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Richard S. Castellano

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Richard S. Castellano
Castellano in The Super in 1972
Born
Richard Salvatore Castellano

(1933-09-04)September 4, 1933
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1988(1988-12-10) (aged 55)
North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1962–1982
Notable workThe Godfather

Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather.[1]

Early life

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Castellano was born in the Queens borough of New York City on September 4, 1933. His parents, Mariantonia Angello and Filippo Castellano, were Italian immigrants from Castrofilippo, Sicily.[2] His middle name, Salvatore, was in honor of his oldest brother who had died two years before he was born.[3]: 64 

After his death, Castellano's widow Ardell Sheridan, who had played his character Peter Clemenza's wife in The Godfather,[4][5] claimed he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano;[6]: 183–4  however, Richard Castellano's sister dismissed the claim as false: "we're not related to Paul", she stated.[7]

Career

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Castellano, after beginning as an extra in TV shows such as Naked City,[8] started working in various small roles. He first gained fame for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He won a Tony in the stage version of the work in 1968.[9] He appeared on Broadway in The Investigation, the Peter Weiss play depicting the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, in Frank D. Gilroy's That Summer, That Fall, alongside Tyne Daly and Irene Papas, and in Art Buchwald's comedy Sheep on the Runway.

He achieved stardom in 1972, with The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola, playing the part of gangster Peter Clemenza. The Godfather became the highest-grossing film up to that time and Castellano, along with several other cast members, became widely known from the popular film. He spoke, and, according to his wife, partially ad libbed,[10] one of the film's most famous lines, "Leave the gun; take the cannoli."[11] In The Godfather Part II (1974), only the young Clemenza appears, portrayed by Bruno Kirby. Castellano and Coppola had differences, resulting in Castellano no longer playing the role in the sequel.[12]

Castellano worked on television, playing the lead role in The Super sitcom that ran for 10 episodes in 1972, whose protagonist, Joe Girelli, is the superintendent of a New York City apartment building. His real-life daughter, Margaret Castellano, portrayed the super's daughter, Joanne. Castellano also starred as the lead, Joe Vitale, in the sitcom Joe and Sons (1975–1976).

Death

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Castellano died from a heart attack at his home in North Bergen, New Jersey, in 1988 at age 55.[13] His wife claimed the couple had been working on a book to be titled History of the Method, which would ostensibly chronicle the birth of method acting.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 Love with the Proper Stranger Extra Uncredited
1965 Three Rooms in Manhattan Angry American Uncredited
1966 A Fine Madness Arnold
1968 A Lovely Way to Die The Bartender Uncredited
1970 Lovers and Other Strangers Frank Vecchio
1972 The Godfather Peter Clemenza
1973 Honor Thy Father Frank Labruzzo
1973 Incident on a Dark Street Frank Romeo
1980 Night of the Juggler Lieutenant Tonelli
1981 The Gangster Chronicles Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria
1982 Dear Mr. Wonderful FBI Agent (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ Canby, Vincent (March 16, 1972). "Moving and Brutal Godfather Bows". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  2. ^ "Profile of Richard S. Castellano (1933-1988)". Family Search. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  3. ^ Kleiner, Dick (September 10, 1972). "Richard Castellano: the Sincere Guy". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana: Newspapers/com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "The Godfather". American Film Institute. August 21, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  5. ^ "Ardell Sheridan". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Sheridan-Castellano, Ardell (2002). Divine Intervention and a Dash of Magic : Unraveling The Mystery of The Method (Behind the scenes of Godfather 1). Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698661.
  7. ^ Seal, Mark (October 19, 2021). Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781982158613 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Eight Million Stories in the Naked City - Many of them uncredited, Part III". Classic TV History. March 15, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Actor Richard Castellano; Clemenza in Godfather". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1988. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Ujjainee, Roy (April 26, 2020). "Leave The Gun, Take The Cannoli: 10 Of The Best Quotes From The Godfather". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  11. ^ Doyle, Bill DoyleBill (2019-12-10). "How a 'Godfather' actor became a legend thanks to one line". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  12. ^ Schaal, Eric (2021-03-27). "'The Godfather': Why Richard Castellano Didn't Reprise His Clemenza Role in 'II'". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  13. ^ "Richard Castellano Is Dead at 55; An Actor of Stage, Screen and TV". The New York Times. December 12, 1988.
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