Michael Corleone similarities

Was there a boss who was similar to Michael? In godfather 2 he appeared to be out of sight and out of mind. If you compare that to some of the old school mafia dons like Frank Costello, many people would see him walking around the streets. You get the sense that Michael was always very calculated and was rarely if ever seen by lower level member of his family. Also, if a mafia boss in the 40s(when Michael first became boss I believe) wiped out the rest of the heads of the 5 families like Michael did and assumed control of everything, would that boss have been as successful as Michael was down the line?

Joe Bonanno tried. That's where Puzo got the idea. The Godfather was Puzo's "what if" nod to Bonanno's crazy idea.

Bonanno was trying to go legit?

If I remember correctly the events of the novel and movies start in late 1945 (with flashbacks obviously). By the time Michael makes his move against the other families, he's been married to Kay long enough that their son is already reading (remember he jokes with the Don about the funny papers); so it has to be at least the early 1950s. He kills the police captain in early 1946, hides out in Sicily, comes back, waits a year before he even contacts Kay--so they're not married until at least 1948.

Sounds about right. I still wish that we were filled in on how Michael amassed such an empire by the time Godfather 3 comes around. I’m assuming it’s all from real estate, casinos, and illegal activities but he made enough legitimate money to sell off the illegal portion of his businesses and live comfortably as a man worth 9 figures.