The Godfather movies influenced a whole generation, single-handedly creating the “Mobster” genre and changing cinema history forever while many know that the film is based on a true story, not many know about the exact story.

52 years after the movie’s release, we finally find out who was the real mobster behind The Godfather and how much his life and “work” had to be toned down for it to be featured in the iconic movie.

Father of Film

The movies were directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. If you don’t already know, it depicts the trials and tribulations of a fictional crime family, the Corleones, in America across several generations.

Puzo and Coppola based their masterpieces on some very real people from history—and to no one’s surprise their stories are even more gripping than the fictional version and today, we are going to reveal them all.

Big Al

Before we go into the real-life inspiration, let’s refresh our memories about the characters from the films. Al Pacino, Hollywood’s biggest legend got his starring turn in The Godfather playing Michael Corleone.

Originally a quiet student and ex-military man, Michael grows up in the shadow of his mafia family but has no intention of joining the mob—something that his father is more than happy to encourage him in.

Father Figure

Another film icon that provided an extraordinary performance was Marlon Brando. Brando was a well-established star before he was cast, with leads in classic movies such as A Streetcar Named Desire and Last Tango in Paris.

But it was his turn as Vito Corleone, Pacino’s character’s father and the titular “Godfather” of the movie, that gained him a whole new legion of fans and critical acclaim. Fun Fact: To create the accent of Don Corleone, Brando stuffed cotton wool into the sides of his mouth!

Larger Than Life

Don Corleone is depicted as a powerful man who controls everything in his community despite his humble demeanor. The real-life inspiration behind this imposing figure was much like that but, of course, far more intimidating.

One of the first examples we see of Don Corleone’s immense power is when he assists his friend and associate, popular singer Jonny Fontaine. When the singer isn’t able to get a part in an upcoming movie, Don sends one of his associates to the movie executive to try “persuade” him.

Cinema Gold

This scenario created the legendary moment when the movie executive wakes up in his bed to find the head of his beloved horse, which has been cut off and hidden underneath his covers!

That would be persuasive enough for us! As Woltz’s scream reverberates through the film for several excruciating seconds, Don Corleone only says “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” While fans needed no help remembering this scene, what they probably don’t already know is that it mirrored real life.

Something Fishy

Another scene that has now become the stuff of cinema history is when the Corleones receive a dramatic signal that one of their associates, Luca Brasi, has been killed by a rival mafia family.

The message they receive is in the form of a fish in the mail which is wrapped in Brasi’s bulletproof vest. Why fish? Well, it means “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes”. This is just one of the moments in this legendary movie that later became a popular phrase throughout movies, TV, and literature.

Officially, It’s Fiction

Both the movies and the novel are considered a work of fiction but the creators drew inspiration from a real-life mafia boss and the wild adventures of his life. Many of the characters were based on real people, some are even rather famous!

Remember the up-and-coming singer and actor Jonny Fontaine? The rumor is that he was based on Frank Sinatra. This is all speculation but even Sinatra himself was reportedly extremely offended by the portrayal.

The Real Vito

Vito Corleone was based on a man whose life in the mafia became the stuff of legend. Frank Costello, who—like Corleone—was born in Italy at the end of the 19th century, into a community rife with criminal gangs and revenge killings.

Like Corleone, Costello did not spend too much time in Italy. As seen in The Godfather: Part II, the young Vito Corleone—then called Vito Andolini—packs his bags and moves from Italy to seek a new life in America.

The New World

Corleone followed in Costello’s footsteps who was then called Francesco Castiglia. They both changed their names to more American-sounding equivalents upon their arrival. However, unlike Corleone, Costello made the move alongside his parents.

In real life, Costello and his family settled into life in the new country and lived in a predominantly Italian neighborhood—just like Corleone did but Costello was not as immediately immersed in a life of crime.

Honest Living

Costello’s parents set up a grocery store and began a pretty wholesome life serving customers. But Costello wasn’t too keen on a simple lifestyle and baulked at the idea of selling veg his whole life.

The key to his initiation into the crime world was all due to a key moment in American History, the Prohibition Era of the 1920s. A time when it was illegal to sell, consume or import alcohol during this time.

New Genre Of Crime

For this reason, alcohol became an illegal property but that didn’t stop society at large from buying and selling alcohol, all it did was force it to go underground. To facilitate this transition, Costello would become a major figure.

Costello would go on to change the face of organized crime in America by focusing on the import, export, and selling of alcohol rather than more harmful narcotics. Thus, he gained unimaginable wealth and status.

His Partner

Another reason behind his success was his friend, Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Lucky was already well-established in organized crime when the two decided to band together to form a business in the underground alcohol trade.

They soon grew their firm and signed up fellow mobsters Meyer Lansky and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, and together they started work providing secret alcohol supplies to those with “wet sympathies” – aka anti-Prohibitionists.

Full Grown

The business soon went international when members of the Irish mafia also came on board. This multi-membered bootlegging team began a roaring trade in secret alcohol, calling themselves “The Combine”.

However, this business would eventually meet a dramatic end. Though many of his colleagues in the Combine were caught and ended up being sent to prison, Costello himself was able to maintain his freedom.

Reaching the Top

Costello was able to use many mafia connections to grow into one of the most formidable figures of the New York mafia, eventually becoming known as the “Prime Minister of the Underworld”.

Not only was Costello connected to many mob bosses, but he also had a ” good understanding” with many corrupt law enforcement and government officials, ensuring himself a prime position that allowed him to do anything to anyone without repercussions.

Coming Together

While, we assume much of Costello’s reign was created through “persuasive skills”, his ability to put aside old enemies and solve long-running feuds greatly helped establish his status as the biggest crime boss of the era.

He also united some of the most prominent crime families under a new form of organizational leadership. This union between families and mob leaders was called the National Crime Syndicate – and Costello was a big part in making this happen.

The Big Split

Around this time, another major crime organization was formed, by Costello’s associate and old friend Charles “Lucky” Luciano. This new organization was called “The Commission” and brought mobsters from the National Crime Syndicate together with even more mafia bosses.

However, all was not well within this new union because a large division was created between two factions, over one key issue the involvement with drugs. Of course, Costello stood with the conservatives who refused to trade in narcotics, just like Vito Corleone had done in the novel and movie adaptations.

Consequences

Some rumors assume that this split was the reason why a criminal mastermind such as Costello would find himself being caught and reprimanded by the authorities. After having worked in crime for years it was only now that Costello spent some time in prison.

He was even threatened with having his citizenship revoked by the U.S. authorities but it was an assassination attempt that finally forced him to give up his power. He eventually settled down into a pretty quiet life in his old age and even became a keen gardener—going so far as to exhibit his flowers in local horticultural displays!

Natural Causes

After such a long career of criminal activity and witnessing many of his colleagues pass away in gruesome deaths, Costello ended up passing away in a much more natural way.

The former mobster died from a heart attack at the age of 82 and had a modest funeral home in his local Manhattan town. After a life of such wild ups and downs, the original Godfather passed away much like Vito Corleone, who suffered the same fate while spending time with his little grandson in his vineyard.

Living Legacy

We think that its inspiration from reality made The Godfather one of the most critically acclaimed and successful movies of all time. Together, this epic movie franchise has received 28 Academy Award nominations in total, winning nine.

Both the first and second movies won the Best Picture Oscar, making The Godfather: Part II the only sequel in history to receive this accolade, though it was not well-received by fans. Despite that, The Godfather movies had had an even wider reach than international recognition one which no one expected.

Bada Bing

Nearly half a decade since its release, The Godfather is still regarded as a quintessential mafia movie and the proof is in the countless imitation movies and TV shows which have been created afterward, all trying to replicate the success and impact of the famous franchise.

Even the popular HBO show The Sopranos was massively inspired by the film trilogy. Nowadays, the phrase “Bada Bing” was probably heard by modern audiences first in The Sopranos, but it was coined in The Godfather movies.