional Crew, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  6. ↑ Pacino, Al (12 October 2024). "Al Pacino on the inside story of The Godfather: 'I was told, you're not cutting it'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  7. ↑ EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema, By Paul Moody - Page 112
  8. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes - Villain (1971)
  9. ↑ "Notes on Lettieri". The Sumter Daily Item. September 25, 1973. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  10. ↑ Screen Anarchy, July 18, 2018 - 70s Rewind: MR. MAJESTYK, Melons, Migrants and Murder - Peter Martin
  11. ↑ Block, Alex Ben (1974-08-08). "'Mr. Majestyk' is more violence, more sexism". The Miami News. p. 3B. Retrieved 2025-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes - The Hired Gun (Vai Gorilla) (Go Gorilla Go), Cast