History Characters / TheGodfather

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamily Corleone Family]] -- The Corleone family members.
* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamilyAssociates Corleone Family Associates]] -- Henchmen and associates of the Corleone family.
* [[Characters/TheGodfatherOtherCrimeBosses Other Crime Bosses]] -- Various other crime bosses and criminals not aligned with the Corleones.

** [[Characters/TheGodfatherVitoCorleone Vito Corleone]]
** [[Characters/TheGodfatherMichaelCorleone Michael Corleone]]

----
[[folder: Captain McCluskey]]
[[/folder]]

----

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Tell me. Do you spend time with your family?"'']]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thegodfather.jpg]]

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamily Corleone Family]] -- The Corleone family members and their close ones.

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherOtherCrimeBosses Other Crime Bosses]] -- Various other crime bosses and criminals.

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherOtherCrimeBosses Other Crime Bosses]] -- Various crime bosses and criminals, most often antagonistic to the Corleone family.

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherOtherCrimeBosses Other Crime Bosses]] -- Various crime bosses, most often antagonistic to the Corleone family.

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamily Corleone Family]] -- The Corleone family and its close ones.

The characters of ''Film/TheGodfather'' trilogy and its associated works.

* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamily Corleone Family]]
* [[Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamilyAssociates Corleone Family Associates]]
* [[Characters/TheGodfatherOtherCrimeBosses Other Crime Bosses]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."'']]

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[[folder: Virgil Sollozzo]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgil_sollozzo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:212:''"What guarantees can I give you?"'']]
->''"I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is a big expense."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Al Lettieri

A freelance criminal allied with the Tattaglia family, who urges Vito and the other dons to expand into narcotics. He engineers the attempt on Vito's life, setting the plot in motion.

* BigBadDuumvirate: He seems to be this with Tattaglia.
* BlatantLies: When Michael meets with him at the restaurant, Michael insists that any deal requires Sollozzo stopping his attempts to kill Vito. Sollozzo doesn't answer that request, deflecting it trying to claim "I'm the hunted one... You think too much of me kid." It's clear to Michael (and the audience) that Sollozzo won't stop [[spoiler:making it easier to sympathize with Michael when he kills Sollozzo.]]
* CoDragons: He and Tattaglia serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:This is how he dies, courtesy of Michael Corleone.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Shot halfway through by Michael.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A ruthless businessman who behaves in a polite and personable manner when he's not murdering people.
* GratuitousItalian: Speaks it fluently like a native despite being known as "The Turk."
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sollozzo ordered the hit on Vito Corleone after Sonny expressed interest in the drug deal, expecting Sonny to take him up on the offer after Vito turned him down. Instead Sonny initiates a war among the Five Families and helps plot [[spoiler:Michael's assassination of Sollozzo.]]
* KnifeNut: Sollozzo is said to be very good with a knife, but being a businessman he avoids fighting if he can help it. This shows up briefly in the film when Luca Brasi meets with him in Bruno Tattaglia's nightclub.
* KnightOfCerebus: His arrival marks the steady erosion of the unassailable position held by the Corleone Family at the beginning of the beginning. [[ImpaledPalm He stabs Luca Brasi's right hand]], pinning it to the bar while one of Bruno's men garrotes Luca Brasi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Had some elements of Joe Colombo, in that he and Joe Magliocco were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* PragmaticVillainy: He proclaims he doesn't like violence because he is a businessman. "Blood is a big expense." Tom Hagen agrees with this view, while Sonny puts [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge before the business]].
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: He had a very elaborate plan with Tattaglia to take down the Corleones. Judging from Brasi's death, it's a very violent plan too.
* SinisterSchnoz: One of the reasons why he was called "The Turk" was because he had a nose like a Turkish scimitar.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Philip Tattaglia]]
[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/philip_tattaglia.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:170:''"But I must have strict assurance from Corleone. As time goes by and his position becomes stronger, will he attempt any individual vendetta?"'']]
->''"He [Vito] had all the judges and politicians in his pocket. He refused to share them."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Victor Rendina

Heads one of New York's Five Families, allies with Sollozzo ([[spoiler:and Barzini]]) against Vito to advance his standing.

* BigBadDuumvirate: With Virgil Sollozzo [[spoiler:as a front]].
* CoDragons: He and Sollozzo serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* DecoyAntagonist: Appears to be the main villain in the early stages. [[spoiler: It's actually Barzini.]]
* DirtyCoward: He's still a dirty pimp that barely lifts a finger for [[spoiler:Barzini's]] plans. He tends to avoid facing danger if the opportunity arises.
* DirtyOldMan: He's old enough to have a middle-aged son and he still consorts with prostitutes.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: More evident in the novel; he specializes in prostitution and is subsequently treated with [[EvenEvilHasStandards thinly-veiled contempt by most of the other Families]].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Tommy Lucchese, who was short in height. Other than that, Lucchese did not specialize in prostitution, but in other areas such as Manhattan's Garment District, union racketeering, narcotics trafficking and also had control over rackets at Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport). Also has some elements of Joe Magliocco, in that he and Joe Colombo were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: Unlike the other Family heads, he still speaks with a pronounced Italian accent.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Two of Michael's henchmen, armed with automatic weapons, attack him while he is in bed with a prostitute. They pump him, the bed, and [[DisposableSexWorker the unfortunate prostitute]] full of lead in the process.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Emilio Barzini]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emilio_barzini.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:184:''"A refusal is not the act of a friend."'']]
->''"If Don Corleone had all the judges and politicians in New York, then he must share them or let others use them. He must let us draw the water from the well."'''

->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Conte

Heads the second-most powerful New York family, regarded as a power broker among the feuding families. He's revealed to be the one pulling the strings behind Sollozzo and Tattaglia.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The true antagonist of ''Part I''.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In a seemingly friendly gesture, he accepts Don Vito's request to help set up peace summit called to bring an end to the Five Families War. [[spoiler:This is ultimately revealed to be a cynical ploy when Barzini uses the summit as an opportunity to subject Vito to a shakedown resulting in the forceful appropriation of much of the latter's power and influence.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Had his plan to take down the Corleone's set up very well. However, Michael managed to out-gambit him.]]
* TheDon: Of the Barzini Family.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Appears at Connie's wedding long before his importance to the plot is established.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He exhibits a very diplomatic and pleasant demeanor in his dealings with business partners and other associates. [[spoiler:However, in reality, he is a very cold-hearted and calculated man who has no scruples about employing brutal and underhanded tactics to increase his power.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:He is ultimately revealed to be the mastermind behind a conspiracy to usurp power from the Corleone originally believed to be led by Philip Tattaglia.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:He secretly conspires with Carlo Rizzi to have Connie viciously beaten in order to provoke her hot-headed brother, Santino, and lure him to his death.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: His character is loosely based on Vito Genovese, a ruthless mob boss who sought to become the "Boss of all Bosses" by capitalizing on the sale of narcotics and eliminating all potential rivals within the criminal underworld, most notably Frank Costello, Albert Anastasia and Lucky Luciano. Also had some elements of Joe Bonanno, who, like Genovese, wanted to become the Mafia's overlord by eliminating several of his rivals by using Joe Colombo and Joe Magliocco as fronts.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Both Vito and Michael Corleone have outsmarted Barzini by deliberately letting him and the other bosses whittle away the Corleone interests in order to lull them into a false sense of security. Before his death, Vito warns his son that Barzini will try to have Michael eliminated under the guise of a peace meeting, and that whoever approaches Michael about the meeting will be exposed as the traitor within the family. Michael uses this info to his advantage, and silently eliminates the the other Mafia heads (including Barzini). Sal Tessio (who reveals himself to be the traitor at Vito's funeral, albeit unknowingly) and Carlo Rizzi (for conspiring with Barzini to abuse Connie) were later executed for betraying the Corleones.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Moe Greene]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moegreene.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:''"You goddamn guineas you really make me laugh."'']]
->''"Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Greene! [[WhileYouWereInDiapers I made my bones while you were going out with cheerleaders]]!"''

-> '''Portrayed By''': Alex Rocco

Hotheaded Las Vegas crime boss who runs afoul of Michael's plans to relocate the Corleone Family to Nevada. In ''Part II'', he's revealed to have been a protégé of Hyman Roth, providing Roth motivation for revenge against Michael.

* HotBlooded: Very quickly goes from affable host to angry, blustering defiance when meeting with Michael.
* KickTheDog: His treatment of Fredo.
* KosherNostra: Of Jewish background.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: The TropeNamer.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, a friend and partner of Meyer Lansky who played a key role in developing the Las Vegas Strip and [[spoiler:died in a manner similar to Greene]]. His name is a portmanteau of two other Las Vegas gangsters, Moe Dalitz and Gus Greenbaum, who were Siegel's contemporaries.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Calls Michael a "guinea".
* SmallRoleBigImpact: His actual screen time is rather brief, but [[spoiler:his death]] plays a major role in ''Part II''.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as powerful (or secure) as he thinks he is. Somewhat justified, as he's aware of the turmoil within the Corleone Family and [[NotSoHarmlessVillain doesn't see Michael as a serious threat]].
* StupidEvil: Not only does he aggressively refuse Michael's offer of a buyout, he blurts out that [[spoiler:Barzini has already contacted him]]. Thus confirming for Michael who the ''real'' BigBad is, and marking [[spoiler:Greene himself for execution]].
* VisionaryVillain: According to Hyman Roth, he created Las Vegas's gambling and vice rackets virtually from scratch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Hyman Roth]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyman.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.''"]]
->''"Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Lee Strasberg

Born Hyman Suchowsky, the Jewish-American Roth befriended Vito during Prohibition, but later set up his own organization in Miami. Aging and perhaps terminally ill, Roth invites Michael to join his operations in Cuba, but he's soon revealed to be plotting against Michael.

* AffablyEvil: In most of his scenes, he comes across as a friendly old man who honestly wants to advise Michael and leave behind something worthwhile for his friends.
* AffluentAscetic: He's a captain of an immense criminal empire but chooses to live in a modest house in a Miami suburb.
* BigBad: Of Michael's story in ''Part II''.
* TheChessmaster: Tries to outwit Michael, but like Barzini before him, [[OutGambitted Michael upstages]] and kills him for it.
* DieLaughing: He's cracking jokes to reporters at the airport, moments before Rocco shoots him.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Clemenza introduces him to Vito as "Johnny Lips," which Roth clearly dislikes. Vito suggests he's select his own name.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His wife and brother accompany him to Cuba.
* EvilCounterpart: To Don Vito.
* KosherNostra: He is Jewish like Moe Greene. He later tries moving to Israel, but gets rejected due to being a known criminal.
* LikeASonToMe: He claims that Moe Greene was this to him, and clearly it is one of the main reasons why he wants revenge against Michael.
* TheMentor: To Moe Greene.
* MetaCasting: Lee Strasberg was a famous and influential acting teacher whom many of the actors in the series, and was Al Pacino's mentor moreoever. Here, he plays a powerful, highly respected, highly influential crime boss. Originally the role was going to be played by Creator/EliaKazan but eventually Coppola turned to his rival.
* MotiveRant: When Michael asks him who ordered the hit on Pentangeli, Roth responds by revealing his close connection to Moe Greene, whom Michael had killed. This provides greater clarity about why Roth would want Michael dead, even though Roth is [[DownplayedTrope never explicit about this]].
--> This was a great man, a man of vision and guts. [[ShrineToTheFallen And there isn't even a plaque or a signpost or a statue]] in [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas that town]]! [[MoeGreeneSpecial Someone put a bullet through his eye]]. No one knows who gave the order. When I heard it, I wasn't angry. I knew Moe, [[HairTriggerTemper I knew he was headstrong—talking loud, saying stupid things]]. So when he turned up dead, [[BlatantLies I let it go]]. I said to myself, "This is business that we've chosen." [[SuddenlyShouting And I didn’t ask who gave the order! Because it had nothin' to do with business!]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Roth was very heavily based off the notorious and powerful Jewish gangster/adviser to the Mafia Meyer Lansky. Lansky reportedly called Lee Strasberg (the father of Method Acting), the actor playing Roth, and congratulated him on his performance, but added, "You could have made me more sympathetic." InUniverse, it's mentioned Roth is a pseudonym inspired by Arnold Rothstein. Coppola also commented that Strasberg based Roth's personality on their mutual friend, Creator/EliaKazan.
* NonActionBigBad: He is very sick but no less effective as a BigBad.
* RememberTheNewGuy: A longtime friend and business partner of Vito's, whom we don't meet until ''Part II''.
* TranquilFury: Is a lot more angry over his protege Moe Greene's death than he's letting on, and has a very good idea who's responsible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Francesco Ciccio]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ciccico.png]]
->''"It's not his words I'm afraid of!"''
-->-- on Vito

->'''Portrayed By''': Giuseppe Sillato

A Sicilian Mafia chief who kills Vito's father, brother and mother, forcing him to flee to the United States. Decades later, Vito returns to Sicily, seeking revenge.

* AssholeVictim: This is the man that killed Vito's parents and older brother... it's hard to shed a tear for him when Vito finally gets his long-sought and ''very'' well-deserved revenge.
* BigBad: Of Vito's story in ''Part II''.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: EvilVersusEvil example. Killing off Vito's entire family eventually led to the kid growing up to become a (very vengeful) crime lord himself.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He killed Vito's father Antonio Andolini just for insulting him. To think that if it weren't for Ciccio having such a fragile ego, the whole ''Godfather'' saga wouldn't even have happened.
* TheDon: The top crime boss of Corleone, Sicily at the beginning of the 20th century, [[spoiler:until his assassination]].
* FatBastard: An overweight, child-murdering mob boss.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can can act polite and friendly during business meetings, but is ruthless enough to have whole families killed if they cross him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He was more than willing to kill Vito ''as a child'' to ensure he wouldn't return for revenge.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:He gets his stomach stabbed and sliced by Vito Andolini, the now-grown-up boy whom Ciccio had orphaned so long ago.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: He attempts to kill all of Antonio Andolini's male relatives, including his 9-year-old son Vito, knowing they would be honor-bound to avenge Antonio's murder. This forces Vito to escape to America, where he becomes a Don himself, eventually giving him the ability to return and kill Don Ciccio.
* NonActionBigBad: He has grown too old and almost blind by the time Vito arrives to take his revenge. [[spoiler:It doesn't stop him from delivering it anyway.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Had Vito's older brother Paolo killed for attempting to avenge his father, and tried to have Vito killed since Vito would do the same.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Fanucci]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theratb.png]]
->''"Tell your friends I don't want a lot. Just enough to [[UnusualEuphemism wet my beak]]."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Gastone Moschin

A small-time extortionist terrorizing Little Italy in the 1910s, who drives Vito to a life of crime.

* BackupBluff: A villainous example, and his entire MO. He scares the people in the neighborhood into thinking he is a member of the Black Hand.
* BigBadWannabe: He is very feared and acts all ruthless, but he is a PaperTiger: there are some paisans who don't pay him any tribute, he has no real muscle and resorts to police threats to enforce his demands. After Vito tests him by only paying half of his debt, he decides that he's no threat and kills him.
* TheBully: He was more of a neighborhood bully in Little Italy rather than a true mobster.
* CatchPhrase: Fond of telling people he needs to "wet my beak," i.e. skim their profits.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: For Vito, killing Fanucci turns him from petty criminal to respected godfather.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He uses his power to get his nephew a job (at the cost of Vito's) and when intimidating Vito Fanucci takes a dress from Vito's store to give to one of his own daughters.
* KarmicDeath: He gets Vito fired from his job, forcing him to become a criminal. Vito killing him seems just punishment.
* StupidEvil: When he smugly attempts to extort money from Vito, he: a.) threatens Vito not with violence but with a visit from the cops, suggesting that he's got no actual muscle; b.) first asks for $200, then halves it to $100 when Vito doesn't immediately capitulate, suggesting that he lacks force of will; c.) doesn't offer Vito anything at all (except the implication that he ''won't'' call the cops.) All this does is show Vito that Don Fanucci is not a serious threat, and that killing him will annoy no-one.
%%* SmugSnake
* WouldHitAGirl: He was willing to threaten a young lady with a knife to her neck, just to extort more money out of her father.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Joey Zasa]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaza_4.png]]
->''"As for Don Corleone, he makes it very clear to me today, that he is my enemy. You must choose between us."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Joe Mantegna

A flamboyant associate of the Corleones, trying to gain power in New York City. Michael and the other crime bosses consider him an embarrassment for his media grandstanding.

* BigBadWannabe: As a whole, he's not really as powerful as his boss, Altobello, and Michael and the Commission don't take him seriously.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Of ''Part III''. In fact, the real BigBad is relieved to see him go!
* DudeWheresMyRespect: His rant to the Mafia commission complains about no one taking him seriously. Michael [[ShutUpHannibal tells him it's own fault for being so flamboyant]].
* EqualOpportunityEvil: He recruits blacks and Latinos into his organization, which shows he "has a good heart".
%%* LargeHam
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: He likes to be known for his well dressed style and as a champion of Italian-American heritage. It doesn't exactly endear him to his fellow mafiosi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: A thinly-veiled [[TakeThat up-yours]] against Joseph Colombo, from his personality to the Italian-American heritage organization Zasa fronts, resembling Colombo's Italian-American Civil Rights League which caused Coppola headaches [[RealitySubtext during the first film]]. His over-the-top, media-friendly persona also recalls John Gotti, Carmine Persico, Paul Castellano and "Crazy" Joe Gallo.
* RememberTheNewGuy: As with Pentangeli in ''Part II'', a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Originally Zasa was to be Willie Cicci, but Joe Spinell's death forced Coppola to rewrite his storyline for a new character.
%%* TheSociopath
* TheStarscream: He is hinted as wanting to take over Altobello's plan so he can be Don.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Altobello]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/altobello.png]]
->''"The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/EliWallach

Long-time friend of the Corleone family (he was even Connie's godfather), revealed to be the BigBad manipulating events in ''Part III''.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Lucchesi.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He managed to fool the Corleones for a long while with a friendly, yet senile disposition; he even managed to become Connie's godfather thanks to his act.
* TheChessmaster: He has an elaborate plan to kill Michael and his pomps so he can take over his operations. However, like the others, Michael manages to catch on to his betrayal and outsmart him.
* EvilOldFolks: Despite his age, he's still the antagonist of ''Part III'' for a reason.
* FalseFriend: To the Corleone family, secretly being the BigBad.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, friendly and a bit senile but it's all an act.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's the one behind Joey Zasa, among other things.
* RememberTheNewGuy: He calls himself the Corleone family's "oldest friend." One wonders where he's been for the past two movies.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Connie seems to be a bit sad after [[spoiler: poisoning him]] as he was her godfather.
* WickedCultured: He genuinely enjoyed the opera reciting with the performers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Licio Lucchesi]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lllllll.png]]
->''"Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Enzo Robutti

An Italian politician involved in the Vatican Bank, with heavy ties to organized crime, and Michael's enemy Altobello in particular.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Altobello.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: Prominently wears a pair of glasses, [[spoiler:which is ironically used to kill him]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Stabbed to death by his own ''glasses'' in his ''throat''.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Lucchesi is modeled on Giulio Andreotti, who was the prime minister of UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} during ''III'''s release and was convicted (then acquitted) of his links with the RealLife mafia. The line Lucchesi's killer gives before Lucchesi's murder -- "Power wears out those who don't have it" -- is a direct quote from Andreotti. He also shares a lot of traits (down to his first name) with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licio_Gelli Licio Gelli]] a grandmaster of the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AncientConspiracy Freemasons]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Archbishop Gilday]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archbishop_3.png]]
->''"It seems the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness".''

->'''Portrayed by''': Donal Donnelly

High-ranking Church official, involved with the Vatican Bank. Michael enlists him as an ally in his effort to purchase Immobiliare, unaware that he's working with Altobello and Lucchesi.

* TheChessmaster: Quite good at manipulating Michael through outward displays of friendship. It's implied that [[spoiler:he's the one who engineers Pope John Paul's death]].
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Shot by Neri then falls down a staircase.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A very charming and soft-spoken man in public, but a ruthless schemer behind closed doors.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Like other characters in ''Part III'', Gilday is based on a major figure in the Vatican Bank scandals, in this case American-born Archbishop Paul Marcinkus. Unlike his film counterpart, Marcinkus remained head of the Vatican Bank through 1990 and died of natural causes in 2006.
* SinisterMinister: If not [[FauxAffablyEvil his demeanor]], then certainly his actions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Frederick Keinszig]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thatoneguy.png]]
->''"Everything will be out in the open if Corleone dies."''

->'''Portrayed by''': Helmut Berger

A [[SwissBankAccount Swiss banker]] who helps negotiate the Immobiliare deal. Fearing exposure, he skips town with a BriefcaseFullOfMoney and incriminating documents, which doesn't save him.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Happily sells out his co-conspirators as well as Michael. Vincent sums him up well:
--> "That little Swiss banker fuck -- he's been swindling everyone from the beginning. Fuck him."
* IronicNickname: "God's Banker."
* MorallyBankruptBanker: An archetypal example, especially given his ties to a CorruptChurch and TheMafia.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: For Roberto Calvi, chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, one of the key players in the Vatican Bank scandals of the '80s. Keinszig's fate is explicitly modeled off Calvi's death; the banker was found hanging from Blackfriar's Bridge in London in 1982.
* SmugSnake: Condescending, arrogant and untrustworthy; no one much likes him.
* TooDumbToLive: When Pope John Paul I takes power, he decides to backstab not only Michael but Altobello, Lucchesi ''and'' the Vatican, running off with a suitcase full of cash, bonds and Church documents. Really, what did he ''expect'' to happen?
[[/folder]]

* Characters/TheGodfatherCorleoneFamily

!Corleone Family Associates
[[folder: Peter Clemenza]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clemenza.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"You know, you gotta stop them at the beginning. Like they should have stopped Hitler at Munich, they should never let him get away with that, they was just asking for trouble."]]
->"''[[MemeticMutation Leave the gun]]. [[ThrowItIn Take the cannoli]]''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Castellano (''The Godfather''), Creator/BrunoKirby (''Part II'')

One of Vito's caporegimes, who helped initiate Vito's criminal career and became one of his most trusted advisors. Serves as a mentor to Michael and other members of the Family.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* {{Acrofatic}}: Both the book and the film show him as a surprisingly agile dancer at the Corleone wedding.
* AffablyEvil: To his friends and associates, Clemenza's regarded as a friendly, jovial kind of guy, always happy to talk and always happy to share his tales of the good old days.
* BigFun: Seems to provide a comedic scene or two, the quote above being the top example on how funny he can get.
* TheBigGuy: As a Capo of the family, he takes a direct role in controlling the movements of the family soldiers; for good measure, he's occasionally called upon to act as a hitman.
%%* BoisterousBruiser
* BondOneLiner: "Leave the gun. [[ThrowItIn Take the cannoli.]]"
* BusCrash: He dies of a heart attack -- although Cicci implies [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident foul play]] -- between the events of the first and second films and his position as capo of the Corleone family's New York branch passes to [[RememberTheNewGuy Frank Pentangeli]], his SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. This was not originally going to happen; the reason for this change was a disagreement between actor Richard Castellano and Coppola (Castellano wanted creative control over his character and Coppola would not allow it, so Castellano was dropped from the film).
* CoolUncle: To Vito's children, even if not by blood.
* DangerTakesABackseat: [[spoiler:While killing Carlo Rizzi.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Dialogue in the second film implies that he died of a heart attack between movies.]]
* FormerlyFit: In ''Part II'', when played by Bruno Kirby in his youth, Clemenza was a lot skinnier than when played by Richard Castellano. Though the younger Clemenza is a bit thicker than the younger Vito and Tessio and can be seen eating a lot. His final scene in the flashback shows him gaining much more weight.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Vito and Tessio.
* IronicName: The professional killer's last name means "mercy" in Italian.
* HonoraryUncle: To Vito's children.
* FatBastard: Has a reputation for violent, ruthless tactics in gang wars.
* HiddenDepths: An excellent cook, even showing Michael how to make spaghetti sauce, and a history buff who compares Sollozzo's actions to Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch.
** The movie additionally emphasizes how Tessio is the "smarter" of the two Corleone Capos, but Clemenza demonstrates a fairly calculating demeanor when walking Michael through the best way to [[spoiler:assassinate Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=].]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:Personally kills Carlo Rizzi by strangling him in a car. It was probably personal since Sonny, who Carlo lured to his death, was Clemenza's godson.]]
* TheMentor: According to the book, he taught Sonny how to fight and kill, though he was a bit disappointed that Sonny never showed any particular liking for the garotte. In both the film and the book, he also advises Michael on carrying out the killing of Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Frank Labruzzo, Joe Bonanno's brother-in-law who stayed loyal to him even during the tumultuous Bananas Wars in the 1960s. Also had some elements of Joe Magliocco, Giuseppe Profaci's underboss and cousin, and as well as Vincent Gigante, Vito Genovese's protege and future boss. The assassination of Victor Stracci by Clemenza was partially based on the botched hit on Frank Costello in 1957; Gigante's unintentional warning only grazed Costello's scalp, but Costello saw the writing on the wall and later stepped down as boss.
* RealMenDontCry: Averted in ''The Godfather Returns'', he will not watch Tessio's execution because "there are some things a guy doesn't want to see."
* RedOniBlueOni: Red Oni to Tessio's blue.
* UndyingLoyalty: There's a lot of love between him and Vito and Vito's family. In the end [[spoiler:he's the one who remains loyal to them whilst Tessio and Frankie betray them]].

[[folder: Salvatore Tessio]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tessio.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:We hit Bruno Tattaglia at four o'clock this morning.]]
->"''[[spoiler:[[NothingPersonal Tell Mike it was only business]]]]. I always liked him''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Abe Vigoda (''The Godfather''), John Aprea (''Part II'')

Another associate of Vito's from the old days, a Corleone family capo based in Brooklyn, considered more cautious and intelligent than Clemenza.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:

* BeenThereShapedHistory: The novel narrates that he killed Salvatore Maranzano in a Brooklyn restaurant.
* TheCameo: Briefly appears in ''Part II''.
* DefectorFromDecadence: It's implied that Michael's apparent weakness and lack of resolution (a ruse meant to lull the other families into a false sense of security as well as to force the hand of any potential traitors) is the reason behind his betrayal. Factored in and hinted by the two main capos announcing their intention to spin-off from the Family because of Michael's incapacity to defend their own territories.
* FaceDeathWithDignity:
** [[spoiler:Once it's clear that he can't talk his way out of his execution, he calmly and willingly steps into the car without another word of protest.]]
** Subverted in [[VideoGame/TheGodfather the game]], where you have to [[spoiler: chase him down and kill him and he begs for his life]].
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Vito and Clemenza.
%%* LeanAndMean
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Secretly works for Barzini.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Gaspar [=DiGregorio=], a capo in the Bonanno family, a trusted friend, and distant relative of Joe Bonanno. But when Bonanno promoted his son Bill to consigliere, this left hard feelings on [=DiGregorio=], who then plots with rival bosses (who were already incensed with Bonanno's plot to kill them) to orchestrate Bonanno's ouster, splitting the family into two rival factions. Like Tessio, who set up Michael for an assassination in a supposed "sit-down", [=DiGregorio=] arranged an ambush on Bonanno's son, but not a single shot aimed by [=DiGregorio=]'s men hit their intended target. But unlike Tessio, who gets a "[[DeadlyEuphemism one-way ride]]", [=DiGregorio=] was rebuked by the Commission for his incompetence on the ambush against Bill Bonanno and was forced to step down, living in relative obscurity until his death in 1970.
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler:After being discovered as Don Barzini's mole in the Corleone family, he explains that nothing about his betrayal was personal.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Clemenza's red.
* TheSmartGuy: Considered the smarter of the two Caporegimes, and usually makes the tactical decisions of the Family soldiers.

[[folder: Luca Brasi]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luca_25.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"Don Corleone, I am honoured and grateful that you have invited me to your home today on the day of your daughters wedding... and I hope that their first child, be a masculine child."]]
->'''Portrayed By''': Lenny Montana

Vito's feared bodyguard and personal hatchet man.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the novel Luca was infamous for his violence and cruelty with a couple of brutal murders and even the murder of his own infant child to his name. The Corleone family even fears him and his allegiance to them isn't guaranteed as much as they'd like. The film omits many of his harsher actions, including the infanticide and on the whole his major scene of him at the party serves to humanize him as a bumbling but still affectionate follower of Vitos. Similarly the Corleone family is more confident in his loyalty and there's never any fear of him turning on them.
* AxCrazy: Implied to be one in the book.
* TheDragon: He is the Corleone's most trusted bodyguard, though he's also TheBrute.
* TheDreaded:
** In the novel even Vito is afraid of him, to the point of being apprehensive when he has to receive Brasi's congratulations on his daughter's wedding day despite Brasi being the only one of these visitors not to include the request of a favour with the congratulations. [[spoiler: When Sollozzo's men make it clear to the Corleones that they have killed Brasi, the Corleones are relieved to know that Sollozo had not turned him and that he isn't coming after them.]]
** As [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20096_6-iconic-movie-scenes-that-happened-by-accident_p2.html this]] Cracked article notes, the movie inverts this; the fact that the huge and terrifying Brasi is seen nervously reciting his speech to Corleone only to awkwardly stutter through it and mess it up when actually in the Don's presence makes it clear exactly who the ''really'' scary one in this version is. Although even then, the Don is uncomfortable around him, as evidenced by him asking Tom if it's necessary for him to meet with Luca that day.
* DumbMuscle: He would often have to rehearse what he said to someone before speaking with them.
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: Clearly seen struggling with English during his introduction at the wedding, but has no problems using colloquial Italian later.
* FakeDefector: Don Corleone sends him to infiltrate the gang of Sollozzo to garner information, but Sollozzo is wise to the plot and Luca ends up sleeping with the fishes.
* HairTriggerTemper: To extreme levels.
* HiddenDepths: The movie doesn't make him look particularly intelligent, but the book explains how part of what made him so dangerous was his ability to commit murders all by himself; most enforcers need backup on a hit. And when you commit a murder by yourself, there's no one to tell the police what happened.
* InformedAbility: None of the brutality that he is supposedly capable of is seen on screen, but everyone talks about it. The only story told about Brasi is fairly meek compared to the on-screen action: Michael tells Kay that [[spoiler:Brasi once pointed a gun to a music director to extort him to sign Johnny Fontane away.]] When Don Vito gives Brasi the task of [[spoiler:pretending to go work for Sollozzo, Brasi fails and gets killed before doing anything.]] The book is more explicit about Brasi's savagery although always as OffstageVillainy in the distant past.
** Justified thematically in that Luca, like Vito, is getting older and his GloryDays (such as they were) are behind him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a bumbling thug in the film who is revealed to be a horrible human being in the novel.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted in the book when he's strangled.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Brasi was mostly based on Willie "Moore" Moretti, Frank Costello's right-hand man. He also had some elements of Albert Anastasia, a vicious mob boss, and Carmine Galante, a violent hit man and underboss to Joe Bonanno.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: In the book, he has his half Irish illegitimate baby killed because he believes "None of that race should live."
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Went on one after an attempt on Vito's life in the Olive Oil War. It took Vito recovering and personally calling him off to avoid Luca dropping enough bodies to make peace impossible. [[spoiler: The Turk has him killed before they attempt to kill Vito to avoid this happening to him.]]
* TheSociopath: More evident in the novel than the film.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Established as Don Corleone's most fearsome right-hand man at the beginning of the first film, but then is quickly taken out by the Tattaglia family to show the grave danger the Corleones are facing.]]

[[folder: Aldo Trapani]]
->"''Everybody loses something''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Andrew Pifko (''[[VideoGame/TheGodfather The Godfather]]'' [video game]), Creator/RickPasqualone (''[[VideoGame/TheGodfather The Godfather II]]'' [video game])
The protagonist of the first film's 2006 video game adaptation. A young Corleone recruit who can rise through the ranks of Mafia hierarchy. In the game's sequel ''The Godfather II'', Aldo is [[spoiler:[[BusCrash murdered]] shortly after the start of the game.]]

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
%%* AlmightyJanitor
* BeenThereShapedHistory: He is responsible for helping Rocco in removing Khartoum's head and placing it in Woltz's bed, beating the two kids who tried to rape Bonasera's daughter, assassinating both Paulie Gatto and Salvatore Tessio for betraying the Family, hiding the pistol Michael would use to kill Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=], and participating in the assassination of the heads of the Five Families.
%%* CanonName
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He witnessed his father getting killed when he was only 12.
* DeathByCameo: [[spoiler:He's shot in the neck after escorting Michael and Fredo to safety in ''Part II'']].
%%* DragonInChief
%%* MagneticHero
* {{Retcon}}: It's a goal to become "Don of New York" in the game, with a cinematic showing it is exactly what it sounds like as he oversees Manhattan in a high rise building with Mafia dons as his lackeys. Come to "Part II" and he's a capo with no hints of having rose anywhere above it.
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Briefly appears in ''Part II''.
* VillainProtagonist: While he certainly is better than his enemies, and maintains a good relationship with everyone he meets, he still beats and maims shop owners for protection money and dives head-first into the Mafia lifestyle with no hesitation.
* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:He guns down Barzini at the steps of the City Hall]].

[[folder: Al Neri]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neri_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Look! I'd love to smack Joey Zasa and then whack the bag, Okay? But it's impossible. He's always mingling with people. In front of TV cameras, in his own neighborhood, it's impossible.''"]]
->"[referring to Tom Hagen and Neri] ''I trust these men with my life, Senator. To ask them to leave would be an insult.''"
-->-- '''Michael Corleone'''
->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Bright

A former NYPD cop expelled for PoliceBrutality, he was taken in by the Corleones as a hitman. Eventually became Michael's right-hand man and his most trusted bodyguard and advisor.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: By the second film, he becomes one of Michael's most trusted subordinates. And by the third, he's next to Connie in terms of power in the Family.
* CoDragons: With Rocco, for Michael.
* CowboyCop: What got him fired from the Force and into the Family.
* TheDragon: He and Rocco take over as Michael's main enforcers and gunmen. [[spoiler:Al also survives the second film unlike Rocco which leaves him as the sole Dragon]].
* TheDreaded: One assumes this after Tom says of him to Michael "Now you've got your Luca."
* EvenEvilHasStandards: A small moment, but you can see that he looks down after Michael orders him to kill Fredo with just a look.
* GeniusBruiser: Genius might be an overstatement, but Al is very intelligent and Michael seeks and trusts his input.
* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: He does this in order to [[spoiler:assassinate Barzini]].
** In the books, Al Neri was previously an actual police officer until he killed a perpetrator while on the job rather than arresting him. The Corleones took a look at the circumstances and decided to provide him a high-powered defence to get him off the hook at the later trial, after which he came to work for the family.
* KickTheDog: To blackmail Senator Geary in ''Part II'' the Mob kills an innocent hooker and positions it near him as he sleeps to make him think he did it. It's implied that Al was the one who killed her.
* LawmanGoneBad: In the novel, he is revealed to be an incorruptible but ferocious cop. When a PayEvilUntoEvil situation does not quite go as planned, he winds up convicted of manslaughter. Michael gets him off with a suspended sentence; in gratitude, he becomes Michael's most trusted bodyguard and ProfessionalKiller.
* MookPromotion: He goes from a "Button Man" to Michael's trusted caporegime.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Carmine Galante, a vicious hitman and underboss to Joe Bonanno.
* TheQuietOne: Says nothing in the first film, and only a few scattered lines in the second.
* TheStoic: The closest thing he exhibits to an emotion is concentration when preparing to [[spoiler:kill Barzini.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Michael.

[[folder: Rocco Lampone]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocco.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''These things happen, nobody's perfect.''"]]
->''"Difficult, not impossible."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Tom Rosqui

A Corleone soldier who works his way from hitman to trusted advisor.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: Like Neri, has much more screen time and importance in ''Part II'' than the original.
* CoDragons: With Neri, for Michael.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Kills [[spoiler: Roth]] before being gunned down.
* HandicappedBadass: In the novel, Rocco suffered a crippling knee injury during World War II, which didn't prevent him from being a tough and efficient assassin. This backstory's left out of the film.
* MookPromotion: He goes from a "Button Man" to Michael's caporegime.
* RiteOfPassage: Killing [[spoiler: Paulie]] is how Rocco 'makes his bones'

[[folder: Willie Cicci]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willie_5.png]]
->''"The family had a lot of buffers."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Joe Spinell

Another Corleone soldier who becomes Frank Pentangeli's aide in ''Part II''. Like his boss he testifies before the Senate committee investigating Michael, albeit without providing useful evidence.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: While named in the books in the first film his name goes unsaid despite his killing of [[spoiler: Cuneo and Tessio]] however in the second film he gets far more lines and screen time.
* BusCrash: He was reportedly supposed to have a major part in ''Part III'' but after Coppola learned of the death of actor Joe Spinell, the character was changed to Joey Zaza. Interestingly enough, Cicci was one of the [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse loose ends from ''Part II'']] as his final fate was left unclear. Most assume that he would have been dead by then (probably killed in prison), given his violation of omertà.
* DumbMuscle: Implied in ''Part II''; Cicci can't understand the Senators' questions ("Could you amplify your answer a bit?" "Huh?") without an attorney prompting him. Though it's also possible he's ObfuscatingStupidity.
* MadeOfIron: Dude was shot then struck by a car and ''survived''.
* MookPromotion: He is a button in ''Part I'' and became Frank Pentangeli's capo in ''Part II''. In ''Part III'' he was originally planned to be the one who took over Michael's New York operation after he became legitimate, but actor Joe Spinell died before filming began. He was replaced by a new character, Joey Zasa.
* NumberTwo: Becomes this to Frank Pentangeli in ''Part II''.
* SlasherSmile: When he kills Cuneo in the first film.
* TheStoolPigeon: Along with Pentangeli in ''Part II''.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Due to the BusCrash mentioned above, his fate's left unresolved after his Senate testimony. He gets prison time anyway due to his admission of crimes that he committed. It is not known what ultimately happened to him but most assume that he would eventually have been killed in prison due to his violation of omertà.

[[folder: Frank "Frankie Five Angels" Pentangeli]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fiveangels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Your father did business with Hyman Roth, your father respected Hyman Roth, but your father never trusted Hyman Roth!''"]]
->''"Those were the great old days, you know. And we was like the Roman Empire. The Corleone family was like the Roman Empire."''

->'''Portrayed by''': Michael V. Gazzo

Clemenza's successor running the Corleone family's New York operations, he's quick-tempered and spoiling for a fight with Hyman Roth and his allies, the Rosato Brothers. He's eventually trapped into informing on Michael, and his incriminating testimony to the Senate becomes a major plot point.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* BathSuicide: In ''Part II'', Tom Hagen visits him in prison and talks about this practice in the Roman Empire, hinting that if he does this his family will be spared. [[spoiler:He does, and they are. The camera shot depicting the outcome is a ShoutOut to the painting ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Marat The Death of Marat]]'']].
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's initially introduced as a goofy comic relief character who tries in exasperation to get the Communion band to play a Tarantella. It's worth remembering that he's a high ranking lieutenant in the Corleone family, and in ''Part II' proper he becomes extremely dangerous by initially being willing to testify to Michael's criminal activities; unlike Willi Cicci he would have been able to implicate Michael directly.
* BullyingADragon: Pentangeli is perfectly willing to openly call out Michael for his dealings with Roth, and is not shaken when Michael tries to cite his superiority.
* CassandraTruth: He warns Michael early on that Roth is behind his trouble with the Rosato brothers. Michael ignores him, to his peril.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Slits his wrists after Tom pays him a visit so his family could be looked after.]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Subverted, [[spoiler: Pentangeli]] is put under WitnessProtection and is going to testify against the Corleone family. Michael and Tom Hagen find a way to prevent him breaking the ''omertà''; his brother shows up the day he has to testify. It's not stated if they stop [[spoiler: Pentangeli]] by shaming him in front of his old school brother or there's some kind of ImpliedDeathThreat going on. [[note]] Earlier drafts of the script had Michael explaining that said brother was the custodian of Pentangeli's [[IHaveYourWife illegitimate children]] back in Sicily, his showing up delivers an [[ShameIfSomethingHappened unambiguous message]].[[/note]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:The Family wants him dead, but Tom Hagen tells him that if he kills himself the Corleones will provide for his surviving family from that point on.]]
* HiddenDepths: Demonstrates a knowledge of history, when he references the practice of attainted Romans committing suicide so that their families would be spared the Emperor's wrath. This is exactly what he [[BathSuicide does]] to atone for his betrayal.
* HotBlooded: He'd much rather kill the Rosatos than talk with them.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Reportedly a composite of crime boss Joe Profaci (founder of the Colombo crime family and a notoriously greedy boss), Carmine Persico and informant Joe Valachi. The Rosato brothers' hit on Pentangeli resembles a similarly botched attack on Larry Gallo, down to the policeman interrupting.
* OhCrap: The look on his face when he shares a look with his brother before the hearing, realizing what will happen if he violates the omertà (potentially to his family in particular).
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Cites the Rosatos hiring blacks and Hispanics as one reason he hates them so much. His comments towards Roth drip with thinly-veiled anti-Semitism, wondering how Michael could trust a Jew against "his own blood."
* RememberTheNewGuy: A classic example, with Fredo gushing over Frankie as a long-lost friend we'd never seen before.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Pentangeli was written to replace Clemenza when Castellano didn't return for ''Part II''.
* TheStoolPigeon: With Willie Cicci after he mistakenly assumes Michael put a hit out on him. [[spoiler: Though he recants at the last minute when his brother paid him a visit]].
* TragicVillain: He's essentially a pawn in Michael and Roth's conflict, becoming an antagonist [[DrivenToVillainy through no fault of his own]]. He only turns against Michael after he's convinced that Michael tried to kill him.

[[folder: Senator Patrick Geary]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/geary.png]]
->''"I despise your masquerade, the dishonest way you pose yourself. You and [[PrecisionFStrike your whole fucking family]]."''

-> '''Portrayed by''': G.D. Spradlin

A crooked Nevada politician in ''Part II'', whom Michael blackmails into supporting him.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AnythingThatMoves: Hookers, night club singers, he's a womanizer and proud of it.
* CorruptBureaucrat: He tries to extort and bully Michael... and not out of greed but because he's a racist spiteful bastard.
* DisposableSexWorker: How Tom blackmails him.
* MaliciousMisnaming: He publicly mispronounces "Corleone," only to pronounce it accurately in private conversation.
* TheMole: He's part of the Senate committee investigating Michael while being blackmailed by the Corleones.
* MuggingTheMonster: He tries to extort and bully Michael for a gambling license. A nonchalant Michael bides his time and turns the tables with a cold {{frameup}}. It's worth pointing out that the Senator knows Michael is a powerful criminal but [[UnderestimatingBadassery misevaluates him as harmless]] thinking that a political leader is out of his nefarious reach.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on real-life Nevada Senator Patrick [=McCarran=], to the point where he was even named [=McGarry=] in an early script draft until Coppola decided it was too on the nose. Like Geary, [=McCarran=] was long rumored to have ties to the Las Vegas mob, and also called for harsh restrictions on immigration to the United States, invoked here by Geary's insults towards Michael's heritage. Today he's probably best-remembered for his role in the RedScare of the early '50s, and because of the Las Vegas airport which bears his name.
* NoPartyGiven: Several passages in the script strongly imply he's a Democrat,[[note]]Specifically, there's a throwaway line that names him as being in the same party as another Senator who represents Tammany Hall (New York), which would make both men Democrats. In the earlier drafts of the script, when Michael's story extended in the '60s, it's even more explicit as Geary becomes an advisor to President Kennedy.[[/note]] but these aren't present in the movie.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Drops some savage anti-Italian slurs in conversation with Michael.
* SleazyPolitician: Corrupt, in bed with the Mafia and cavorts with hookers. He's this trope to a T.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: His over-the-top defense of Italian-Americans at the Senate hearings.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: "I remember she was laughing."

!Other Crime Bosses
[[folder: Virgil Sollozzo]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgil_sollozzo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:212:''"What guarantees can I give you?"'']]
->''"I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is a big expense."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Al Lettieri

A freelance criminal allied with the Tattaglia family, who urges Vito and the other dons to expand into narcotics. He engineers the attempt on Vito's life, setting the plot in motion.

* BigBadDuumvirate: He seems to be this with Tattaglia.
* BlatantLies: When Michael meets with him at the restaurant, Michael insists that any deal requires Sollozzo stopping his attempts to kill Vito. Sollozzo doesn't answer that request, deflecting it trying to claim "I'm the hunted one... You think too much of me kid." It's clear to Michael (and the audience) that Sollozzo won't stop [[spoiler:making it easier to sympathize with Michael when he kills Sollozzo.]]
* CoDragons: He and Tattaglia serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:This is how he dies, courtesy of Michael Corleone.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Shot halfway through by Michael.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A ruthless businessman who behaves in a polite and personable manner when he's not murdering people.
* GratuitousItalian: Speaks it fluently like a native despite being known as "The Turk."
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sollozzo ordered the hit on Vito Corleone after Sonny expressed interest in the drug deal, expecting Sonny to take him up on the offer after Vito turned him down. Instead Sonny initiates a war among the Five Families and helps plot [[spoiler:Michael's assassination of Sollozzo.]]
* KnifeNut: Sollozzo is said to be very good with a knife, but being a businessman he avoids fighting if he can help it. This shows up briefly in the film when Luca Brasi meets with him in Bruno Tattaglia's nightclub.
* KnightOfCerebus: His arrival marks the steady erosion of the unassailable position held by the Corleone Family at the beginning of the beginning. [[ImpaledPalm He stabs Luca Brasi's right hand]], pinning it to the bar while one of Bruno's men garrotes Luca Brasi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Had some elements of Joe Colombo, in that he and Joe Magliocco were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* PragmaticVillainy: He proclaims he doesn't like violence because he is a businessman. "Blood is a big expense." Tom Hagen agrees with this view, while Sonny puts [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge before the business]].
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: He had a very elaborate plan with Tattaglia to take down the Corleones. Judging from Brasi's death, it's a very violent plan too.
* SinisterSchnoz: One of the reasons why he was called "The Turk" was because he had a nose like a Turkish scimitar.

[[folder: Philip Tattaglia]]
[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/philip_tattaglia.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:170:''"But I must have strict assurance from Corleone. As time goes by and his position becomes stronger, will he attempt any individual vendetta?"'']]
->''"He [Vito] had all the judges and politicians in his pocket. He refused to share them."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Victor Rendina

Heads one of New York's Five Families, allies with Sollozzo ([[spoiler:and Barzini]]) against Vito to advance his standing.

* BigBadDuumvirate: With Virgil Sollozzo [[spoiler:as a front]].
* CoDragons: He and Sollozzo serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* DecoyAntagonist: Appears to be the main villain in the early stages. [[spoiler: It's actually Barzini.]]
* DirtyCoward: He's still a dirty pimp that barely lifts a finger for [[spoiler:Barzini's]] plans. He tends to avoid facing danger if the opportunity arises.
* DirtyOldMan: He's old enough to have a middle-aged son and he still consorts with prostitutes.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: More evident in the novel; he specializes in prostitution and is subsequently treated with [[EvenEvilHasStandards thinly-veiled contempt by most of the other Families]].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Tommy Lucchese, who was short in height. Other than that, Lucchese did not specialize in prostitution, but in other areas such as Manhattan's Garment District, union racketeering, narcotics trafficking and also had control over rackets at Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport). Also has some elements of Joe Magliocco, in that he and Joe Colombo were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: Unlike the other Family heads, he still speaks with a pronounced Italian accent.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Two of Michael's henchmen, armed with automatic weapons, attack him while he is in bed with a prostitute. They pump him, the bed, and [[DisposableSexWorker the unfortunate prostitute]] full of lead in the process.]]

[[folder: Emilio Barzini]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emilio_barzini.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:184:''"A refusal is not the act of a friend."'']]
->''"If Don Corleone had all the judges and politicians in New York, then he must share them or let others use them. He must let us draw the water from the well."'''

->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Conte

Heads the second-most powerful New York family, regarded as a power broker among the feuding families. He's revealed to be the one pulling the strings behind Sollozzo and Tattaglia.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The true antagonist of ''Part I''.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In a seemingly friendly gesture, he accepts Don Vito's request to help set up peace summit called to bring an end to the Five Families War. [[spoiler:This is ultimately revealed to be a cynical ploy when Barzini uses the summit as an opportunity to subject Vito to a shakedown resulting in the forceful appropriation of much of the latter's power and influence.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Had his plan to take down the Corleone's set up very well. However, Michael managed to out-gambit him.]]
* TheDon: Of the Barzini Family.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Appears at Connie's wedding long before his importance to the plot is established.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He exhibits a very diplomatic and pleasant demeanor in his dealings with business partners and other associates. [[spoiler:However, in reality, he is a very cold-hearted and calculated man who has no scruples about employing brutal and underhanded tactics to increase his power.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:He is ultimately revealed to be the mastermind behind a conspiracy to usurp power from the Corleone originally believed to be led by Philip Tattaglia.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:He secretly conspires with Carlo Rizzi to have Connie viciously beaten in order to provoke her hot-headed brother, Santino, and lure him to his death.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: His character is loosely based on Vito Genovese, a ruthless mob boss who sought to become the "Boss of all Bosses" by capitalizing on the sale of narcotics and eliminating all potential rivals within the criminal underworld, most notably Frank Costello, Albert Anastasia and Lucky Luciano. Also had some elements of Joe Bonanno, who, like Genovese, wanted to become the Mafia's overlord by eliminating several of his rivals by using Joe Colombo and Joe Magliocco as fronts.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Both Vito and Michael Corleone have outsmarted Barzini by deliberately letting him and the other bosses whittle away the Corleone interests in order to lull them into a false sense of security. Before his death, Vito warns his son that Barzini will try to have Michael eliminated under the guise of a peace meeting, and that whoever approaches Michael about the meeting will be exposed as the traitor within the family. Michael uses this info to his advantage, and silently eliminates the the other Mafia heads (including Barzini). Sal Tessio (who reveals himself to be the traitor at Vito's funeral, albeit unknowingly) and Carlo Rizzi (for conspiring with Barzini to abuse Connie) were later executed for betraying the Corleones.]]

[[folder: Moe Greene]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moegreene.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:''"You goddamn guineas you really make me laugh."'']]
->''"Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Greene! [[WhileYouWereInDiapers I made my bones while you were going out with cheerleaders]]!"''

-> '''Portrayed By''': Alex Rocco

Hotheaded Las Vegas crime boss who runs afoul of Michael's plans to relocate the Corleone Family to Nevada. In ''Part II'', he's revealed to have been a protégé of Hyman Roth, providing Roth motivation for revenge against Michael.

* HotBlooded: Very quickly goes from affable host to angry, blustering defiance when meeting with Michael.
* KickTheDog: His treatment of Fredo.
* KosherNostra: Of Jewish background.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: The TropeNamer.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, a friend and partner of Meyer Lansky who played a key role in developing the Las Vegas Strip and [[spoiler:died in a manner similar to Greene]]. His name is a portmanteau of two other Las Vegas gangsters, Moe Dalitz and Gus Greenbaum, who were Siegel's contemporaries.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Calls Michael a "guinea".
* SmallRoleBigImpact: His actual screen time is rather brief, but [[spoiler:his death]] plays a major role in ''Part II''.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as powerful (or secure) as he thinks he is. Somewhat justified, as he's aware of the turmoil within the Corleone Family and [[NotSoHarmlessVillain doesn't see Michael as a serious threat]].
* StupidEvil: Not only does he aggressively refuse Michael's offer of a buyout, he blurts out that [[spoiler:Barzini has already contacted him]]. Thus confirming for Michael who the ''real'' BigBad is, and marking [[spoiler:Greene himself for execution]].
* VisionaryVillain: According to Hyman Roth, he created Las Vegas's gambling and vice rackets virtually from scratch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Hyman Roth]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyman.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.''"]]
->''"Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Lee Strasberg

Born Hyman Suchowsky, the Jewish-American Roth befriended Vito during Prohibition, but later set up his own organization in Miami. Aging and perhaps terminally ill, Roth invites Michael to join his operations in Cuba, but he's soon revealed to be plotting against Michael.

* AffablyEvil: In most of his scenes, he comes across as a friendly old man who honestly wants to advise Michael and leave behind something worthwhile for his friends.
* AffluentAscetic: He's a captain of an immense criminal empire but chooses to live in a modest house in a Miami suburb.
* BigBad: Of Michael's story in ''Part II''.
* TheChessmaster: Tries to outwit Michael, but like Barzini before him, [[OutGambitted Michael upstages]] and kills him for it.
* DieLaughing: He's cracking jokes to reporters at the airport, moments before Rocco shoots him.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Clemenza introduces him to Vito as "Johnny Lips," which Roth clearly dislikes. Vito suggests he's select his own name.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His wife and brother accompany him to Cuba.
* EvilCounterpart: To Don Vito.
* KosherNostra: He is Jewish like Moe Greene. He later tries moving to Israel, but gets rejected due to being a known criminal.
* LikeASonToMe: He claims that Moe Greene was this to him, and clearly it is one of the main reasons why he wants revenge against Michael.
* TheMentor: To Moe Greene.
* MetaCasting: Lee Strasberg was a famous and influential acting teacher whom many of the actors in the series, and was Al Pacino's mentor moreoever. Here, he plays a powerful, highly respected, highly influential crime boss. Originally the role was going to be played by Creator/EliaKazan but eventually Coppola turned to his rival.
* MotiveRant: When Michael asks him who ordered the hit on Pentangeli, Roth responds by revealing his close connection to Moe Greene, whom Michael had killed. This provides greater clarity about why Roth would want Michael dead, even though Roth is [[DownplayedTrope never explicit about this]].
--> This was a great man, a man of vision and guts. [[ShrineToTheFallen And there isn't even a plaque or a signpost or a statue]] in [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas that town]]! [[MoeGreeneSpecial Someone put a bullet through his eye]]. No one knows who gave the order. When I heard it, I wasn't angry. I knew Moe, [[HairTriggerTemper I knew he was headstrong—talking loud, saying stupid things]]. So when he turned up dead, [[BlatantLies I let it go]]. I said to myself, "This is business that we've chosen." [[SuddenlyShouting And I didn’t ask who gave the order! Because it had nothin' to do with business!]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Roth was very heavily based off the notorious and powerful Jewish gangster/adviser to the Mafia Meyer Lansky. Lansky reportedly called Lee Strasberg (the father of Method Acting), the actor playing Roth, and congratulated him on his performance, but added, "You could have made me more sympathetic." InUniverse, it's mentioned Roth is a pseudonym inspired by Arnold Rothstein. Coppola also commented that Strasberg based Roth's personality on their mutual friend, Creator/EliaKazan.
* NonActionBigBad: He is very sick but no less effective as a BigBad.
* RememberTheNewGuy: A longtime friend and business partner of Vito's, whom we don't meet until ''Part II''.
* TranquilFury: Is a lot more angry over his protege Moe Greene's death than he's letting on, and has a very good idea who's responsible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Francesco Ciccio]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ciccico.png]]
->''"It's not his words I'm afraid of!"''
-->-- on Vito

->'''Portrayed By''': Giuseppe Sillato

A Sicilian Mafia chief who kills Vito's father, brother and mother, forcing him to flee to the United States. Decades later, Vito returns to Sicily, seeking revenge.

* AssholeVictim: This is the man that killed Vito's parents and older brother... it's hard to shed a tear for him when Vito finally gets his long-sought and ''very'' well-deserved revenge.
* BigBad: Of Vito's story in ''Part II''.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: EvilVersusEvil example. Killing off Vito's entire family eventually led to the kid growing up to become a (very vengeful) crime lord himself.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He killed Vito's father Antonio Andolini just for insulting him. To think that if it weren't for Ciccio having such a fragile ego, the whole ''Godfather'' saga wouldn't even have happened.
* TheDon: The top crime boss of Corleone, Sicily at the beginning of the 20th century, [[spoiler:until his assassination]].
* FatBastard: An overweight, child-murdering mob boss.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can can act polite and friendly during business meetings, but is ruthless enough to have whole families killed if they cross him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He was more than willing to kill Vito ''as a child'' to ensure he wouldn't return for revenge.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:He gets his stomach stabbed and sliced by Vito Andolini, the now-grown-up boy whom Ciccio had orphaned so long ago.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: He attempts to kill all of Antonio Andolini's male relatives, including his 9-year-old son Vito, knowing they would be honor-bound to avenge Antonio's murder. This forces Vito to escape to America, where he becomes a Don himself, eventually giving him the ability to return and kill Don Ciccio.
* NonActionBigBad: He has grown too old and almost blind by the time Vito arrives to take his revenge. [[spoiler:It doesn't stop him from delivering it anyway.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Had Vito's older brother Paolo killed for attempting to avenge his father, and tried to have Vito killed since Vito would do the same.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Fanucci]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theratb.png]]
->''"Tell your friends I don't want a lot. Just enough to [[UnusualEuphemism wet my beak]]."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Gastone Moschin

A small-time extortionist terrorizing Little Italy in the 1910s, who drives Vito to a life of crime.

* BackupBluff: A villainous example, and his entire MO. He scares the people in the neighborhood into thinking he is a member of the Black Hand.
* BigBadWannabe: He is very feared and acts all ruthless, but he is a PaperTiger: there are some paisans who don't pay him any tribute, he has no real muscle and resorts to police threats to enforce his demands. After Vito tests him by only paying half of his debt, he decides that he's no threat and kills him.
* TheBully: He was more of a neighborhood bully in Little Italy rather than a true mobster.
* CatchPhrase: Fond of telling people he needs to "wet my beak," i.e. skim their profits.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: For Vito, killing Fanucci turns him from petty criminal to respected godfather.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He uses his power to get his nephew a job (at the cost of Vito's) and when intimidating Vito Fanucci takes a dress from Vito's store to give to one of his own daughters.
* KarmicDeath: He gets Vito fired from his job, forcing him to become a criminal. Vito killing him seems just punishment.
* StupidEvil: When he smugly attempts to extort money from Vito, he: a.) threatens Vito not with violence but with a visit from the cops, suggesting that he's got no actual muscle; b.) first asks for $200, then halves it to $100 when Vito doesn't immediately capitulate, suggesting that he lacks force of will; c.) doesn't offer Vito anything at all (except the implication that he ''won't'' call the cops.) All this does is show Vito that Don Fanucci is not a serious threat, and that killing him will annoy no-one.
%%* SmugSnake
* WouldHitAGirl: He was willing to threaten a young lady with a knife to her neck, just to extort more money out of her father.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Joey Zasa]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaza_4.png]]
->''"As for Don Corleone, he makes it very clear to me today, that he is my enemy. You must choose between us."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Joe Mantegna

A flamboyant associate of the Corleones, trying to gain power in New York City. Michael and the other crime bosses consider him an embarrassment for his media grandstanding.

* BigBadWannabe: As a whole, he's not really as powerful as his boss, Altobello, and Michael and the Commission don't take him seriously.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Of ''Part III''. In fact, the real BigBad is relieved to see him go!
* DudeWheresMyRespect: His rant to the Mafia commission complains about no one taking him seriously. Michael [[ShutUpHannibal tells him it's own fault for being so flamboyant]].
* EqualOpportunityEvil: He recruits blacks and Latinos into his organization, which shows he "has a good heart".
%%* LargeHam
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: He likes to be known for his well dressed style and as a champion of Italian-American heritage. It doesn't exactly endear him to his fellow mafiosi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: A thinly-veiled [[TakeThat up-yours]] against Joseph Colombo, from his personality to the Italian-American heritage organization Zasa fronts, resembling Colombo's Italian-American Civil Rights League which caused Coppola headaches [[RealitySubtext during the first film]]. His over-the-top, media-friendly persona also recalls John Gotti, Carmine Persico, Paul Castellano and "Crazy" Joe Gallo.
* RememberTheNewGuy: As with Pentangeli in ''Part II'', a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Originally Zasa was to be Willie Cicci, but Joe Spinell's death forced Coppola to rewrite his storyline for a new character.
%%* TheSociopath
* TheStarscream: He is hinted as wanting to take over Altobello's plan so he can be Don.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Altobello]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/altobello.png]]
->''"The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/EliWallach

Long-time friend of the Corleone family (he was even Connie's godfather), revealed to be the BigBad manipulating events in ''Part III''.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Lucchesi.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He managed to fool the Corleones for a long while with a friendly, yet senile disposition; he even managed to become Connie's godfather thanks to his act.
* TheChessmaster: He has an elaborate plan to kill Michael and his pomps so he can take over his operations. However, like the others, Michael manages to catch on to his betrayal and outsmart him.
* EvilOldFolks: Despite his age, he's still the antagonist of ''Part III'' for a reason.
* FalseFriend: To the Corleone family, secretly being the BigBad.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, friendly and a bit senile but it's all an act.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's the one behind Joey Zasa, among other things.
* RememberTheNewGuy: He calls himself the Corleone family's "oldest friend." One wonders where he's been for the past two movies.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Connie seems to be a bit sad after [[spoiler: poisoning him]] as he was her godfather.
* WickedCultured: He genuinely enjoyed the opera reciting with the performers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Licio Lucchesi]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lllllll.png]]
->''"Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Enzo Robutti

An Italian politician involved in the Vatican Bank, with heavy ties to organized crime, and Michael's enemy Altobello in particular.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Altobello.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: Prominently wears a pair of glasses, [[spoiler:which is ironically used to kill him]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Stabbed to death by his own ''glasses'' in his ''throat''.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Lucchesi is modeled on Giulio Andreotti, who was the prime minister of UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} during ''III'''s release and was convicted (then acquitted) of his links with the RealLife mafia. The line Lucchesi's killer gives before Lucchesi's murder -- "Power wears out those who don't have it" -- is a direct quote from Andreotti. He also shares a lot of traits (down to his first name) with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licio_Gelli Licio Gelli]] a grandmaster of the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AncientConspiracy Freemasons]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Archbishop Gilday]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archbishop_3.png]]
->''"It seems the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness".''

->'''Portrayed by''': Donal Donnelly

High-ranking Church official, involved with the Vatican Bank. Michael enlists him as an ally in his effort to purchase Immobiliare, unaware that he's working with Altobello and Lucchesi.

* TheChessmaster: Quite good at manipulating Michael through outward displays of friendship. It's implied that [[spoiler:he's the one who engineers Pope John Paul's death]].
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Shot by Neri then falls down a staircase.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A very charming and soft-spoken man in public, but a ruthless schemer behind closed doors.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Like other characters in ''Part III'', Gilday is based on a major figure in the Vatican Bank scandals, in this case American-born Archbishop Paul Marcinkus. Unlike his film counterpart, Marcinkus remained head of the Vatican Bank through 1990 and died of natural causes in 2006.
* SinisterMinister: If not [[FauxAffablyEvil his demeanor]], then certainly his actions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Frederick Keinszig]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thatoneguy.png]]
->''"Everything will be out in the open if Corleone dies."''

->'''Portrayed by''': Helmut Berger

A [[SwissBankAccount Swiss banker]] who helps negotiate the Immobiliare deal. Fearing exposure, he skips town with a BriefcaseFullOfMoney and incriminating documents, which doesn't save him.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Happily sells out his co-conspirators as well as Michael. Vincent sums him up well:
--> "That little Swiss banker fuck -- he's been swindling everyone from the beginning. Fuck him."
* IronicNickname: "God's Banker."
* MorallyBankruptBanker: An archetypal example, especially given his ties to a CorruptChurch and TheMafia.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: For Roberto Calvi, chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, one of the key players in the Vatican Bank scandals of the '80s. Keinszig's fate is explicitly modeled off Calvi's death; the banker was found hanging from Blackfriar's Bridge in London in 1982.
* SmugSnake: Condescending, arrogant and untrustworthy; no one much likes him.
* TooDumbToLive: When Pope John Paul I takes power, he decides to backstab not only Michael but Altobello, Lucchesi ''and'' the Vatican, running off with a suitcase full of cash, bonds and Church documents. Really, what did he ''expect'' to happen?
[[/folder]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!The Corleone Family
[[folder: Don Vito Corleone]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marlon_brando_robert_de_niro_4548.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Left: Vito in ''Part II'' -- Right: Vito in ''The Godfather'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.''"]]
->"''I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/MarlonBrando (''The Godfather''), Creator/RobertDeNiro (''Part II'')

Born Vito Andolini in Sicily, he is the patriarch of the Corleone family and founder of its crime organization.
----
* AccidentalMisnaming: When he arrived at Ellis Island, his information was given to the clerk as "Vito Andolini from Corleone". The clerk misheard and wrote down Corleone as his surname.
* AffablyEvil: Vito behaves like — and, in some ways, is — a family-oriented leader of his community, doing favors for the weak and punishing the wicked (so long as it doesn't interfere with business). In some ways this is an enforced InvokedTrope. People are expected to treat Don Vito the same way — like a treasured and respected friend. During his first scene, he chides Bonasera the mortician for not being more sociable with him and only visiting when he needs a favour.
* DecoyProtagonist: Both of the films he appears in initially appear to be about him, but end up being more about Michael, and both times Vito eventually drops out of the narrative.
* TheDon: The original Godfather, the Don of a New York crime family.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: One of the most famous in cinema history to the point where it's been parodied to hell and back for decades. An associate comes to Don Vito on the day of his daughter's wedding and asks him to conduct a hit on a pair of men that had severely beaten and attempted to rape his daughter. Vito refuses to have the men murdered and then is quick to point out that his associate has never once treated him like a friend and only seems to view him as a force of nature for vengeance. However Vito ends up agreeing to help him anyway, even turning down money for the job and instead simply asking for a favor some day. A day that "may never come". Vito is an immensely powerful and feared crime boss, yet he values family and camaraderie over monetary wealth and as long as you are a good friend to him he will take care of you.
* FamilyMan: Vito is rather straight-laced and conservative when it comes to sex. When his friend at the theater asks for his thoughts on his hot new girlfriend, Vito only politely says that she is nice, but he has eyes only for his beloved wife. Vito is a very devoted family man and frowns on extramarital sex among his followers. Michael inherited these values. Sonny and Fredo...not so much.
* FamilyValuesVillain: Vito firmly believes and teaches that blood is ThickerThanWater. But unfortunately, [[DysfunctionalFamily some inner tensions within the family soon explode not long after his death]].
* GoodParents: He genuinely and deeply loves his children, and his children love him unconditionally.
* HappilyMarried: With his wife Carmela.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: His reflections on his life:
-->'''Vito''' [to Michael]: I worked my whole life. I don't apologize for taking care of my family. And I refused to be a fool, dancing on a string held by all those big shots. I don't apologize. That's my life, but I thought that when it was your time, you would be the one to hold the strings
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: A CompositeCharacter based on several real-life Mafia bosses, most notably Frank Costello, Carlo Gambino, Joe Bonanno, Raymond Patriarca, Santo Trafficante Sr., Sam [=DeCavalcante=], Frank Balistrieri and Lucky Luciano.
* PapaWolf: He shows hints of this towards his own children, especially for his youngest son, Michael. When arranging Michael's safe return from exile with the other heads of the crime families, he makes it clear that anyone who messes with his son will regret it.
* ParentalSubstitute: Unofficially adopts Tom Hagen after he was found by Sonny as a homeless orphan. He doesn't formally adopt him because he doesn't want to disrespect Tom's birth parents, but Tom considers Vito to be his true father. It's implied that this was him paying it forward: In ''Part II'', he says that Genco Abbandando and his family took him in and gave him a job at his grocery store when he was himself an orphan immigrant with absolutely nothing, giving him a livelihood, and even after Fanucci forces Signor Abbandando to fire him he says he won't forget what they did for him.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: He lives a honest life in America for years. Petty crime only ensues after he's fired, and he only becomes a killer when Fanucci threatens his livelihood once again. After that it gets downplayed almost to subversion levels, in that Vito is not that [[BlackAndGreyMorality evil by the standards of the story]]. He's a FriendlyNeighborhoodGangster who for the most part is pitted against people who are more evil. All things considered, his worst known in-universe deeds during his time as Don boil down to having a horse killed just to intimidate its owner, and making AnOfferYouCantRefuse to a band leader after a failed negotiation, and that loses some effect by being OffstageVillainy.
* SpeechImpediment: His raspy voice is the result of a characterization decision by Brando, who ''felt'' Vito the gangster was shot in the throat. ''Part II'' {{RetCon}}s this with a straight young Vito having already had that voice, hinting it comes from his feeble health as a child. WordOfGod not addressed in the movies.
* VillainProtagonist: The [[DecoyProtagonist secondary main character]] after his son Michael. ''Part II''[='s=] flashback segments reveals how he became an AffablyEvil AntiVillain.

!!!In ''Part I'', this character exhibits examples of:
* AFatherToHisMen: Treats everybody that works for him with sincere respect.
* {{Acrofatic}}: A minor case, but his surprising quickness for his size saves his life during Sollozzo's ambush.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The TropeNamer. Coined by Michael to illustrate how Vito reached an agreement with a band leader to release Johnny Fontane from a contract.
* BadassMoustache: He sports a badass moustache, and he only begins wearing it after he gains power as a Mafia kingpin.
* BenevolentBoss: Compared to Michael and Vincent, Vito is extremely forgiving. He even publicly admits to other Dons that he will not seek revenge for Sonny's death. Although this can be interpreted as more of a case of [[spoiler:ExactWords]].
* TheChessmaster: Especially in the book where it is more obvious that Michael's purge of the Five Families was orchestrated by Vito years before, at his negotiations to bring Michael home from Sicily.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He believes that his political connections, which regard gambling as "a harmless vice", will abandon the Family in a heartbeat if they learn that hard drugs like heroin are being sold. Even after they agree to the trade, the Dons refuse to allow the drugs into schools or to be sold to children.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: To Michael. Vito figures on Sonny following his path, and Fredo... [[TheLoad well]]... He wanted [[ParentalFavoritism something better with Michael]]. The expression on his face when he's told that Michael killed Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=] is one of pure heartbreak.
* FamousLastWords: In the novel: "Life is so beautiful..."
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler: When he dies, he dies playing with his grandson.]]
* HiddenEyes: Brando's strong brow coupled with the lighting often casts shadows over his eyes. It adds to Vito's pensive nature and serves to give him an air of intimidating mystery.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Vito has no illusions that the things he's done in his life were crimes, but he rationalizes that he did what he had to do to take care of his family - otherwise he'd still be a poor immigrant being pushed around by powers bigger than himself. He neither condones nor condemns the things he's done: he felt he did the only thing he could to survive. Even so, he must still have been uncomfortable with them in the back of his mind, because he always hoped that when he grew up Michael wouldn't have to be involved in a life of crime to be a powerful man.
* ICouldaBeenAContender: Wanted to turn the family legit and go into politics.
* MadeOfIron: Shot ''five'' times by Salazzo's men, everyone is astonished that he nonetheless survived. Partially subverted in that he is still severely injured, and spends months incapacitated in the hospital - but still, ''five'' times.
* ManlyTears: When he learns of Sonny's death, and then later when he takes the corpse to the undertaker. Also at the hospital when he realizes [[spoiler:Michael is taking his side in the family business.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: Towards Michael, meant for a higher purpose. The original novel tries to explain why Sonny is the heir exempt from EvilParentsWantGoodKids because Sonny chose a criminal life after witnessing Vito murdering Don Fanucci. (''Part II'' disregards this)
* ThePatriarch: Of his family and his Family.
* PetTheDog: Considering how insular, xenophobic and racist the Sicilian Mafia is, Vito's acceptance of Tom (who is German-Irish) as a son, even if it's not in name, is an exceptionally magnanimous gesture of kindness.
* PragmaticVillainy: Don Vito does not oppose the drug trade because of any moral opposition to drugs, but because he fears that it will destroy their political connections.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: His reason for why he refuses to enter the narcotics business with Sollozzo.

!!!In ''Part II'', this character exhibits examples of:
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: In the first movie, despite his reputation and intimidating nature, we never see him personally kill or intimidate, save for a NoodleIncident mentioned by Michael. In ''Part II'' we see how he rose to the ranks by killing Don Fanucci and Don Ciccio.
* CrazyPrepared: After Fanucci's murder Vito smashes apart the revolver he used and disposes of the pieces down different chimneys and vent pipes. Although this was before people even considered things like forensics, he ensured there was no physical connection likely to be found between him and the murder.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Politely implied when he refuses to accept the basket of food that a heartbroken Signor Abbandando gives to Vito as severance and genuine gift after Don Fanucci's nephew takes Vito's job. Vito is [[LikeASonToMe like family]], but the handout does not sit well with his pride or his self-governing nature. Subsequently, Vito finds his own ways to provide for his family and petty crime ensues. Alternatively, Vito knew that Abbandando and his family couldn't really afford to give him the severance package, and cared about them too much to take advantage of the generosity, despite his need.
* TheExile: He makes America his new home out of of necessity when he has to flee from Corleone, Sicily after Don Ciccio refuses to spare his life.
* {{Foil}}: To Michael. Vito believes above all in family and in loyalty, but unlike Michael and Sonny he doesn't take it personally when he gets betrayed or otherwise messed around with. For example, when his boss, Genco's father, has to fire him because the local Don wants his nephew to have Vito's job, Vito politely turns down the offer of compensation and assures him that he bears him no grudge. [[spoiler: He then fixes the problem by cold-bloodedly killing the Don, thereby removing the problem.]] He then makes Genco his consigliere, and Genco is forever loyal.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Started out as an orphaned kid stuck in an unknown country.
* TheGhost: Marlon Brando was supposed to reprise his role as "old" Vito for the 1941 flashback at the end of ''Part II'', but when he [[AbsenteeActor failed to turn up for the shoot]], the scene was rewritten to keep him offscreen.[[note]] Accounts vary as to why, but the most widely accepted reason is that Marlon Brando hadn't been paid fully for acting in ''Part I''. Paramount offered him the same exact salary he had made on ''Part I'' for doing, basically, a walk-in cameo with no lines. The actor came very close to accepting until he asked for the pending ''Part I'' salary and Paramount refused to pay it. Brando eventually sued.[[/note]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Ran away from a Mafia Don in Sicily, only to become one himself.
* AnImmigrantsTale: He arrives at Ellis Island from Sicily in 1901.
* MiseryBuildsCharacter: After running away to America alone as an orphaned child, he builds up his reputation on the streets.
* ParentalAbandonment: Both of them were killed in Sicily by the local Mafia. His older brother Paolo got himself killed trying to avenge their father.
* PosthumousCharacter: His story is told throughout a flashback since he already [[spoiler:passed away in the first film]].
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: ''Part II'' details his journey from Sicilian immigrant to mob boss.
* TheQuietOne: As a child he hardly ever talked, which made his family think he was dull-witted. This is later shown to not be the case. The book elaborates, saying that in actuality Vito was an observer and not a talker; it also says that what cemented his friendship with Peter Clemenza was that Clemenza was a storyteller and Vito was a listener to storytellers.
* {{Revenge}}: Against Don Francesco Ciccio for killing his parents and brother Paolo. And in the recut, against the capos that were looking for him before he escaped too. It Should be noted that this is the only time Vito killed someone out of pure and simple revenge rather than for business reasons.
* TranquilFury: Probably the reason why the other guys in the neighbourhood recognise Vito as a leader.
* YouKilledMyFather: The beginning of ''Part II'' tells or shows that [[FamilyExtermination Vito's father, mother and brother are murdered by a Sicilian Mafia boss]], Don Ciccio, when Vito is a child. He escapes to America, becomes an influential crime boss there, and eventually returns to Sicily to take revenge on Don Ciccio.

[[folder:Michael Corleone]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-godfather-part-ii-al-pacino_893.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement.''"]]
->"''Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/AlPacino

The youngest son of the family, who [[WhiteSheep doesn't want to join the family business]]. When Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=] make another attempt on his father's life, he is forced to join the family business and kills them. He becomes the new Don at the end of the movie. By the second movie, Michael becomes a full-fledged ruthless Don. In the third movie, he strives to stay legitimate, but his past finally catches up. [[spoiler:He ultimately fails, with tragic consequences]].
----
* BeingEvilSucks: He justifies his descent into mob villainy as being done for the well-being of his family, but by the end of the second movie he starts to realize that it has destroyed his family. By the end of the third movie almost all the people he cared for are dead or driven away as a result of his choices.
* BerserkButton: Michael believes in two things; Family and Loyalty to the family. Going after or betraying the family sets him off.
* TheChessmaster: He proves himself to be this at least twice during ''Part I'', and continuously throughout ''Part II'', using devious and brutal schemes to keep the Corleone Family strong, despite their (numerous) ups and downs.
* TheDon: After Vito died in 1955, Michael officially became Don.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: His hair goes from loose and boyish in the beginning of the first movie to slicked back when he's older and more ruthless later in the film and in ''Part II''.
* EvilGenius: He Michael proves himself to be this using devious and brutal schemes to keep the Corleone Family strong, despite their (numerous) ups and downs.
* FauxAffablyEvil: In the first two movies, he's polite, icy and ruthless. He sweet-talks Kay to make her believe he's not going to be a criminal while his revenge plans are already in motion. He invokes a false veneer of amicability by keeping his friends close but his enemies closer.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Responsible to Sonny and Fredo's Foolish.
* FromCamouflageToCriminal: Michael went from being a captain in the United States Marine Corps to the most ruthless and cunning mafia don around.
* GoodCopBadCop: Michael plays both roles to get information from people who betray him. He will act polite, friendly, like all is forgiven if they just tell him the truth. Then as soon as he gets the information he needs, he becomes Bad Cop.
* IAmNotMyFather: "That's my family Kay. It's not me." Subverted, [[spoiler:as he turns out to be NotSoDifferent]].
* IgnoredEpiphany: In the novel, he comes to realize during his time in exile that the Mafia had been the ruin of Sicily, and further realizes that if the Mafia, including specifically "his father's empire" is allowed to grow, it will be the ruin of America too. Needless to say, this does not stop him from taking over his father's empire and continuing to spread its corruption.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Attended Dartmouth College. We're never really told how good a student he was.
* MeaningfulName: Michael is an archangel and it's supposed to symbolize that the youngest Corleone son will turn out different than his family. [[SubvertedTrope But]] [[NonIndicativeName he didn't.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: He was loosely based on Bill Bonanno, the son of Joe Bonanno. Like Corleone himself, Joe wanted his son to go legitimate, but he ended up becoming the Bonanno family's consigliere. Personality wise however, Bill was more like Fredo than Michael, as many of the street guys viewed him as a mob prince who lacked the street cred his father earned years earlier; Bill even lacked the ruthlessness his own father or Michael carried. The fact that Bonanno promoted his attention-seeking son to such a high position rankled many in the Bonanno family, triggering an internal war in the 1960s. Also has some elements of Thomas Gambino (son of Carlo Gambino) and Santo Trafficante Jr.
* OddNameOut: Unlike his parents and his siblings, he's the only one not to have an Italian name.
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: The entire series is all about Michael Corleone's transformation from WhiteSheep of a crime family to its ruthless leader, and subsequent doomed attempts to [[TheAtoner atone]].
* RedOniBlueOni: The cold hearted Blue Oni to Sonny's Red.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: He tries to avoid joining the [[TheMafia Family]] in the first film, discusses his attempts to leave it in the second film, and conclusively fails in the third film.
* SemperFi: Michael enlisted in the Marines during World War II and saw combat in the Pacific. As a testament to his bravery, he received a battlefield commission and left the service as a Captain. He also received the Navy Cross, the second-highest award a Marine or Sailor can receive behind the Medal of Honor.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: After returning from Sicily and with Sonny gone, Michael embraces his fate and gradually becomes his father's son, hatching their revenge for years. He marries Kay in the middle of his transformation, the son of a criminal who claims to be struggling for legitimacy. In a natural, magnified but equal iteration of his first evil act, he becomes a full-fledged Don by killing all of his underworld rivals. The real descent comes in that he crosses lines that Vito never had to cross, alienates his family and becomes callous in his personal life, thereby leading to his PyrrhicVillainy by the end of ''Part II''.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In ''Part II'', Michael ''grows'' a heart of stone (and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope far worse]] he has a completely innocent prostitute killed for the sake of the business) yet personality-wise he is not unprovokedly abrupt until the final part, when he offends Tom Hagen for no reason. This is somehow inverted during the two decades gap and by ''Part III'' Michael [[TookALevelInKindness has mellowed out]] and is now TheAtoner. Kay is now the one who is abrasive towards him and on a high horse, despite that he voluntarily gave up custody of their children to her and she is not [[GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion squeaky-clean]] either.
* TragicVillain: He starts as an independent minded War Hero, but he is gradually dragged into mob life to protect his father and his family. He fought his perceived enemies with cold ruthlessness for years while he struggles to achieve legitimacy, and by the time he gets there, he admits that it's too late and that he is too tired and past redemption, and passes the torch to a new Don.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Despite his early attempts to avoid it, he ends up in the exact same role as his father.
* UnexpectedSuccessor: Vito never wanted ''this'' for Michael, but alas, with Santino dead, Michael becomes the only viable heir.
* VerbalTic: You're not going to forget Diane Keaton's character's name is "Kay". He says it in almost every sentence of his dialogue with her.
* VillainProtagonist: He's the main character of the series. He starts out as somewhat of an AntiHero/AntiVillain in ''Part I'', but he's very solidly villainous in ''Part II''.
* YoungConqueror: Is Don by default after Vito's passing.

!!!In ''Part I'', this character exhibits examples of:
* AntiHero: Initially a heroic character, but by the end of the movie he becomes something of this status.
* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: At the start of the movie, Michael was completely uninterested in the Family Business. [[BerserkButton Then rival families went after his family.]]
* BadassBookworm: He was a decorated Marine in World War II and also an Ivy League student.
* CopKiller: He has to hide out in Sicily for years to escape retribution for killing a corrupt police captain who was in the pocket of another family.
* CorruptTheCutie: He starts as a principled war hero firmly detached from the family business, only to be gradually dragged into the criminal world and ending up as the new Don, cold and ruthless, alienated from his family.
* TheDutifulSon: It's the reason why Michael gets involved in the family business. [[spoiler: After the death of Sonny, Michael takes even more of an active leadership role.]]
* TheExile: He takes refuge in Sicily to avoid the heat of the mob war that ensues.
* FaceHeelTurn: He goes from being the one person in his family that could possibly go legit into a cold-blooded Mafioso who can lie to his wife's face and feel no remorse.
* GoodHairEvilHair: A subtle example. At the wedding, his hair is shorter and parted at the side, emphasizing his innocence. After [[spoiler:[[StartOfDarkness shooting Sollozzo]]]], he never has his hair like this again. When he returns to America, he has his hair slicked back, like the stereotypical mafia don image.
* HappilyMarried:
** With Apollonia [[spoiler: until her death.]]
** [[spoiler: He later marries Kay but their marriage becomes a total disaster in ''Part II''.]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: The reason he got into the Corleone family business in the first place was to do his part in protecting his family. But he ends up just as monstrous as his enemies.
* IJustWantToBeNormal
-->'''Michael''': "That's my family, Kay. It's not me."
* KnightTemplarParent: Don't you ever go against the family. It gets even worse in the second movie.
* LoveAtFirstSight: When he meets Apollonia.
* NaiveNewcomer: Subverted. Michael detached himself from the business and is laughed at by other members of the family when he proposes a hit against Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=]. They consider him ignorant and too trigger happy. Michael deliberately continues to project this image.
* NecessarilyEvil: Tries to justify himself as this, at least to Kay.
* NeutralNoLonger: He's pulled into the family business when his father is almost killed by a rival who will keep on trying. Ironically the United States abandoning its neutrality after the attack on Pearl Harbor is the event that makes Michael declare his own neutrality away from the path of his father; he joins the Marine Corps the day after.
* NiceHat: He dons a Homburg hat (now also known as a Godfather hat) when he begins to work for his father.
* NonActionGuy: His brothers and the ''caporegimes'' see him as this in the first film, even though he was in the Army, because he never wanted to get involved with the family business. When he offers to shoot Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=], they all laugh at him.
-->'''Sonny:''' What are you gonna do? Nice college boy, didn't want to get mixed up in the family business. Now you want to gun down a police captain. Why? Because he slapped you in the face a little? What, do you think this like the Army where you can shoot 'em from a mile away? No, you gotta get up like this and, badda-''bing'', you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit!
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He was chosen to negotiate with The Turk because he had no known connections to his family's criminal empire. Michael kills The Turk and the mediating police captain, and he just gets worse from there.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He deliberately projects the image of a weak boss and even his capos start to doubt his leadership. NotSoHarmlessVillain ensues.
* OhCrap: Has this reaction when [[spoiler:he realizes that another assassination attempt against his father was carried out at the hospital.]]
* StartOfDarkness: Apollonia's death is the ultimate trigger.
* SympatheticMurderer: He has killed and ordered others to kill in his name, but after Sonny's brutal murder and [[spoiler:accidentally killing Apollonia]], it's not hard to feel like those victims had it coming.
%%* TheUnfettered
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He claims, and to an extent believes, that he is doing what he does for the sake of his family, and only against those who deserve it. [[MotiveDecay This justification gradually erodes]] over the course of the movie.
* WhatTheHellHero: Not even Vito would have gone as far as he did to secure the power of his empire. He gets called out on this twice, by his sister and later by Kay.
* WhiteSheep: He was raised to be the white sheep; he was supposed to begin the family's shift into respectability. Vito expresses regret shortly before his death that he ended up being the one to succeed his father, since he'd wanted him to be "Senator Corleone" or "Governor Corleone," and Michael reassures him that "we'll get there."
* YoungestChildWins: He manages to subdue all of the family's enemies and secures his position as Don... of course, [[AvertedTrope was it really worth it?]]

!!!In ''Part II'', this character exhibits examples of:
* AwesomeByAnalysis: By observing a single Cuban rebel commit murder-suicide, Michael is immediately able to gain a deeper appreciation of the true political situation in Cuba than people who have been operating there for years.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: His own ruthless style of leadership eventually becomes a much bigger threat to the Family than Sollozzo, Barzini, or Hyman Roth ever were.
* CainAndAbel: With Fredo. As the film goes on they swap roles -- Fredo becomes less Cain and more Abel, and Michael less Abel and more Cain, [[spoiler:then even more Cain still by having Fredo killed.]]
* EtTuBrute: Naturally his reaction when he discovers that his brother had been talking to Johnny Ola about his plans to kill him.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Specifically delays his revenge on [[spoiler:Fredo until after his mother passes away, because he knew she would be devastated if anything happened to him.]]
* {{Facepalm}}: His appalled reaction when he realizes [[spoiler: Fredo's betrayal]].
%%* ItsAllAboutMe
* KissOfDeath: After he finds out that [[spoiler:Fredo]] betrayed him.
* LonelyAtTheTop: By the end, he is the most powerful Mafia Don in the country, has secured the Corleone Family's power and prosperity, and eliminated all his enemies, but he has alienated those who love him and relinquished his own happiness in the process.
* MotiveDecay: It's become less about the welfare of his family and more about the welfare of the family business; and by the end of the film, the greatest enemy of Michael's family is clearly Michael himself.
* TheParanoiac: Michael likely doesn't see a difference. In his mind, all the problems the family faced in the first movie came down to them not being respected or feared enough, which is why he is so ruthless and why he ''can't'' make the family go legit, as their enemies would see that as weakness; he probably hoped Kay would just one day accept that. He thinks protecting her and the kids is the main reason he is doing this, which is why he goes ''ballistic'' when she turns on him too.
* PyrrhicVillainy: Especially towards the end. He is the most powerful Mafia Don in the country, has secured the Corleone Family's power and prosperity, and eliminated all his enemies, but he has alienated those who love him and relinquished his own happiness in the process. Even Michael himself seems to feel his victory empty at the end of the movie.

!!!In ''Part III'', this character exhibits examples of:
* AffablyEvil: In [[OlderAndWiser his old age]], Michael [[TookALevelInKindness has become more genuinely friendly and kind]], even if he still is nominally the most powerful Mafia Don in the country.
* AmicablyDivorced: With Kay, somewhat surprisingly.
* TheAtoner: He desperately tries to do good, going so far as to assure the protection of Pope John Paul I, [[spoiler:only to fail.]] He even confesses in church for his crimes; this is how badly he wants to become good.
* ChronicVillainy:
-->''Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.''
* CoolUncle: He acts this way toward Vincent, and becomes his Consigliere like his father was to him, and practically to ''all'' his nephews, even his adopted brother's Tom Hagen's children, who love him unconditionally, and he has become a ParentalSubstitute to all them.
* DeathWail: His scream when [[spoiler: Mary dies]] was supposedly so primal and intense that the audio had to be cut from the movie.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:After Mary gets killed.]]
* DyingAlone: In stark contrast to Vito.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Michael refuses to have her daughter Mary involved in the business and does whatever he can to keep her out of the loop.
* HeartbrokenBadass: He starts crying when his son sings a Sicilian ballad that reminds him of Apollonia.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: It becomes the focal point for the final movie in the trilogy. Michael Corleone tries to repair the relationship with his wife and children now that he's legit in the eyes of the public (which was his ultimate goal for the family). [[spoiler:He goes to a priest, Cardinal Lamberto, and confesses his greatest sin of having his older brother Fredo killed. He finds a worthy successor to take over the business when he's gone. And just when things are looking up, his daughter gets killed by his enemies, breaking him for good.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: Michael tries to push Tony to complete law school so that he could become a family lawyer, and gets upset when Tony instead pursues his dream to become a singer. Michael himself resisted his family's push to become a politician, and instead chose to enlist. In his defence, however, he eventually realises he is in the wrong and gives Tony his blessing, and says he is proud of him.
* TheMentor: To Vincent.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: At the time of this movie, [[spoiler:it's clear he feels deeply remorseful for having Fredo killed. In fact, when he confesses his sins to Cardinal Lamberto, the future Pope John Paul I, the murder of his brother is the one crime that Michael seems to feel real guilt about, which causes him to break down.]]
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:To Vincent]].
* RedemptionRejection: As his priest puts it, while Michael can be forgiven for his sins, as long as Michael himself does not believe he can earn forgiveness, he will never truly change his ways.
-->'''Cardinal Lamberto:''' Your sins are terrible. It is just that you suffer. Your life could be redeemed, but I know you don't believe that. You will not change.

[[folder:Santino "Sonny" Corleone]]
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonny_corleone_3128.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:"''Goddamn FBI don't respect nothin'.''"]]
->"''I want Sollozzo, if not, it's all out war, we go to the mattresses!''"

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/JamesCaan

The eldest child of the family and the hothead.
----
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** He launches into one of the most epic {{No Holds Barred Beatdown}}s in film history against his brother-in-law after he finds his sister with a black eye. [[spoiler:The enemy family Barzini later uses this instinct against Sonny by paying Carlo to deliver a savage beating to his wife in order to easily set up an ambush for Sonny.]]
** He has a minor one with Michael too, when they are planning out the hit on Sollozzo, he threatens that someone better be good at providing Michael the gun.
--->'''Sonny:''' Hey listen, I want someone good and I mean really good to plant that gun. I don't want my brother to come out of the toilet with just his dick in his hand.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Less blatant in the film than in the book, where it is deconstructed as the size makes the sex extremely uncomfortable to his partners except to Lucy, who has an [[SharedUnusualTrait abnormally large vagina]].
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: In ''Part I'', Sonny is the most violent and hotheaded of the brothers, but most of his violence is [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge directed at those who hurt his family]]. Like Vito, his acceptance of Tom as a brother also shows that he is not as racist as most Sicilian mafioso.
* TheBrute: Despite doing his best to fill the roles of underboss (read: general), and later acting Don, the only thing Sonny is ever really good at is violence (well, outside the bedroom that is...). It's during these times that Tom's importance as Sonny's advisor really becomes significant
* TheCasanova: Downplayed. He has sort of a macho attitude and extramarital affairs. In ''Part III'' Michael mentions that his brother was good with women, when talking with Vincent.
%%* ChickMagnet
* DidntThinkThisThrough: He's so consumed with rage when he discovers that Carlo has beaten Connie again that it doesn't occur to him that driving off alone without his bodyguards in the middle of a war would likely end badly. [[spoiler:It turns out to have been premeditated by Don Barzini and Carlo.]]
* DragonInChief: Became acting Don after Vito was shot and wounded.
* FatalFlaw: Sonny's [[spoiler:{{Hot Blooded}}ness combined with an overzealous BigBrotherInstinct allowed Carlo to lure him to his death]].
* EvilVirtues: Despite his rage and tendency towards violence, Sonny also firmly believes in honor and refuses to fight anyone who cannot fight back. [[spoiler:The traitorous Carlo uses against Sonny, when he subjects him to a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown for beating Connie. While Sonny does beat the snort out of Carlo, Carlo makes it a point to be as passive as possible during the beat down and never hits back, leading Sonny to eventually back off as he decides that Carlo is NotWorthKilling.]]
** In the book, it's explicitly stated that despite his violent temper, he has never and would never hit a woman or a child.
* GagPenis: Actually a minor plot point in the book.
* GenerationXerox: Like his grandfather, Antonio, Sonny was proud, hot-tempered, and stubborn. [[spoiler:Both of them ended up dead because of those traits.]]
* HairTriggerTemper: Easily one of his most defining characteristics. [[spoiler: It ultimately gets him killed.]]
* HotBlooded: The most impulsive, aggressive and violent of Vito's sons.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: What he did to Carlo after beating up Connie.
* InadequateInheritor: Downplayed. Sonny is at the beginning of the story set to inherit the family business by virtue of being the firstborn son of Vito. While Sonny certainly has the guts to be the leader of a crime syndicate, his explosive temper, impulsivity, and lack of patience are all set to work against him.
* IronicName: Santino means "little Saint". Though he's a loving family man and protective of his siblings Sonny is still far from a saint.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a violent thug who [[YourCheatingHeart openly cheats on his wife]] but also a genuinely loving husband, father, and brother.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Beating up Carlo for abusing Connie.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: [[spoiler:After being riddled with bullets by hitmen, Sonny is given an extra few rounds once he falls to the ground, and kicked in the head for good measure.]]
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: [[spoiler: This trait ends up being his downfall.]]
* TheMatchMaker: In a bit of irony it is revealed in the flashback at the end of "Part II" that he was this for his sister Connie and Carlo.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He shows he's interested in Sollozzo's deal, despite his father saying he wants nothing to do with drugs. As this shows internal dissent in the family, Sonny is reprimanded for this cock-up, and it leads directly to the attempt on his father's life, Sollozzo having assumed that if he gets rid of Don Corleone, he can make a deal with Sonny.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Unlike his father and brothers, he isn't above dropping racial slurs in conversation.
* RambunctiousItalian: A loud, passionate, aggressive Italian-American.
* RedOniBlueOni: The hot blooded Red Oni to Michael's Blue.
* SpitefulSpit: He spits on the identification of an FBIAgent who is posted outside of Connie's wedding.
* UnstoppableRage: Somebody that messed with Sonny's sister caused him to pummel that man well into submission.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Him showing interest in Sollozzo's deal, despite his father's opposition to said deal, is what spurs Sollozzo into plotting the attempt on his father's life, and everything that happens as a result of it.
** In ''Part II'', it's revealed that he's the one who invited Carlo to Vito's birthday and introduced him to Connie, setting up their eventual wedding. Which is doubly painful in that Carlo turns out to be an abusive husband, and that Sonny's violent retaliation against Carlo leads to Carlo staging a fight with Connie to set up Sonny's assassination.
* WifeBasherBasher: "You touch my sister again and I'll kill ya."
* YourCheatingHeart: However his infidelities did not trouble his wife because the size of Sonny's "endowment" made having sex with him very uncomfortable to her.

[[folder:Frederico "Fredo" Corleone]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fredo_corleone_9161.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''I can handle things! I'm smart, not like everybody says, like, dumb! I'm smart, and I want respect!''"]]
->"''Fredo has a good heart, but he's weak... and stupid.''"

-> '''Portrayed By''': John Cazale

The middle son of the family. He is the stupid one, but has a warm heart. "Fredo" has now become shorthand for "weak link".
----
* AdaptationalWimp: In the book the reader is [[InformedAbility informed]] that Fredo was a tough guy who just took his eye off the ball during the attempted assassination of Vito and then suffered from being corrupted by the inevitable HookersAndBlow that went with running the Family business in Vegas. None of this shows up in the movies, where he comes across as an incompetent boob. Given that any toughness or competence on Fredo's part was certainly an informed ability, [[PragmaticAdaptation perhaps that was for the best]].
* AscendedExtra: Appears only in a few scenes of the first film, but he gets a bigger role in the second film.
* BadLiar: He [[spoiler:reveals himself as TheMole]] by pretending in front of Michael that he's never met Johnny Ola and then, hours later at most, blithely shouting that it was Johnny Ola who told him about the sex show. If he ever figures out how he gave it away, we don't see when. An almost comical example happens earlier: in bed with his wife, he answers the phone to have a whispered conversation full of lines like "You guys lied to me!" and then, when she asks who it was, just says, "Wrong number."
%%* ButtMonkey
* CainAndAbel: With Michael. Ironically, after [[spoiler:Michael has Fredo killed]], Michael remembers how Fredo was the only one who spoke up for Michael's decision to drop out of college and join the Marines.
* CallingTheOldManOut: He has an outburst of anger against the arrangements made by his father Vito and continued by Michael, who is his kid brother but is to all effects a second father figure; the Godfather.
* CoolUncle: Ironically, he is this to Tony and Mary, Michael's kids, especially Tony. In fact, the reason why Anthony eventually resents his father mostly is because [[spoiler:he discovered that Michael ordered the murder of Fredo, his favorite uncle.]]
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Fredo's older than his brother Michael but proves to be too weak, feckless, and incompetent to take over for [[spoiler:Sonny after his murder.]] Thus, Michael has to usurp his place in the family hierarchy.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: At the end [[spoiler: the reason why he betrays Michael for Hyman Roth is not for ambition or greed, or even true hate for his brother Michael, but for the need to be respected and valued as member of the Family.]]
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: He knows he screwed up [[spoiler:in betraying Michael to Hyman Roth]], and [[TheAtoner tries to earn forgiveness]] during the later half of ''Part II''. He's even seen being genuinely kind to his nephew Anthony as the two work on fishing in Lake Tahoe. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Michael is NOT in the mood to forgive ''anyone'' this time...]]
* HenpeckedHusband: To Deanna in ''Part II''.
* InadequateInheritor: He might be the second child of Vito, but he is pretty much excluded from the line of inheritance because of his dimwitted nature.
* KavorkaMan: Nowhere near as badass as Sonny, and definitely not as [[TheChessmaster smart]] as Michael, but Moe Green complains that he's "banging cocktail waitresses, two at a time". In the novel, it's stated that this fact greatly displeased Don Vito, as the Don was always very straitlaced about sex.
* TheLoad: He is the only brother to be completely out of step with the rest of the family, and does have a troubling penchant for seeing things from the enemy's point of view...
* MiddleChildSyndrome: Fredo has this in spades. Sonny has the brawn, Michael has the brains, and Tom Hagen plays the traditional middle child role of mediating between them. While introducing Kay to his family during the novel's opening sections, Michael acknowledges that Fredo serves almost no purpose in the Corleone family.
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:He cites being [[PassedOverInheritance displaced]] by [[TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone his kid brother]] and only trusted with [[ReassignedToAntarctica minor and distant business]] as a reason behind his behavior]].
* MommasBoy: Described in the first novel as the son every Italian mother longs for.
* MotiveRant: Fredo gives one to Michael when the latter confronts him about his betrayal.
* NiceGuy: People outside the immediate Corleone family consider him to be the most likable. While Sonny has a hair-trigger temper, and one always has to be on guard with Tom and Michael for subtle nuances and double meanings, Fredo has the distinction of being both friendly and harmless, the most easily approachable of the Corleones for a drink and casual conversation.
* PetTheDog: He's the only member of the Corleone family to openly support Michael's decision to enlist in the military. [[spoiler:This makes Michael's decision to have Fredo killed all the more tragic.]]
* TheResenter: Though he never showed any real aptitude for the family business, he gets sick of being treated as a gofer and an errand boy, while his younger brother becomes the Don. This leads him to his ill-fated deal with [[spoiler:Hyman Roth]].
-->"Send Fredo off to do this, send Fredo off to do that! Let Fredo take care of some Mickey-Mouse nightclub somewhere! Send Fredo to pick somebody up at the airport! I'm your older brother, Mike, ''and I was stepped over''!"
* SayingTooMuch: He claims he never met Johnny Ola, but during the sex club scene excitedly talks of how Ola introduced him to the place. Michael's shocked expression says everything as he realises his own brother has betrayed him.
* StraightGay: Mainly discussed in the original book and the Mark Winegardner follow-ups:
** Many of the personality conflicts he has with Michael and other Made Men are because of his issues dealing with his extremely repressed sexuality, occasionally leading to drunken one-night affairs, and his overcompensation by cultivating a reputation as a Vegas ladies' man. This gives him the impression of being inconsistent, flighty, and unreliable, all traits that attract the wrong kinds of attention and are liabilities for a man looking to make himself useful in the family business.
** Subtly referenced in ''Part II''. In Cuba, Michael gives Fredo the task of arranging entertainment for his visiting guests, all [=VIPs=] and politicians he hopes to win over and expedite his investment in the Cuban hotel industry. Fredo's choice of venue is a seedy club hosting a sex show, starring [[BiggusDickus 'Superman']]. While all the guests are laughing in good-natured disbelief at the size of Superman's [[UnusualEuphemism more-powerful-than-a-locomotive]], there is a two-second shot of Fredo staring, unblinking and almost trembling.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Ugly Guy to Deanna's Hot Wife in ''Part II''.
* TheUnfavorite: By the second movie, he's developed a complex over this.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Tries everything he can to please Michael, but it just doesn't work out.

[[folder: Constanzia "Connie" Corleone]]

[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conn.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:''"Michael, I hated you for so many years. I think that I did things to myself, to hurt myself so that you'd know - that I could hurt you. You were just being strong for all of us the way Papa was. And I forgive you."'']]
->'''Connie:''' Michael. Now they'll fear you.\\
'''Michael:''' Maybe they should fear YOU!

->'''Portrayed By''': Talia Shire

The youngest of Vito Corleone's children and his only daughter.
----
* AscendedExtra: Connie is the least important of the Corleone siblings InUniverse (what with being a woman and all that), however, by ''Part III'' with Fredo, Tom and Sonny out of the way she temporarily replaces Michael as family boss when he falls ill in the middle of a gang war.
* AlliterativeName: '''C'''onstanzia "'''C'''onnie" '''C'''orleone
* BreakTheCutie: Goes from the beloved only daughter of a loving family to being beaten regularly by her husband, even while she is pregnant with their child, with her family doing nothing to intervene. When her older brother Sonny does try to stop Carlo, he is murdered, after which her husband stops abusing her and their marriage becomes somewhat loving. [[spoiler: Then her husband is murdered by her brother Michael]].
* CallingTheOldManOut: She aggressively confronts Michael in the aftermath of the Carlo situation. She later confesses she behaves badly in order to get back at Michael and hurt him.
* CorruptTheCutie: In ''Part I'' Connie is (an informed) civilian who marries well before her husband treats her like crap and is murdered; in ''Part II'' she turns to leeching off Michael (while spiting him) but staying out of the business; in ''Part III'' she is an active player in family affairs
* DaddysGirl: Vito loves her very dearly.
* DomesticAbuse: Experiences this at the hands of Carlo.
* MafiaPrincess: The archetypal example of this. By the end of the first film however, when her abusive husband is murdered by her brother Michael for his role in setting up the murder of the oldest sibling Sonny, Connie finds herself quite jaded and goes into a downward spiral of debauchery and drinking to punish her brother Michael. It takes the death of her mother Carmela to get her to clean her act up, at which point she convinces Michael to reconcile with turncoat brother Fredo. By the third film, she's been upgraded to full-blown Godmother and has taken the role of adviser/Corleone Family mentor to Sonny's illegitimate son Vincent, who has followed his father's footsteps into organized crime.
* OlderAndWiser: She is practically a load in her younger years since the business is not female-friendly, but she evolves and by ''Part III'' she is LadyMacbeth.
* OutnumberedSibling: She's the only daughter of the Corleone family with three older brothers (Sonny, Fredo and Michael) and an adopted brother, Tom Hagen.
* SpitefulSpit: She tries this when confronting Michael about Carlo's death, but she's too distraught to work up any saliva.
* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Part III'', becomes Michael's de facto consigliere, ordering hits without his permission. [[spoiler:She even assists in killing Altobello, who is her godfather, with poisoned cannoli during the final parts of ''Part III'']].

[[folder: Tom Hagen]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/356662080-31161725_5575.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''I have a special practice. I handle one client.''"]]
->"''A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns''."
-->-- '''Vito Corleone'''

->'''Portrayed By''': Robert Duvall

An orphaned childhood friend of Sonny´s, Tom was unofficially adopted by Don Vito. He´s the family´s lawyer and Consigliere.
----
* AbusiveParents: Tom's father was a violent alcoholic and his mother (who was described as 'moronic and slovenly') was completely neglectful towards him.
* AffectionateNickname: In the novels (mainly ''The Family Corleone''), his family calls him Tommy.
* AmoralAttorney: A dignified mob lawyer. He actually considers it to be the lesser of two evils. According to the novels, after graduation he got a job working for an auto company, where he was asked to do a cost-benefit analysis of a vehicle recall, weighing the cost of the recall against the cost of paying death benefits to the families of the projected casualties. He submitted his report along with his resignation and went to work for Vito the next day, where any screwing over he had to do would be on those who took their chances and had it coming.
* BadassBookworm: A lawyer by profession and undoubtedly one of the most intelligent members of the Corleone family, he also killed two people in ''The Godfather Returns'' strangling one with his belt and shooting another. Then, in the same book, there's his ease in putting Fredo on the ground when attacked in a fit of anger. (Fredo later compliments him on his reflexes. Tom's response: "lots of coffee".)
* BaldOfAwesome: By the second movie, he's going bald.
* BusCrash: The central story of ''Part III'' was going to be a full-on war between Michael and Tom, but Tom was dropped from the final film and his recent death is mentioned briefly in a scene with his son. Robert Duvall thought it was unfair for him to receive only a fifth of Creator/AlPacino's salary and Coppola didn't have enough [[AuteurLicense traction]] to amend it.
* ChildOfTwoWorlds: Tom was born into a German-Irish family but raised by Sicilians. As an adult, he often acts as a buffer between the Corleones and their WASP colleagues.
* TheConsigliere: TropeCodifier. Close to a UnbuiltTrope in that Tom, though well-meaning, isn't a particularly good Consigliere during wartime. He admits it to himself in the book after Sonny dies. Michael replaces him with his father, although he still listens to him until he grows unhappy with Tom in ''Part II''.
* CoolUncle: To Michael's kids. When Michael is away in Cuba, Tom buys his son a motorized car for his birthday.
* TheDragon: To Vito.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Despite his integral role in the first two films, his death is only briefly mentioned in passing at the beginning of ''Part III'']]. In the books, he is [[spoiler:drowned in the Florida Everglades by Nick "Ace" Geraci, as part of Geraci's plan to bring down Michael's support structure en route to taking over the family]].
* TheGoodChancellor: Spends most of the films urging caution over bloodshed.
* TheHandler: He's ''consigliere'' to Don Vito.
* HappilyAdopted: Although the Don never formally adopted him, he treated him just like his birth children and Tom thinks of Vito as his true father. The Corleone children think of him as another sibling and not just Sonny's friend who came to live with them. Even after [[spoiler:his death, his wife and children still attend family events where they are treated as family and Michael still calls him his brother.]]
* HeroicBSOD: In the original novel, he suffers a very minor breakdown when he learns that [[spoiler:Sonny has just been murdered]], and needs a stiff drink before plucking up the courage to tell Vito. Vito lampshades this to Tom, but permits him to finish his drink before saying what he's afraid to say.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: He needs a drink before bringing himself to tell his Don the news about Sonny.
* LiminalBeing: He's an American man of German-Irish descent who was adopted by a Sicilian family, so he has a foot in both cultures. His heritage and lack of blood ties to the Corleones technically make him an outsider in the mafia, but his role as a trusted consigliere paradoxically makes him an insider.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If you know ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}''.
* NonActionGuy: In the movies, anyway. This fact is lampshaded by Virgil Sollozzo:
--> I know you're not in the muscle-end of the family, Tom, so I don't want you to be scared.
* NotSoStoic: The one person who consistently gets under his skin and causes him to display his impatience is Sonny. Just about every conversation they have ends with Tom raising his voice, something he hardly ever does with anyone else.
* OnlySaneMan: Finds himself playing this part when Sonny or Michael start getting too bloodthirsty.
* ParentalAbandonment: Mother died from an unknown sickness and an eye infection, father drank himself to death shortly afterwards.
* ParentalNeglect: Whereas his biological father was a violent drunk, his mother never gave him any affection, physical or otherwise.
* TheStoic: Insults, threats, betrayals, Tom takes them all with calm equanimity.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Tom's a very serious guy at heart, but he can be surprisingly warm-hearted towards friends and family.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Corleone family.
* YourCheatingHeart: Implied by Michael in ''Part II''.
-->'''Michael:''' You gonna come along with me in these things I have to do. Because if not you can take your wife, your family, and your mistress -- and move 'em all to Las Vegas.

[[folder: Kay Adams-Corleone]]

[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kcorl.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"Is it true?"]]
->'''Michael:''' My father is no different than any powerful man, any man who’s responsible for other people, like a senator or a president.
->'''Kay:''' You know how naive you sound?
->'''Michael:''' Why?
->'''Kay:''' Senators and presidents don’t have men killed.
->'''Michael:''' Oh. Who’s being naive, Kay?

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/DianeKeaton

Michael's long-time girlfriend that he met at college. She is somewhat of an outsider from the beginning and symbolizes Michael's initial desire to live a more Americanized life - viewing her as a way of breaking away from the family business. He eventually falls out of love with her but proposes to her years later in order to start a family. She becomes his second wife and they have two children but their relationship is not a happy one. [[spoiler: Michael continuously mistreats Kay and it ends bitterly with a divorce in ''Part II'' after Kay tells Michael that she has aborted their third child. In ''Part III'', Michael has mellowed out and they attempt to reconcile their relationship but then their daughter, Mary dies.]]
----
* AmicablyDivorced: With Michael in ''Part III'', surprisingly enough.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Kay meets Michael at Dartmouth College in 1945, but Dartmouth didn't accept women until 1972.
* BettyAndVeronica: Looks like the Betty but is the Veronica while Apollonia is the Betty who looks like the Veronica.
* ConvenientMiscarriage: Subverted. Kay apparently suffers this trope, only to be revealed later that she aborted the child because she can't stand the idea of another child being raised into his criminal life.
* ConvertingForLove: Subverted. Kay was a Baptist, but she wasn't pressured into converting to Catholicism in order to marry Michael. She decides to convert a few years into their marriage, so she can pray for the soul of her husband like Carmela Corleone does for hers.
* FirstLove: To Michael. He ends up marrying her after his first marriage didn't pan out.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: [[spoiler: Averted]].
* NaiveNewcomer: In the first movie. Zigzagged as she is aware of some of the nasty things but Michael tries to downplay the criminal side of his family.
* NotSoAboveItAll: For all her talk about how wrong killing is and how Michael's life of crime is going nowhere, she was willing to [[spoiler:abort her and Michael's unborn child]] as a means to an end. Something she herself lampshaded.
-->'''Kay:''' It was an [[spoiler:abortion Michael. Just like our marriage is an abortion.]] Something that's unholy and evil.
* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: She is this to provide a contrast between a "normal" American in TheForties and the Corleones.

[[folder: Deanna Dunn-Corleone]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deanna_dunn.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"Never marry a wop, they treat their wives like shit!"]]
-> '''Portrayed By''': Marianna Hill

A Hollywood actress in decline and Fredo's wife. Divorced him before his death.
----
* AlliterativeName: '''D'''eanna '''D'''unn
* AmicablyDivorced: More so on her part than Fredo's in the novel.
* DumbBlonde: So much it's actually painful, completely ignorant of wedding traditions and etiquette.
* GoldDigger: The impression she gives, and how the Corleone family views her.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Book only. While she's heavily promiscuous (so far as to having being caught by Fredo having sex with a film co-star), she did show Fredo some affection. She gave him bit parts in her films and bought a large headstone for him when he died.
* UglyGuyHotWife: While Fredo is plain-looking, she is a gorgeous actress.

[[folder: Carmela Corleone]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carmela_corleone.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"You can never lose your family."]]
-> '''Portrayed By''': Morgana King

Vito's religious and traditional wife and the mother of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie, as well as the adoptive mother of Tom.
----
* AlliterativeName: '''C'''armela '''C'''orleone
* TheCastShowoff: Morgana King got to show off her singing talent at Connie's wedding in ''Part I''.
* HappilyMarried: To Vito.
* HouseWife: A traditional Sicilian woman, taking care of her family is her first priority.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Carmela is most often known as "Mama Corleone".

[[folder: Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/apollonia.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:'''Michael:''' "She was wonderful, beautiful. I loved her. [[spoiler:And then she died. My trusted bodyguard planted a bomb in my car. She drove it before I did.]]"]]
-> '''Portrayed By''': Simonetta Stefanelli

Shortly after Michael arrives in Sicily following his escape from New York, he meets a young local woman named Apollonia. Michael falls deeply and passionately in love with her (which is described as being "struck by the thunderbolt"). After a brief period of courtship, Michael marries her and she becomes his first wife. His relationship with her is what helps him reconnect with his Sicilian roots and find out where he truly belongs. [[spoiler: The pregnant Apollonia dies in a car bomb set by Fabrizio (one of Michael's bodyguards) that was intended to kill him. Her death makes Michael a man with an uncontrollable thirst for revenge, which would eventually lead him to betray his family.]]

* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Subverted. Michael and Apollonia wanted this to happen since they had sex ''every'' night. Apollonia finds out she is expecting and Michael is overjoyed, but she is murdered during her pregnancy thus their child dies too.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Kay. Apollonia represents traditions and Italian life whereas Kay represents modernity and mainstream American life.
* FriendlyTarget: [[spoiler:Via car bomb. Michael, however, was the intended target.]].
* HappilyMarried: With Michael. Their marriage brings Michael back to his Sicilian roots.
* LanguageBarrier: Has trouble communicating with Michael as she only speaks Italian and he primarily speaks English with only a little Italian, they end up having a loving relationship despite this obstacle.
* LostLenore: To Michael.
* MeaningfulName: Her name is derived from the Greek god, Apollo (god of light and the sun). This symbolizes how Apollonia is the light - the happiness and innocence of Michael's life. [[spoiler: Thus her death is also the loss of this innocence and Michael's StartOfDarkness.]]
* NatureAdoresAVirgin: A huge deal is made about her purity and how Michael must marry her before diving into his carnal desires.
* OneTrueLove: What Michael sees her as.
* SecondLove: To Michael, and also his greatest love.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:Despite her small role, her death sets Michael's ruthlessness rise to Don in motion.]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:She does not appear much and we know little about her, but her death is what leads to his FaceHeelTurn.]]

[[folder: Vincent Mancini]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vince.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"Love somebody else."]]
->''"I am your son. Command me in all things."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/AndyGarcia

Sonny's illegitimate son and Michael's nephew. He is a hothead like his father, but under Michael's tutelage becomes a more reasoned, calculating crime boss.

* CanonForeigner: He wasn't in the book at all. In fact, Sonny's mistress was explicitly stated to have not gotten pregnant by him.
* FakeDefector: Michael puts him under the tutelage of Don Altobello. Michael takes some precautions to avoid an obvious identification of the trope.
* GenerationXerox: Although from all indications, he would probably be a better Don than Sonny could have been.
** Specifically, to Michael. He steps in when a rogue gangster almost has the current Don killed, murders the gangster in broad daylight, and proceeds to adopt his predecessor's traits to become the new Don.
* HeroicBastard: [[NomDeMom Goes by his mother's last name]], since he was born out of wedlock.
* HotBlooded: Must run in the family.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's impulsive and hotheaded, but loves his family deeply and is very protective of them.
* KissingCousins: With Mary, but it doesn't last.
* MeaningfulRename: Michael eventually orders him to call himself "Vincent Corleone".
* RambunctiousItalian: He takes after his father in this regard, though he doesn't seem to be as ruled by his emotions.
* ShooTheDog: [[spoiler: At Michael's request, he tells Mary that he cannot be with her since his business is too dangerous for them to be together.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Michael and the Corleone family.
%%* UnstoppableRage

[[folder: Mary Corleone]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maryc.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"I'll always love you."]]
->"''I would burn in Hell to keep you safe''."
-->-- '''Michael Corleone'''

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/SofiaCoppola

Michael's daughter and the youngest of his two children.

* DaddysGirl: [[spoiler:No good comes of it to her]].
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:She is shot with a bullet meant for Michael near the end of ''Part III'']].
* KissingCousins: With Vincent, but it doesn't last.
* MafiaPrincess: She is legitimately oblivious to her father's corrupt ways, also striking a romance with [[KissingCousins her cousin]] Vincent. [[spoiler: The poor kid ends up shot to death as a result of her father's crimes coming back to bite him on the ass, since an assassin sent to snipe Michael after her brother's opera debut shoots her instead by mistake; she dies in Michael's arms, and he's pushed to the DespairEventHorizon.]]
* NaiveEverygirl: Has no knowledge of what her father has done as Don.
* ParentalMarriageVeto: Michael is adamantly opposed to her marrying Vincent.

[[folder: Anthony "Tony" Corleone]]

[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/operamike.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"I'll always be your son, but I want nothing to do with your business."]]
->'''Portrayed By''': Franc D'Ambrosio

Michael's oldest child and his initial heir apparent. Anthony, however, has different ideas and by ''Part III'', is openly refusing to become a part of his father's criminal empire, instead opting to become an opera singer.

* CallingTheOldManOut: He delivers a particularly devastating one to Michael at the beginning of ''Part III''.
* HeelFaceTurn: Initially in ''Part II'', right after his parents' separation, the young Anthony is portrayed as being cold and distant towards his mother, seemingly blaming her for the breakup. By the third film, however, it is Michael that he resents, mostly because he discovered the truth that [[spoiler:Michael ordered the murder of Fredo, his favorite uncle]].
* NiceGuy: Wants nothing to do with the criminal empire and is sweet, polite and loves his family.
* PleaseWakeUp: A mild example, but the toddler Anthony is the only other person present during [[spoiler:Vito's death]].
* WhiteSheep: Anthony wants nothing to do with his father's business and wants to becomes a opera singer, although by ''Part III'' all Michael wants is for Anthony to graduate from law school.

[[folder: Carlo Rizzi]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rizzi.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"Come on, all you Corleones are murderers anyway."]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Gianni Russo

Connie's husband. An inept and short-tempered man, he [[DomesticAbuse takes out his frustrations on her]], leading quickly to tension with Sonny.

* AssholeVictim: The BEST example of this trope ever being used to end a story. After spending much of his time in the movie physically beating Connie over minor stuff (or for no reason at all as implied in some scenes) and being responsible for Sonny's death by luring him into a trap after whipping Connie with a belt in her bathroom, he gets choked to death from behind the car seat that he thought was going to send him to the West Coast. The scene was so brutal that you can see Carlo desperately struggling, and he even reflexively kicks and breaks the front windshield of the vehicle as he struggles to escape the choke.
* DirtyCoward: Beats Connie (who loves him so much that she tries to rationalize that it's her fault that he beats her[[note]]Which is sadly a common thing seen in victims of abuse[[/note]], and even cries when she confronts Michael after his death EVEN KNOWING he's responsible for his brother's death) but RUNS away when Sonny confronts and whimpers like a puppy after being cornered as he gets beaten up by Sonny. He is so cowardly he didn't even participate in the ambush that killed Sonny, instead staying far away as safe as possible. This is not even counting how he actually LIES about having nothing to do with Sonny's death and denying being involved with the other Mafia family's operations when Michael confronts him at the end of the first movie and then begs for his life to Michael to spare him after being busted as a lying bullshitter..
* TheExile: Michael tells him that his punishment is being exiled from the family. He is instead exiled from life.
* GoldDigger: Carlo is a failed male example.
* HateSink: He's not the worst villain in the trilogy, but there's nothing to like about him. Just an abusive, inept DirtyCoward who beats up his pregnant wife and even takes advantage of this to lure his brother-in-law Sonny into a death trap.
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: He's smart enough to use Sonny's temper and protectiveness over his sister against him.]]
* HollywoodHealing: All told, in the film it's pretty remarkable he healed from that beating as quickly as he did, without any signs of scarring no less.
* HopeSpot: He puffs up considerably when it seems like Michael, in contrast to his father, intends to make him a significant part of the family business. [[spoiler: This turns out to be a ruse to keep him close until the plan to wipe out the leaders of the other families is enacted, at which point Michael takes revenge for Carlo's betrayal of Sonny.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: Beating the mother of your unborn child definitely qualifies you for this trope.
* KarmicDeath: He helped conspired to have one of his brothers-in-law murdered. He ends up getting killed himself by the orders of his other vengeful brother-in-law.
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Not that he didn't have it coming, but he is easily convinced to betray Sonny after he [[spoiler: brutally beats him in public]].
* OhCrap: He has this reaction shortly after beating Connie when he sees a ''very'' pissed-off [[BigBrotherInstinct Sonny]] running towards him. Has another one when [[spoiler: Michael reveals he knows about Carlo's involvement in Sonny's murder.]]
* TheResenter: He's shut out of the family business except for minor living to enable him to support Connie and his family, and consequently stews with bitterness about this. This leads to him beating Connie [[spoiler: and, along with Sonny beating him in retribution, is implied to lead him to make a deal with Barzini.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: A {{Domestic Abuse}}r who is physically abusive to Connie.
* YourCheatingHeart: Implied by a suspect phone call Connie receives asking about Carlo though it's just as likely to be a way to provoke Connie into getting upset so that [[spoiler:Carlo would beat her to provoke Sonny as part of his deal with Barzini, to cause the tollbooth ambush.]] Confirmed in the novel.

!Corleone Family Associates
[[folder: Peter Clemenza]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clemenza.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"You know, you gotta stop them at the beginning. Like they should have stopped Hitler at Munich, they should never let him get away with that, they was just asking for trouble."]]
->"''[[MemeticMutation Leave the gun]]. [[ThrowItIn Take the cannoli]]''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Castellano (''The Godfather''), Creator/BrunoKirby (''Part II'')

One of Vito's caporegimes, who helped initiate Vito's criminal career and became one of his most trusted advisors. Serves as a mentor to Michael and other members of the Family.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* {{Acrofatic}}: Both the book and the film show him as a surprisingly agile dancer at the Corleone wedding.
* AffablyEvil: To his friends and associates, Clemenza's regarded as a friendly, jovial kind of guy, always happy to talk and always happy to share his tales of the good old days.
* BigFun: Seems to provide a comedic scene or two, the quote above being the top example on how funny he can get.
* TheBigGuy: As a Capo of the family, he takes a direct role in controlling the movements of the family soldiers; for good measure, he's occasionally called upon to act as a hitman.
%%* BoisterousBruiser
* BondOneLiner: "Leave the gun. [[ThrowItIn Take the cannoli.]]"
* BusCrash: He dies of a heart attack -- although Cicci implies [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident foul play]] -- between the events of the first and second films and his position as capo of the Corleone family's New York branch passes to [[RememberTheNewGuy Frank Pentangeli]], his SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. This was not originally going to happen; the reason for this change was a disagreement between actor Richard Castellano and Coppola (Castellano wanted creative control over his character and Coppola would not allow it, so Castellano was dropped from the film).
* CoolUncle: To Vito's children, even if not by blood.
* DangerTakesABackseat: [[spoiler:While killing Carlo Rizzi.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Dialogue in the second film implies that he died of a heart attack between movies.]]
* FormerlyFit: In ''Part II'', when played by Bruno Kirby in his youth, Clemenza was a lot skinnier than when played by Richard Castellano. Though the younger Clemenza is a bit thicker than the younger Vito and Tessio and can be seen eating a lot. His final scene in the flashback shows him gaining much more weight.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Vito and Tessio.
* IronicName: The professional killer's last name means "mercy" in Italian.
* HonoraryUncle: To Vito's children.
* FatBastard: Has a reputation for violent, ruthless tactics in gang wars.
* HiddenDepths: An excellent cook, even showing Michael how to make spaghetti sauce, and a history buff who compares Sollozzo's actions to Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch.
** The movie additionally emphasizes how Tessio is the "smarter" of the two Corleone Capos, but Clemenza demonstrates a fairly calculating demeanor when walking Michael through the best way to [[spoiler:assassinate Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=].]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:Personally kills Carlo Rizzi by strangling him in a car. It was probably personal since Sonny, who Carlo lured to his death, was Clemenza's godson.]]
* TheMentor: According to the book, he taught Sonny how to fight and kill, though he was a bit disappointed that Sonny never showed any particular liking for the garotte. In both the film and the book, he also advises Michael on carrying out the killing of Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Frank Labruzzo, Joe Bonanno's brother-in-law who stayed loyal to him even during the tumultuous Bananas Wars in the 1960s. Also had some elements of Joe Magliocco, Giuseppe Profaci's underboss and cousin, and as well as Vincent Gigante, Vito Genovese's protege and future boss. The assassination of Victor Stracci by Clemenza was partially based on the botched hit on Frank Costello in 1957; Gigante's unintentional warning only grazed Costello's scalp, but Costello saw the writing on the wall and later stepped down as boss.
* RealMenDontCry: Averted in ''The Godfather Returns'', he will not watch Tessio's execution because "there are some things a guy doesn't want to see."
* RedOniBlueOni: Red Oni to Tessio's blue.
* UndyingLoyalty: There's a lot of love between him and Vito and Vito's family. In the end [[spoiler:he's the one who remains loyal to them whilst Tessio and Frankie betray them]].

[[folder: Salvatore Tessio]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tessio.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:We hit Bruno Tattaglia at four o'clock this morning.]]
->"''[[spoiler:[[NothingPersonal Tell Mike it was only business]]]]. I always liked him''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Abe Vigoda (''The Godfather''), John Aprea (''Part II'')

Another associate of Vito's from the old days, a Corleone family capo based in Brooklyn, considered more cautious and intelligent than Clemenza.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:

* BeenThereShapedHistory: The novel narrates that he killed Salvatore Maranzano in a Brooklyn restaurant.
* TheCameo: Briefly appears in ''Part II''.
* DefectorFromDecadence: It's implied that Michael's apparent weakness and lack of resolution (a ruse meant to lull the other families into a false sense of security as well as to force the hand of any potential traitors) is the reason behind his betrayal. Factored in and hinted by the two main capos announcing their intention to spin-off from the Family because of Michael's incapacity to defend their own territories.
* FaceDeathWithDignity:
** [[spoiler:Once it's clear that he can't talk his way out of his execution, he calmly and willingly steps into the car without another word of protest.]]
** Subverted in [[VideoGame/TheGodfather the game]], where you have to [[spoiler: chase him down and kill him and he begs for his life]].
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Vito and Clemenza.
%%* LeanAndMean
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Secretly works for Barzini.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Gaspar [=DiGregorio=], a capo in the Bonanno family, a trusted friend, and distant relative of Joe Bonanno. But when Bonanno promoted his son Bill to consigliere, this left hard feelings on [=DiGregorio=], who then plots with rival bosses (who were already incensed with Bonanno's plot to kill them) to orchestrate Bonanno's ouster, splitting the family into two rival factions. Like Tessio, who set up Michael for an assassination in a supposed "sit-down", [=DiGregorio=] arranged an ambush on Bonanno's son, but not a single shot aimed by [=DiGregorio=]'s men hit their intended target. But unlike Tessio, who gets a "[[DeadlyEuphemism one-way ride]]", [=DiGregorio=] was rebuked by the Commission for his incompetence on the ambush against Bill Bonanno and was forced to step down, living in relative obscurity until his death in 1970.
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler:After being discovered as Don Barzini's mole in the Corleone family, he explains that nothing about his betrayal was personal.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Clemenza's red.
* TheSmartGuy: Considered the smarter of the two Caporegimes, and usually makes the tactical decisions of the Family soldiers.

[[folder: Luca Brasi]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luca_25.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"Don Corleone, I am honoured and grateful that you have invited me to your home today on the day of your daughters wedding... and I hope that their first child, be a masculine child."]]
->'''Portrayed By''': Lenny Montana

Vito's feared bodyguard and personal hatchet man.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the novel Luca was infamous for his violence and cruelty with a couple of brutal murders and even the murder of his own infant child to his name. The Corleone family even fears him and his allegiance to them isn't guaranteed as much as they'd like. The film omits many of his harsher actions, including the infanticide and on the whole his major scene of him at the party serves to humanize him as a bumbling but still affectionate follower of Vitos. Similarly the Corleone family is more confident in his loyalty and there's never any fear of him turning on them.
* AxCrazy: Implied to be one in the book.
* TheDragon: He is the Corleone's most trusted bodyguard, though he's also TheBrute.
* TheDreaded:
** In the novel even Vito is afraid of him, to the point of being apprehensive when he has to receive Brasi's congratulations on his daughter's wedding day despite Brasi being the only one of these visitors not to include the request of a favour with the congratulations. [[spoiler: When Sollozzo's men make it clear to the Corleones that they have killed Brasi, the Corleones are relieved to know that Sollozo had not turned him and that he isn't coming after them.]]
** As [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20096_6-iconic-movie-scenes-that-happened-by-accident_p2.html this]] Cracked article notes, the movie inverts this; the fact that the huge and terrifying Brasi is seen nervously reciting his speech to Corleone only to awkwardly stutter through it and mess it up when actually in the Don's presence makes it clear exactly who the ''really'' scary one in this version is. Although even then, the Don is uncomfortable around him, as evidenced by him asking Tom if it's necessary for him to meet with Luca that day.
* DumbMuscle: He would often have to rehearse what he said to someone before speaking with them.
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: Clearly seen struggling with English during his introduction at the wedding, but has no problems using colloquial Italian later.
* FakeDefector: Don Corleone sends him to infiltrate the gang of Sollozzo to garner information, but Sollozzo is wise to the plot and Luca ends up sleeping with the fishes.
* HairTriggerTemper: To extreme levels.
* HiddenDepths: The movie doesn't make him look particularly intelligent, but the book explains how part of what made him so dangerous was his ability to commit murders all by himself; most enforcers need backup on a hit. And when you commit a murder by yourself, there's no one to tell the police what happened.
* InformedAbility: None of the brutality that he is supposedly capable of is seen on screen, but everyone talks about it. The only story told about Brasi is fairly meek compared to the on-screen action: Michael tells Kay that [[spoiler:Brasi once pointed a gun to a music director to extort him to sign Johnny Fontane away.]] When Don Vito gives Brasi the task of [[spoiler:pretending to go work for Sollozzo, Brasi fails and gets killed before doing anything.]] The book is more explicit about Brasi's savagery although always as OffstageVillainy in the distant past.
** Justified thematically in that Luca, like Vito, is getting older and his GloryDays (such as they were) are behind him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a bumbling thug in the film who is revealed to be a horrible human being in the novel.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted in the book when he's strangled.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Brasi was mostly based on Willie "Moore" Moretti, Frank Costello's right-hand man. He also had some elements of Albert Anastasia, a vicious mob boss, and Carmine Galante, a violent hit man and underboss to Joe Bonanno.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: In the book, he has his half Irish illegitimate baby killed because he believes "None of that race should live."
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Went on one after an attempt on Vito's life in the Olive Oil War. It took Vito recovering and personally calling him off to avoid Luca dropping enough bodies to make peace impossible. [[spoiler: The Turk has him killed before they attempt to kill Vito to avoid this happening to him.]]
* TheSociopath: More evident in the novel than the film.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Established as Don Corleone's most fearsome right-hand man at the beginning of the first film, but then is quickly taken out by the Tattaglia family to show the grave danger the Corleones are facing.]]

[[folder: Aldo Trapani]]
->"''Everybody loses something''."

->'''Portrayed By''': Andrew Pifko (''[[VideoGame/TheGodfather The Godfather]]'' [video game]), Creator/RickPasqualone (''[[VideoGame/TheGodfather The Godfather II]]'' [video game])
The protagonist of the first film's 2006 video game adaptation. A young Corleone recruit who can rise through the ranks of Mafia hierarchy. In the game's sequel ''The Godfather II'', Aldo is [[spoiler:[[BusCrash murdered]] shortly after the start of the game.]]

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
%%* AlmightyJanitor
* BeenThereShapedHistory: He is responsible for helping Rocco in removing Khartoum's head and placing it in Woltz's bed, beating the two kids who tried to rape Bonasera's daughter, assassinating both Paulie Gatto and Salvatore Tessio for betraying the Family, hiding the pistol Michael would use to kill Sollozzo and [=McCluskey=], and participating in the assassination of the heads of the Five Families.
%%* CanonName
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He witnessed his father getting killed when he was only 12.
* DeathByCameo: [[spoiler:He's shot in the neck after escorting Michael and Fredo to safety in ''Part II'']].
%%* DragonInChief
%%* MagneticHero
* {{Retcon}}: It's a goal to become "Don of New York" in the game, with a cinematic showing it is exactly what it sounds like as he oversees Manhattan in a high rise building with Mafia dons as his lackeys. Come to "Part II" and he's a capo with no hints of having rose anywhere above it.
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Briefly appears in ''Part II''.
* VillainProtagonist: While he certainly is better than his enemies, and maintains a good relationship with everyone he meets, he still beats and maims shop owners for protection money and dives head-first into the Mafia lifestyle with no hesitation.
* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:He guns down Barzini at the steps of the City Hall]].

[[folder: Al Neri]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neri_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Look! I'd love to smack Joey Zasa and then whack the bag, Okay? But it's impossible. He's always mingling with people. In front of TV cameras, in his own neighborhood, it's impossible.''"]]
->"[referring to Tom Hagen and Neri] ''I trust these men with my life, Senator. To ask them to leave would be an insult.''"
-->-- '''Michael Corleone'''
->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Bright

A former NYPD cop expelled for PoliceBrutality, he was taken in by the Corleones as a hitman. Eventually became Michael's right-hand man and his most trusted bodyguard and advisor.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: By the second film, he becomes one of Michael's most trusted subordinates. And by the third, he's next to Connie in terms of power in the Family.
* CoDragons: With Rocco, for Michael.
* CowboyCop: What got him fired from the Force and into the Family.
* TheDragon: He and Rocco take over as Michael's main enforcers and gunmen. [[spoiler:Al also survives the second film unlike Rocco which leaves him as the sole Dragon]].
* TheDreaded: One assumes this after Tom says of him to Michael "Now you've got your Luca."
* EvenEvilHasStandards: A small moment, but you can see that he looks down after Michael orders him to kill Fredo with just a look.
* GeniusBruiser: Genius might be an overstatement, but Al is very intelligent and Michael seeks and trusts his input.
* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: He does this in order to [[spoiler:assassinate Barzini]].
** In the books, Al Neri was previously an actual police officer until he killed a perpetrator while on the job rather than arresting him. The Corleones took a look at the circumstances and decided to provide him a high-powered defence to get him off the hook at the later trial, after which he came to work for the family.
* KickTheDog: To blackmail Senator Geary in ''Part II'' the Mob kills an innocent hooker and positions it near him as he sleeps to make him think he did it. It's implied that Al was the one who killed her.
* LawmanGoneBad: In the novel, he is revealed to be an incorruptible but ferocious cop. When a PayEvilUntoEvil situation does not quite go as planned, he winds up convicted of manslaughter. Michael gets him off with a suspended sentence; in gratitude, he becomes Michael's most trusted bodyguard and ProfessionalKiller.
* MookPromotion: He goes from a "Button Man" to Michael's trusted caporegime.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Carmine Galante, a vicious hitman and underboss to Joe Bonanno.
* TheQuietOne: Says nothing in the first film, and only a few scattered lines in the second.
* TheStoic: The closest thing he exhibits to an emotion is concentration when preparing to [[spoiler:kill Barzini.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Michael.

[[folder: Rocco Lampone]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocco.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''These things happen, nobody's perfect.''"]]
->''"Difficult, not impossible."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Tom Rosqui

A Corleone soldier who works his way from hitman to trusted advisor.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: Like Neri, has much more screen time and importance in ''Part II'' than the original.
* CoDragons: With Neri, for Michael.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Kills [[spoiler: Roth]] before being gunned down.
* HandicappedBadass: In the novel, Rocco suffered a crippling knee injury during World War II, which didn't prevent him from being a tough and efficient assassin. This backstory's left out of the film.
* MookPromotion: He goes from a "Button Man" to Michael's caporegime.
* RiteOfPassage: Killing [[spoiler: Paulie]] is how Rocco 'makes his bones'

[[folder: Willie Cicci]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willie_5.png]]
->''"The family had a lot of buffers."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Joe Spinell

Another Corleone soldier who becomes Frank Pentangeli's aide in ''Part II''. Like his boss he testifies before the Senate committee investigating Michael, albeit without providing useful evidence.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AscendedExtra: While named in the books in the first film his name goes unsaid despite his killing of [[spoiler: Cuneo and Tessio]] however in the second film he gets far more lines and screen time.
* BusCrash: He was reportedly supposed to have a major part in ''Part III'' but after Coppola learned of the death of actor Joe Spinell, the character was changed to Joey Zaza. Interestingly enough, Cicci was one of the [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse loose ends from ''Part II'']] as his final fate was left unclear. Most assume that he would have been dead by then (probably killed in prison), given his violation of omertà.
* DumbMuscle: Implied in ''Part II''; Cicci can't understand the Senators' questions ("Could you amplify your answer a bit?" "Huh?") without an attorney prompting him. Though it's also possible he's ObfuscatingStupidity.
* MadeOfIron: Dude was shot then struck by a car and ''survived''.
* MookPromotion: He is a button in ''Part I'' and became Frank Pentangeli's capo in ''Part II''. In ''Part III'' he was originally planned to be the one who took over Michael's New York operation after he became legitimate, but actor Joe Spinell died before filming began. He was replaced by a new character, Joey Zasa.
* NumberTwo: Becomes this to Frank Pentangeli in ''Part II''.
* SlasherSmile: When he kills Cuneo in the first film.
* TheStoolPigeon: Along with Pentangeli in ''Part II''.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Due to the BusCrash mentioned above, his fate's left unresolved after his Senate testimony. He gets prison time anyway due to his admission of crimes that he committed. It is not known what ultimately happened to him but most assume that he would eventually have been killed in prison due to his violation of omertà.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Frank "Frankie Five Angels" Pentangeli]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fiveangels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Your father did business with Hyman Roth, your father respected Hyman Roth, but your father never trusted Hyman Roth!''"]]
->''"Those were the great old days, you know. And we was like the Roman Empire. The Corleone family was like the Roman Empire."''

->'''Portrayed by''': Michael V. Gazzo

Clemenza's successor running the Corleone family's New York operations, he's quick-tempered and spoiling for a fight with Hyman Roth and his allies, the Rosato Brothers. He's eventually trapped into informing on Michael, and his incriminating testimony to the Senate becomes a major plot point.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* BathSuicide: In ''Part II'', Tom Hagen visits him in prison and talks about this practice in the Roman Empire, hinting that if he does this his family will be spared. [[spoiler:He does, and they are. The camera shot depicting the outcome is a ShoutOut to the painting ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Marat The Death of Marat]]'']].
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's initially introduced as a goofy comic relief character who tries in exasperation to get the Communion band to play a Tarantella. It's worth remembering that he's a high ranking lieutenant in the Corleone family, and in ''Part II' proper he becomes extremely dangerous by initially being willing to testify to Michael's criminal activities; unlike Willi Cicci he would have been able to implicate Michael directly.
* BullyingADragon: Pentangeli is perfectly willing to openly call out Michael for his dealings with Roth, and is not shaken when Michael tries to cite his superiority.
* CassandraTruth: He warns Michael early on that Roth is behind his trouble with the Rosato brothers. Michael ignores him, to his peril.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Slits his wrists after Tom pays him a visit so his family could be looked after.]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Subverted, [[spoiler: Pentangeli]] is put under WitnessProtection and is going to testify against the Corleone family. Michael and Tom Hagen find a way to prevent him breaking the ''omertà''; his brother shows up the day he has to testify. It's not stated if they stop [[spoiler: Pentangeli]] by shaming him in front of his old school brother or there's some kind of ImpliedDeathThreat going on. [[note]] Earlier drafts of the script had Michael explaining that said brother was the custodian of Pentangeli's [[IHaveYourWife illegitimate children]] back in Sicily, his showing up delivers an [[ShameIfSomethingHappened unambiguous message]].[[/note]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:The Family wants him dead, but Tom Hagen tells him that if he kills himself the Corleones will provide for his surviving family from that point on.]]
* HiddenDepths: Demonstrates a knowledge of history, when he references the practice of attainted Romans committing suicide so that their families would be spared the Emperor's wrath. This is exactly what he [[BathSuicide does]] to atone for his betrayal.
* HotBlooded: He'd much rather kill the Rosatos than talk with them.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Reportedly a composite of crime boss Joe Profaci (founder of the Colombo crime family and a notoriously greedy boss), Carmine Persico and informant Joe Valachi. The Rosato brothers' hit on Pentangeli resembles a similarly botched attack on Larry Gallo, down to the policeman interrupting.
* OhCrap: The look on his face when he shares a look with his brother before the hearing, realizing what will happen if he violates the omertà (potentially to his family in particular).
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Cites the Rosatos hiring blacks and Hispanics as one reason he hates them so much. His comments towards Roth drip with thinly-veiled anti-Semitism, wondering how Michael could trust a Jew against "his own blood."
* RememberTheNewGuy: A classic example, with Fredo gushing over Frankie as a long-lost friend we'd never seen before.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Pentangeli was written to replace Clemenza when Castellano didn't return for ''Part II''.
* TheStoolPigeon: With Willie Cicci after he mistakenly assumes Michael put a hit out on him. [[spoiler: Though he recants at the last minute when his brother paid him a visit]].
* TragicVillain: He's essentially a pawn in Michael and Roth's conflict, becoming an antagonist [[DrivenToVillainy through no fault of his own]]. He only turns against Michael after he's convinced that Michael tried to kill him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Senator Patrick Geary]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/geary.png]]
->''"I despise your masquerade, the dishonest way you pose yourself. You and [[PrecisionFStrike your whole fucking family]]."''

-> '''Portrayed by''': G.D. Spradlin

A crooked Nevada politician in ''Part II'', whom Michael blackmails into supporting him.

!!!This character exhibits examples of:
* AnythingThatMoves: Hookers, night club singers, he's a womanizer and proud of it.
* CorruptBureaucrat: He tries to extort and bully Michael... and not out of greed but because he's a racist spiteful bastard.
* DisposableSexWorker: How Tom blackmails him.
* MaliciousMisnaming: He publicly mispronounces "Corleone," only to pronounce it accurately in private conversation.
* TheMole: He's part of the Senate committee investigating Michael while being blackmailed by the Corleones.
* MuggingTheMonster: He tries to extort and bully Michael for a gambling license. A nonchalant Michael bides his time and turns the tables with a cold {{frameup}}. It's worth pointing out that the Senator knows Michael is a powerful criminal but [[UnderestimatingBadassery misevaluates him as harmless]] thinking that a political leader is out of his nefarious reach.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on real-life Nevada Senator Patrick [=McCarran=], to the point where he was even named [=McGarry=] in an early script draft until Coppola decided it was too on the nose. Like Geary, [=McCarran=] was long rumored to have ties to the Las Vegas mob, and also called for harsh restrictions on immigration to the United States, invoked here by Geary's insults towards Michael's heritage. Today he's probably best-remembered for his role in the RedScare of the early '50s, and because of the Las Vegas airport which bears his name.
* NoPartyGiven: Several passages in the script strongly imply he's a Democrat,[[note]]Specifically, there's a throwaway line that names him as being in the same party as another Senator who represents Tammany Hall (New York), which would make both men Democrats. In the earlier drafts of the script, when Michael's story extended in the '60s, it's even more explicit as Geary becomes an advisor to President Kennedy.[[/note]] but these aren't present in the movie.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Drops some savage anti-Italian slurs in conversation with Michael.
* SleazyPolitician: Corrupt, in bed with the Mafia and cavorts with hookers. He's this trope to a T.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: His over-the-top defense of Italian-Americans at the Senate hearings.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: "I remember she was laughing."
[[/folder]]

!Other Crime Bosses
[[folder: Virgil Sollozzo]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgil_sollozzo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:212:''"What guarantees can I give you?"'']]
->''"I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is a big expense."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Al Lettieri

A freelance criminal allied with the Tattaglia family, who urges Vito and the other dons to expand into narcotics. He engineers the attempt on Vito's life, setting the plot in motion.

* BigBadDuumvirate: He seems to be this with Tattaglia.
* BlatantLies: When Michael meets with him at the restaurant, Michael insists that any deal requires Sollozzo stopping his attempts to kill Vito. Sollozzo doesn't answer that request, deflecting it trying to claim "I'm the hunted one... You think too much of me kid." It's clear to Michael (and the audience) that Sollozzo won't stop [[spoiler:making it easier to sympathize with Michael when he kills Sollozzo.]]
* CoDragons: He and Tattaglia serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:This is how he dies, courtesy of Michael Corleone.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Shot halfway through by Michael.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A ruthless businessman who behaves in a polite and personable manner when he's not murdering people.
* GratuitousItalian: Speaks it fluently like a native despite being known as "The Turk."
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sollozzo ordered the hit on Vito Corleone after Sonny expressed interest in the drug deal, expecting Sonny to take him up on the offer after Vito turned him down. Instead Sonny initiates a war among the Five Families and helps plot [[spoiler:Michael's assassination of Sollozzo.]]
* KnifeNut: Sollozzo is said to be very good with a knife, but being a businessman he avoids fighting if he can help it. This shows up briefly in the film when Luca Brasi meets with him in Bruno Tattaglia's nightclub.
* KnightOfCerebus: His arrival marks the steady erosion of the unassailable position held by the Corleone Family at the beginning of the beginning. [[ImpaledPalm He stabs Luca Brasi's right hand]], pinning it to the bar while one of Bruno's men garrotes Luca Brasi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Had some elements of Joe Colombo, in that he and Joe Magliocco were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* PragmaticVillainy: He proclaims he doesn't like violence because he is a businessman. "Blood is a big expense." Tom Hagen agrees with this view, while Sonny puts [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge before the business]].
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: He had a very elaborate plan with Tattaglia to take down the Corleones. Judging from Brasi's death, it's a very violent plan too.
* SinisterSchnoz: One of the reasons why he was called "The Turk" was because he had a nose like a Turkish scimitar.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Philip Tattaglia]]
[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/philip_tattaglia.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:170:''"But I must have strict assurance from Corleone. As time goes by and his position becomes stronger, will he attempt any individual vendetta?"'']]
->''"He [Vito] had all the judges and politicians in his pocket. He refused to share them."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Victor Rendina

Heads one of New York's Five Families, allies with Sollozzo ([[spoiler:and Barzini]]) against Vito to advance his standing.

* BigBadDuumvirate: With Virgil Sollozzo [[spoiler:as a front]].
* CoDragons: He and Sollozzo serve as this to the real BigBad, [[spoiler: Emilio Barzini.]]
* DecoyAntagonist: Appears to be the main villain in the early stages. [[spoiler: It's actually Barzini.]]
* DirtyCoward: He's still a dirty pimp that barely lifts a finger for [[spoiler:Barzini's]] plans. He tends to avoid facing danger if the opportunity arises.
* DirtyOldMan: He's old enough to have a middle-aged son and he still consorts with prostitutes.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: More evident in the novel; he specializes in prostitution and is subsequently treated with [[EvenEvilHasStandards thinly-veiled contempt by most of the other Families]].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on Tommy Lucchese, who was short in height. Other than that, Lucchese did not specialize in prostitution, but in other areas such as Manhattan's Garment District, union racketeering, narcotics trafficking and also had control over rackets at Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport). Also has some elements of Joe Magliocco, in that he and Joe Colombo were used as fronts by Joe Bonanno in his bid to take over the Mafia.
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: Unlike the other Family heads, he still speaks with a pronounced Italian accent.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Two of Michael's henchmen, armed with automatic weapons, attack him while he is in bed with a prostitute. They pump him, the bed, and [[DisposableSexWorker the unfortunate prostitute]] full of lead in the process.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Emilio Barzini]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emilio_barzini.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:184:''"A refusal is not the act of a friend."'']]
->''"If Don Corleone had all the judges and politicians in New York, then he must share them or let others use them. He must let us draw the water from the well."'''

->'''Portrayed By''': Richard Conte

Heads the second-most powerful New York family, regarded as a power broker among the feuding families. He's revealed to be the one pulling the strings behind Sollozzo and Tattaglia.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The true antagonist of ''Part I''.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In a seemingly friendly gesture, he accepts Don Vito's request to help set up peace summit called to bring an end to the Five Families War. [[spoiler:This is ultimately revealed to be a cynical ploy when Barzini uses the summit as an opportunity to subject Vito to a shakedown resulting in the forceful appropriation of much of the latter's power and influence.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Had his plan to take down the Corleone's set up very well. However, Michael managed to out-gambit him.]]
* TheDon: Of the Barzini Family.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Appears at Connie's wedding long before his importance to the plot is established.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He exhibits a very diplomatic and pleasant demeanor in his dealings with business partners and other associates. [[spoiler:However, in reality, he is a very cold-hearted and calculated man who has no scruples about employing brutal and underhanded tactics to increase his power.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:He is ultimately revealed to be the mastermind behind a conspiracy to usurp power from the Corleone originally believed to be led by Philip Tattaglia.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:He secretly conspires with Carlo Rizzi to have Connie viciously beaten in order to provoke her hot-headed brother, Santino, and lure him to his death.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: His character is loosely based on Vito Genovese, a ruthless mob boss who sought to become the "Boss of all Bosses" by capitalizing on the sale of narcotics and eliminating all potential rivals within the criminal underworld, most notably Frank Costello, Albert Anastasia and Lucky Luciano. Also had some elements of Joe Bonanno, who, like Genovese, wanted to become the Mafia's overlord by eliminating several of his rivals by using Joe Colombo and Joe Magliocco as fronts.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Both Vito and Michael Corleone have outsmarted Barzini by deliberately letting him and the other bosses whittle away the Corleone interests in order to lull them into a false sense of security. Before his death, Vito warns his son that Barzini will try to have Michael eliminated under the guise of a peace meeting, and that whoever approaches Michael about the meeting will be exposed as the traitor within the family. Michael uses this info to his advantage, and silently eliminates the the other Mafia heads (including Barzini). Sal Tessio (who reveals himself to be the traitor at Vito's funeral, albeit unknowingly) and Carlo Rizzi (for conspiring with Barzini to abuse Connie) were later executed for betraying the Corleones.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Moe Greene]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moegreene.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:''"You goddamn guineas you really make me laugh."'']]
->''"Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Greene! [[WhileYouWereInDiapers I made my bones while you were going out with cheerleaders]]!"''

-> '''Portrayed By''': Alex Rocco

Hotheaded Las Vegas crime boss who runs afoul of Michael's plans to relocate the Corleone Family to Nevada. In ''Part II'', he's revealed to have been a protégé of Hyman Roth, providing Roth motivation for revenge against Michael.

* HotBlooded: Very quickly goes from affable host to angry, blustering defiance when meeting with Michael.
* KickTheDog: His treatment of Fredo.
* KosherNostra: Of Jewish background.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: The TropeNamer.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, a friend and partner of Meyer Lansky who played a key role in developing the Las Vegas Strip and [[spoiler:died in a manner similar to Greene]]. His name is a portmanteau of two other Las Vegas gangsters, Moe Dalitz and Gus Greenbaum, who were Siegel's contemporaries.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Calls Michael a "guinea".
* SmallRoleBigImpact: His actual screen time is rather brief, but [[spoiler:his death]] plays a major role in ''Part II''.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as powerful (or secure) as he thinks he is. Somewhat justified, as he's aware of the turmoil within the Corleone Family and [[NotSoHarmlessVillain doesn't see Michael as a serious threat]].
* StupidEvil: Not only does he aggressively refuse Michael's offer of a buyout, he blurts out that [[spoiler:Barzini has already contacted him]]. Thus confirming for Michael who the ''real'' BigBad is, and marking [[spoiler:Greene himself for execution]].
* VisionaryVillain: According to Hyman Roth, he created Las Vegas's gambling and vice rackets virtually from scratch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Hyman Roth]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyman.png]]
[[caption-width-right:243:"''Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.''"]]
->''"Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Lee Strasberg

Born Hyman Suchowsky, the Jewish-American Roth befriended Vito during Prohibition, but later set up his own organization in Miami. Aging and perhaps terminally ill, Roth invites Michael to join his operations in Cuba, but he's soon revealed to be plotting against Michael.

* AffablyEvil: In most of his scenes, he comes across as a friendly old man who honestly wants to advise Michael and leave behind something worthwhile for his friends.
* AffluentAscetic: He's a captain of an immense criminal empire but chooses to live in a modest house in a Miami suburb.
* BigBad: Of Michael's story in ''Part II''.
* TheChessmaster: Tries to outwit Michael, but like Barzini before him, [[OutGambitted Michael upstages]] and kills him for it.
* DieLaughing: He's cracking jokes to reporters at the airport, moments before Rocco shoots him.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Clemenza introduces him to Vito as "Johnny Lips," which Roth clearly dislikes. Vito suggests he's select his own name.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His wife and brother accompany him to Cuba.
* EvilCounterpart: To Don Vito.
* KosherNostra: He is Jewish like Moe Greene. He later tries moving to Israel, but gets rejected due to being a known criminal.
* LikeASonToMe: He claims that Moe Greene was this to him, and clearly it is one of the main reasons why he wants revenge against Michael.
* TheMentor: To Moe Greene.
* MetaCasting: Lee Strasberg was a famous and influential acting teacher whom many of the actors in the series, and was Al Pacino's mentor moreoever. Here, he plays a powerful, highly respected, highly influential crime boss. Originally the role was going to be played by Creator/EliaKazan but eventually Coppola turned to his rival.
* MotiveRant: When Michael asks him who ordered the hit on Pentangeli, Roth responds by revealing his close connection to Moe Greene, whom Michael had killed. This provides greater clarity about why Roth would want Michael dead, even though Roth is [[DownplayedTrope never explicit about this]].
--> This was a great man, a man of vision and guts. [[ShrineToTheFallen And there isn't even a plaque or a signpost or a statue]] in [[UsefulNotes/LasVegas that town]]! [[MoeGreeneSpecial Someone put a bullet through his eye]]. No one knows who gave the order. When I heard it, I wasn't angry. I knew Moe, [[HairTriggerTemper I knew he was headstrong—talking loud, saying stupid things]]. So when he turned up dead, [[BlatantLies I let it go]]. I said to myself, "This is business that we've chosen." [[SuddenlyShouting And I didn’t ask who gave the order! Because it had nothin' to do with business!]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Roth was very heavily based off the notorious and powerful Jewish gangster/adviser to the Mafia Meyer Lansky. Lansky reportedly called Lee Strasberg (the father of Method Acting), the actor playing Roth, and congratulated him on his performance, but added, "You could have made me more sympathetic." InUniverse, it's mentioned Roth is a pseudonym inspired by Arnold Rothstein. Coppola also commented that Strasberg based Roth's personality on their mutual friend, Creator/EliaKazan.
* NonActionBigBad: He is very sick but no less effective as a BigBad.
* RememberTheNewGuy: A longtime friend and business partner of Vito's, whom we don't meet until ''Part II''.
* TranquilFury: Is a lot more angry over his protege Moe Greene's death than he's letting on, and has a very good idea who's responsible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Francesco Ciccio]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ciccico.png]]
->''"It's not his words I'm afraid of!"''
-->-- on Vito

->'''Portrayed By''': Giuseppe Sillato

A Sicilian Mafia chief who kills Vito's father, brother and mother, forcing him to flee to the United States. Decades later, Vito returns to Sicily, seeking revenge.

* AssholeVictim: This is the man that killed Vito's parents and older brother... it's hard to shed a tear for him when Vito finally gets his long-sought and ''very'' well-deserved revenge.
* BigBad: Of Vito's story in ''Part II''.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: EvilVersusEvil example. Killing off Vito's entire family eventually led to the kid growing up to become a (very vengeful) crime lord himself.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He killed Vito's father Antonio Andolini just for insulting him. To think that if it weren't for Ciccio having such a fragile ego, the whole ''Godfather'' saga wouldn't even have happened.
* TheDon: The top crime boss of Corleone, Sicily at the beginning of the 20th century, [[spoiler:until his assassination]].
* FatBastard: An overweight, child-murdering mob boss.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can can act polite and friendly during business meetings, but is ruthless enough to have whole families killed if they cross him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He was more than willing to kill Vito ''as a child'' to ensure he wouldn't return for revenge.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:He gets his stomach stabbed and sliced by Vito Andolini, the now-grown-up boy whom Ciccio had orphaned so long ago.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: He attempts to kill all of Antonio Andolini's male relatives, including his 9-year-old son Vito, knowing they would be honor-bound to avenge Antonio's murder. This forces Vito to escape to America, where he becomes a Don himself, eventually giving him the ability to return and kill Don Ciccio.
* NonActionBigBad: He has grown too old and almost blind by the time Vito arrives to take his revenge. [[spoiler:It doesn't stop him from delivering it anyway.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Had Vito's older brother Paolo killed for attempting to avenge his father, and tried to have Vito killed since Vito would do the same.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Fanucci]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theratb.png]]
->''"Tell your friends I don't want a lot. Just enough to [[UnusualEuphemism wet my beak]]."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Gastone Moschin

A small-time extortionist terrorizing Little Italy in the 1910s, who drives Vito to a life of crime.

* BackupBluff: A villainous example, and his entire MO. He scares the people in the neighborhood into thinking he is a member of the Black Hand.
* BigBadWannabe: He is very feared and acts all ruthless, but he is a PaperTiger: there are some paisans who don't pay him any tribute, he has no real muscle and resorts to police threats to enforce his demands. After Vito tests him by only paying half of his debt, he decides that he's no threat and kills him.
* TheBully: He was more of a neighborhood bully in Little Italy rather than a true mobster.
* CatchPhrase: Fond of telling people he needs to "wet my beak," i.e. skim their profits.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: For Vito, killing Fanucci turns him from petty criminal to respected godfather.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He uses his power to get his nephew a job (at the cost of Vito's) and when intimidating Vito Fanucci takes a dress from Vito's store to give to one of his own daughters.
* KarmicDeath: He gets Vito fired from his job, forcing him to become a criminal. Vito killing him seems just punishment.
* StupidEvil: When he smugly attempts to extort money from Vito, he: a.) threatens Vito not with violence but with a visit from the cops, suggesting that he's got no actual muscle; b.) first asks for $200, then halves it to $100 when Vito doesn't immediately capitulate, suggesting that he lacks force of will; c.) doesn't offer Vito anything at all (except the implication that he ''won't'' call the cops.) All this does is show Vito that Don Fanucci is not a serious threat, and that killing him will annoy no-one.
%%* SmugSnake
* WouldHitAGirl: He was willing to threaten a young lady with a knife to her neck, just to extort more money out of her father.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Joey Zasa]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaza_4.png]]
->''"As for Don Corleone, he makes it very clear to me today, that he is my enemy. You must choose between us."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Joe Mantegna

A flamboyant associate of the Corleones, trying to gain power in New York City. Michael and the other crime bosses consider him an embarrassment for his media grandstanding.

* BigBadWannabe: As a whole, he's not really as powerful as his boss, Altobello, and Michael and the Commission don't take him seriously.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Of ''Part III''. In fact, the real BigBad is relieved to see him go!
* DudeWheresMyRespect: His rant to the Mafia commission complains about no one taking him seriously. Michael [[ShutUpHannibal tells him it's own fault for being so flamboyant]].
* EqualOpportunityEvil: He recruits blacks and Latinos into his organization, which shows he "has a good heart".
%%* LargeHam
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: He likes to be known for his well dressed style and as a champion of Italian-American heritage. It doesn't exactly endear him to his fellow mafiosi.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: A thinly-veiled [[TakeThat up-yours]] against Joseph Colombo, from his personality to the Italian-American heritage organization Zasa fronts, resembling Colombo's Italian-American Civil Rights League which caused Coppola headaches [[RealitySubtext during the first film]]. His over-the-top, media-friendly persona also recalls John Gotti, Carmine Persico, Paul Castellano and "Crazy" Joe Gallo.
* RememberTheNewGuy: As with Pentangeli in ''Part II'', a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot. Originally Zasa was to be Willie Cicci, but Joe Spinell's death forced Coppola to rewrite his storyline for a new character.
%%* TheSociopath
* TheStarscream: He is hinted as wanting to take over Altobello's plan so he can be Don.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Altobello]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/altobello.png]]
->''"The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Creator/EliWallach

Long-time friend of the Corleone family (he was even Connie's godfather), revealed to be the BigBad manipulating events in ''Part III''.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Lucchesi.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He managed to fool the Corleones for a long while with a friendly, yet senile disposition; he even managed to become Connie's godfather thanks to his act.
* TheChessmaster: He has an elaborate plan to kill Michael and his pomps so he can take over his operations. However, like the others, Michael manages to catch on to his betrayal and outsmart him.
* EvilOldFolks: Despite his age, he's still the antagonist of ''Part III'' for a reason.
* FalseFriend: To the Corleone family, secretly being the BigBad.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, friendly and a bit senile but it's all an act.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's the one behind Joey Zasa, among other things.
* RememberTheNewGuy: He calls himself the Corleone family's "oldest friend." One wonders where he's been for the past two movies.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Connie seems to be a bit sad after [[spoiler: poisoning him]] as he was her godfather.
* WickedCultured: He genuinely enjoyed the opera reciting with the performers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Don Licio Lucchesi]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lllllll.png]]
->''"Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."''

->'''Portrayed By''': Enzo Robutti

An Italian politician involved in the Vatican Bank, with heavy ties to organized crime, and Michael's enemy Altobello in particular.

* BigBad: Of ''Part III'', secretly being Michael's enemy.
* BigBadDuumvirate: With Don Altobello.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: Prominently wears a pair of glasses, [[spoiler:which is ironically used to kill him]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Stabbed to death by his own ''glasses'' in his ''throat''.]]
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Lucchesi is modeled on Giulio Andreotti, who was the prime minister of UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} during ''III'''s release and was convicted (then acquitted) of his links with the RealLife mafia. The line Lucchesi's killer gives before Lucchesi's murder -- "Power wears out those who don't have it" -- is a direct quote from Andreotti. He also shares a lot of traits (down to his first name) with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licio_Gelli Licio Gelli]] a grandmaster of the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AncientConspiracy Freemasons]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Archbishop Gilday]]
[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archbishop_3.png]]
->''"It seems the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness".''

->'''Portrayed by''': Donal Donnelly

High-ranking Church official, involved with the Vatican Bank. Michael enlists him as an ally in his effort to purchase Immobiliare, unaware that he's working with Altobello and Lucchesi.

* TheChessmaster: Quite good at manipulating Michael through outward displays of friendship. It's implied that [[spoiler:he's the one who engineers Pope John Paul's death]].
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Shot by Neri then falls down a staircase.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A very charming and soft-spoken man in public, but a ruthless schemer behind closed doors.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Like other characters in ''Part III'', Gilday is based on a major figure in the Vatican Bank scandals, in this case American-born Archbishop Paul Marcinkus. Unlike his film counterpart, Marcinkus remained head of the Vatican Bank through 1990 and died of natural causes in 2006.
* SinisterMinister: If not [[FauxAffablyEvil his demeanor]], then certainly his actions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Frederick Keinszig]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thatoneguy.png]]
->''"Everything will be out in the open if Corleone dies."''

->'''Portrayed by''': Helmut Berger

A [[SwissBankAccount Swiss banker]] who helps negotiate the Immobiliare deal. Fearing exposure, he skips town with a BriefcaseFullOfMoney and incriminating documents, which doesn't save him.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Happily sells out his co-conspirators as well as Michael. Vincent sums him up well:
--> "That little Swiss banker fuck -- he's been swindling everyone from the beginning. Fuck him."
* IronicNickname: "God's Banker."
* MorallyBankruptBanker: An archetypal example, especially given his ties to a CorruptChurch and TheMafia.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: For Roberto Calvi, chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, one of the key players in the Vatican Bank scandals of the '80s. Keinszig's fate is explicitly modeled off Calvi's death; the banker was found hanging from Blackfriar's Bridge in London in 1982.
* SmugSnake: Condescending, arrogant and untrustworthy; no one much likes him.
* TooDumbToLive: When Pope John Paul I takes power, he decides to backstab not only Michael but Altobello, Lucchesi ''and'' the Vatican, running off with a suitcase full of cash, bonds and Church documents. Really, what did he ''expect'' to happen?
[[/folder]]

->'''Portrayed By''': Andrew Pifko (''The Godfather'' [game]), Creator/RickPasqualone (''Part II'' [game])

[[folder: Albert "Al" Neri]]

* TheExile: He takes refuge] in Sicily to avoid the heat of the mob war that ensues.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the novel Luca was infamous for his violence and cruelty with a couple of brutal murders and even the murder of his own infant child to his name. The Corleone family even fears him and his allegiance to them isn't guaranteed as much as they'd like The film omits many of his harsher actions, including the infanticide and on the whole his major scene of him at the party serves to humanize him as a bumbling but still affectionate follower of Vitos. Similarly the Corleone family is more confident in his loyalty and there's never any fear of him turning on them.

[[caption-width-right:243:"Michael, I hated you for so many years. I think that I did things to myself, to hurt myself so that you'd know - that I could hurt you. You were just being strong for all of us the way Papa was. And I forgive you." ]]

A former NYPD cop expelled for police brutality, he was taken in by the Corleones as a hitman. Eventually became Michael's right-hand man and most trusted bodyguard and advisor.

->''"I'm Moe Greene! [[WhileYouWereInDiapers I made my bones while you were going out with cheerleaders]]!"''

->''"We're bigger than U.S. Steel."''

* ParentalSubstitute: Unofficially adopts Tom Hagen after he was found by Sonny as a homeless orphan. He doesn't formally adopt him because he doesn't want to disrespect Tom's birth parents, but Tom considers Vito to be his true father. It's implied that this was him paying it forward: In Part II, he says that Genco Abbandando and his family took him in and gave him a job at his grocery store when he was himself an orphan immigrant with absolutely nothing, giving him a livelihood, and even after Fanucci forces Signor Abbandando to fire him he says he won't forget what they did for him.

* ParentalFavoritism: Towards Michael, meant for a higher purpose. The original novel tries to explain why Sonny is the heir exempt from EvilParentsWantGoodKids because Sonny chose a criminal life after witnessing Vito killing Don Fanucci. (''Part II'' disregards this)

* TheGhost: Marlon Brando was supposed to reprise his role as "old" Vito for the 1941 flashback at the end of ''Part II'', but when he [[AbsenteeActor failed to turn up for the shoot]], the scene was rewritten to keep him offscreen.[[note]] Accounts vary as to why, but the most widely accepted reason is that Marlon Brando hadn't been paid fully for acting in Part I. Paramount offered him the same exact salary he had made on ''Part I'' for doing, basically, a walk-in cameo with no lines. The actor came very close to accepting until he asked for the pending ''Part I'' salary and Paramount refused to pay it. Brando eventually sued.[[/note]]

* TheChessmaster: He proves himself to be this at least twice during Part I, and continuously throughout Part II, using devious and brutal schemes to keep the Corleone Family strong, despite their (numerous) ups and downs.

* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: After returning from Sicily and with Sonny gone, Michael embraces his fate and gradually becomes his father's son, hatching their revenge for years. He marries Kay in the middle of his transformation, the son of a criminal who claims to be struggling for legitimacy. In a natural, magnified but equal iteration of his first evil act, he becomes a full-fledged Don by killing all of his underworld rivals. The real descent comes in that he crosses lines that Vito never had to cross, alienates his family and becomes callous in his personal life, thereby leading to his PyrrhicVillainy by the end of Part II.

** He has a minor one with Michael too, when they are planning out the hit on Solozzo, he threatens that someone better be good at providing Michael the gun.

* BruiserWithASoftCenter: In Part I, Sonny is the most violent and hotheaded of the brothers, but most of his violence is [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge directed at those who hurt his family]]. Like Vito, his acceptance of Tom as a brother also shows that he is not as racist as most Sicilian mafioso.

* RedOniBlueOni: The Hotblooded Red Oni to Michael's Blue.

** In Part II, it's revealed that he's the one who invited Carlo to Vito's birthday and introduced him to Connie, setting up their eventual wedding. Which is doubly painful in that Carlo turns out to be an abusive husband, and that Sonny's violent retaliation against Carlo leads to Carlo staging a fight with Connie to set up Sonny's assassination.

* OutnumberedSibling: She's the only daughter of the Corleone family with three older brothers (Sonny, Fredo and Michael) and another adopted brother Tom Hagen.

* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Part III'', becomes Michael's de facto consigliere, ordering hits without his permission. [[spoiler:She even assists in killing Altobello, who is her godfather, with poisoned cannoli during the final parts of Part III]].

* TheConsigliere: TropeCodifier. Close to a UnbuiltTrope in that Tom, though well-meaning, isn't a particularly good Consigliere during wartime. He admits it to himself in the book after Sonny dies. Michael replaces him with his father, although he still listens to him until he grows unhappy with Tom in Part II.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Despite his integral role in the first two films, his death is only briefly mentioned in passing at the beginning of Part III]]. In the books, he is [[spoiler:drowned in the Florida Everglades by Nick "Ace" Geraci, as part of Geraci's plan to bring down Michael's support structure en route to taking over the family]].

* HappilyAdopted: Although the Don never formally adopted him, he treated him just like his birth children and Tom thinks of Vito Corleone as his true father. The Corleone children think of him as another sibling and not just Sonny's friend who came to live with them. Even after [[spoiler:his death, his wife and children still attend family events where they are treated as family and Michael still calls him his brother.]]

Michael's long-time girlfriend that he met at college. She is somewhat of an outsider from the beginning and symbolizes Michael's initial desire to live a more Americanized life - viewing her as a way of breaking away from the family business. He eventually falls out of love with her but proposes to her years later in order to start a family. She becomes his second wife and they have two children but their relationship is not a happy one. [[spoiler: Michael continuously mistreats Kay and it ends bitterly with a divorce in ''Part II'' after Kay tells Michael that she has aborted their third child. In Part III, Michael has mellowed out and they attempt to reconcile their relationship but then their daughter, Mary dies.]]

* NotSoAboveItAll: For all her talk about how wrong killing is and how Michael's life of crime is going nowhere, she was willing to abort her unborn child as a means to an end. Something she herself lampshaded.
-->'''Kay:''' It was an abortion Michael. Just like our marriage is an abortion. Something that's unholy and evil.

Shortly after Michael arrives in Sicily following his escape from New York, he meets a local woman named Apollonia. Michael falls deeply and passionately in love with her (which is described as being "struck by the thunderbolt"). After a brief period of courtship, Michael marries her and she becomes his first wife. His relationship with her is what helps him reconnect with his Sicilian roots and find out where he truly belongs. [[spoiler: The pregnant Apollonia dies in a car bomb set by Fabrizio (one of Michael's bodyguards) that was intended to kill him. Her death makes Michael a man with an uncontrollable thirst for revenge, which would eventually lead him to betray his family.]]

[[folder: Vincent "Vinnie" Mancini]]

->'''Michael:''' [''to Mary''] I would burn in Hell to keep you safe.

* FormerlyFit: In Part II, when played by Bruno Kirby in his youth, Clemenza was a lot skinnier than when played by Richard Castellano. Though the younger Clemenza is a bit thicker than the younger Vito and Tessio and can be seen eating a lot. His final scene in the flashback shows him gaining much more weight.

* HiddenDepths: An excellent cook, even showing Michael how to make spaghetti sauce, and a history buff who compares Solozzo's actions to Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch.

* TheMentor: According to the book, he taught Sonny how to fight and kill, though he was a bit disappointed that Sonny never showed any particular liking for the garotte. In both the film and the book, he also advises Michael on carrying out the killing of Solozzo and [=McCluskey=].

** In the novel even Vito Corleone is afraid of him, to the point of being apprehensive when he has to receive Brasi's congratulations on his daughter's wedding day despite Brasi being the only one of these visitors not to include the request of a favour with the congratulations. [[spoiler: When Solozzo's men make it clear to the Corleones that they have killed Brasi, the Corleones are relieved to know that Sollozo had not turned him and that he isn't coming after them.]]

* BeenThereShapedHistory: He is responsible for helping Rocco in removing Khartoum's head and placing it in Woltz's bed, beating the two kids who tried to rape Bonasera's daughter, assassinating both Paulie Gatto and Salvatore Tessio for betraying the Family, hiding the pistol Michael would use to kill Solozzo and [=McCluskey=], and participating in the assassination of the heads of the Five Families.

* LawmanGoneBad: In the novel, he is revealed to be an incorruptible but ferocious cop. When a PayEvilUntoEvil situation does not quite go as planned, he winds up convicted of manslaughter. Michael Corleone gets him off with a suspended sentence; in gratitude, he becomes Michael's most trusted bodyguard and ProfessionalKiller.

* BusCrash: He was reportedly supposed to have a major part in ''Part III'' but after Coppola learned of the death of actor Joe Spinell, the character was changed to Joey Zaza. Interestingly enough, Cicci was one of the [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse untied ends from Part II]] as his final fate was left unclear. Most assume that he would have been dead by then (probably killed in prison), given his violation of omertà.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Pentangeli was written to replace Clemenza when Castellano didn't return for Part II.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The true antagonist of the first film in The Godfather Trilogy.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In a seemingly friendly gesture, he accepts Don Vito Corleone's request to help set up peace summit called to bring an end to the Five Families War. [[spoiler:This is ultimately revealed to be a cynical ploy when Barzini uses the summit as an opportunity to subject Vito to a shakedown resulting in the forceful appropriation of much of the latter's power and influence.]]

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:He secretly conspires with Carlo Rizzi to have Connie Corleone viciously beaten in order to provoke her hot-headed brother, Santino, and lure him to his death.]]

* BigBad: Of Michael's story in Part II.

* BigBad: Of Part III, secretly being Michael's enemy.

A Swiss banker who helps negotiate the Immobiliare deal. Fearing exposure, he skips town with a BriefcaseFullOfMoney and incriminating documents, which doesn't save him.

* MookPromotion: He goes from a "Button Man" to Michael's caporegime.

* BusCrash: He was reportedly supposed to have a major part in ''Part III'' but after Coppola learned of the death of actor Joe Spinell, the character was changed to Joey Zaza. Interestingly enough, Cicci was one of the [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse untied ends from Part II]] as his final fate was left unclear. Most assume that he would have been dead by then (probably killed in prison), given his violation of omerta.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Due to the BusCrash mentioned above, his fate's left unresolved after his Senate testimony. He gets prison time anyway due to his admission of crimes that he committed. It is not known what ultimately happened to him but most assume that he would eventually have been killed in prison due to his violation of omerta.

* OhCrap: The look on his face when he shares a look with his brother before the hearing, realizing what will happen if he violates the omerta (potentially to his family in particular).

* TheStoolPigeon: With Willie Cicci after he mistakenly assumes Michael put a hit out on him. [[spoiler: Though he recants at the last minute when his brother paid him a visit.]]