Richard S. Castellano Movies and Career Information

Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor. Castellano was born in the Bronx. His gained fame playing the part of Peter Clemenza, in The Godfather. His line from the film, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," was ad-libbed. He also appeared on television, playing the lead roles of Joe Girelli in the TV sitcom The Super and Joe Vitale in Joe and Sons. Reportedly, he did not reprise his role in The Godfather Part II due to Castellano and his agent insisting that they have control over the character's dialog. Francis Ford Coppola said that as the director, this was untenable, and therefore he was not in the movie. This story was refuted by Castellano's widow in a 1991 letter to People. His omission from the movie was written in that the character had died sometime between the end of the first movie and the start of the second. Castellano was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers. Castellano died from a heart attack in 1988. According to Castellano's widow, he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano.