Even though the Godfather had its own story...chatacters in the godfather show alot of resemblance of real life mobster.

1. Corleone Family - Gambino Family
2. Moe Green - Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
3. Hyman Roth - Meyer Lansky

This always fascinated me (of course to post for this you must know your real mobsters).

If you think other characters represent real life mobsters...PLEASE POST!

luca brasi- willie moretti

micheal corleone- bill bonanno

vito corleone- frank costello

rosatto bros.- gallo bros.

joey zaso- john gotti

Of course, Johhny Fontaine clearly resembling Frank Sinatra

Santino, this question has been asked many times. Mario Puzo said that he drew on only two scenes from his own experience in writing “The Godfather”: guns being passed between apartment windows, and a widow evicted because of a dog. But many of the characters in both the book and the Trilogy are drawn from real life:

Close fit: Johnny Fontane = Frank Sinatra;
Hyman Roth = Meyer Lansky; Moe Green = Bugsy Siegel: Johnny Ola = Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo; Joey Zasa = Joe Columbo/John Gotti; Rosato Brothers = Gallo Brothers.
Stretch fit:Vito Corleone = Frank Costello; Emilio Barzini = Vito Genovese; Frankie Pentangeli = Joe Magliocco; Peter Clemenza = Frank Labruzzo (Bonanno Family); Sal Tessio = Gaspar DiGregorio (Bonanno Family); Fredo Corleone = Thomas Gambino; Luca Brasi = Willie Moretti.
No fit: Michael Corleone, Tom Hagen.
Hope this helps.

Resembles??

-Italian singer

-Skinny

-Girls screaming over

-Getting in a war picture

-Used to work for a band leader

-Connected to the mob

-Scar on face

With this factors its better then a DNA. On this side of the pond we would use the term "He's a dead ringer for Sinatra"

Thanks Turnbull helped alot. Was Lucky Luciano resembled by anyone?

Turnbull,

I believe that Vito Corleone was a composition of several mob leaders. Genovese, Profaci, Bonnano, etc. I remember reading somewhere that when Puzo wrote the character of Vito, he took different aspects from these Mob Leaders, ie : Mutiple Son's, Olive Oil Business, A grand Wedding Party, A quiet and humble Don, etc., and molded them into one character : Vito Corleone. Do you recall reading or hearing that Puzo made Vito from all these different characteristics from these several mob bosses?

Don Cardi

Don Cardi, I don't recall reading that Puzo deliberately intended Vito Corleone to be a composite, but he certainly was. Vito was the biggest olive oil importer in America (like Joe Profaci); had a son that he was bringing along in the business (like Joe Bonanno); on his way up assassinated an old-time boss (in a restaurant) who had been supported by Al Capone (like Salvatore Maranzano); was never jailed (like Carlo Gambino), and (Santo Felice, please note:) was tight with a Jewish partner (like Charlie Luciano). I said he was a "loose fit" for Frank Costello simply because he had more of Costello in him than the others--rejected drugs, had gambling and unions as his rackets, was the most politically powerful Don in his era, retired after being shot.

I agree with everything except for the jewish partner, i believe in the movie his jewish partner which was Hyman Roth represented Meyer, because wasnt Lucky italian??

Both Charlie Luciano and Meyer Lansky grew up on the Lower East Side of NYC. Luciano ran a gang of Italian kids who preyed on others. One day they accosted Meyer Lansky, who was four years younger than Luciano, and demanded money. "Go f*** yourself," replied young Meyer. From that day forward, they were pals.
Later, both Luciano and Lansky were proteges of the famous Arnold Rothstein, "king of the gamblers," the biggest gangster in NY in the Twenties. So was Frank Costello, who became Lansky's closest ally later on. When Luciano needed a hit squad to assassinate his boss, Joe Masseria, he called on Lansky to organize it; and he called on Lansky again to organize the hit squad that murdered Salvatore Maranzano. With the "Moustache Petes" out of the way, Luciano formed "The Commission," and he invited Lansky to sit with them as a de facto consigliere. Lansky later brokered the deal between Luciano and the US Government in which Luciano's 35-year sentence for white slavery was commuted to exile in Italy.

Santino,
You misinterperted Turnbull's comparison. He was NOT saying that Luciano was Jewish, what he was saying was that LIKE Luciano having a Jewish partner in Lansky, Corleone had a Jewish partner in Roth. Therefore he was comparing Corleone to Luciano.

An interesting footnote to Turnbull's ("OUR MOB HISTORIAN ") post : The way that Lansky brokered the deal for Luciano's release from prison to his exile to Italy was that the U.S. Government needed help in wartime with "security" at the U.S. ports which were run by The Mob, and they also needed help when they landed troops inside of Italy. So being the genius that Lansky was, he made a deal with the governement offering his associates help in these areas in return for the release of Luciano, hence eventually agreeing on Luciano being exiled to Italy.


Don Cardi