Biography

Mario Puzo was born October 15, 1920, in "Hell's Kitchen" on Manhattan's (NY) West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best-known novel, "The Godfather," was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels, "The Dark Arena" and "The Fortunate Pilgrim." In 1978, he published "Fools Die," followed by "The Sicilian" (1984) and "The Fourth K" (1991). Mario Puzo has also written several screenplays, including Earthquake (1974), Superman (1978), and all three "Godfather" movies, for which he received two Academy Awards. Mario's latest novel, 1996's "The Last Don," was made into a CBS television miniseries in May 1997, starring Danny Aiello, Kirstie Alley and Joe Mantegna. In 1997, Part II was aired. Also in 1997, Mario's "The Fortunate Pilgrim" was re-released by Random House. Mario passed away July 2, 1999, at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island. His last novel, "Omerta," will be published July, 2000. He is survived by his companion of 20 years, Carol Gino, and five children.
- IMDb mini biography by: J Geoff Malta <jgeoff@jgeoff.com>

He grew up poor with his parents in New York's Little Italy district. Often there was a lack of the most necessary things, so that the family had to suffer from hunger. Mario Puzo began writing at a young age. The focus of his work was always on examining his origins and the position of Italian-Americans in American society. At the end of the Second World War, Mario Puzo was stationed in Germany as an American volunteer. After his return, he was placed in a support program that enabled him to study at New York College. He already received excellent reviews for his first novel "The Dark Arena" from 1955. He first gained attention as an accepted writer in 1964 with the novel "Mama Lucia". In 1969 the novel "The Godfather" was published, which helped him achieve his international breakthrough as a writer.

Furthermore, the material of the "Corleone" mafia family aroused people's emotions, as numerous characters included people of public interest. The American entertainer Frank Sinatra was recognized in the character of "Jonny Fontane". After the book became a bestseller, Francis Ford Coppola filmed the story in three parts in 1972, 1974 and 1990. The roles were filled by stars such as Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. Actor Al Pacino, who accompanied the novel up to the third part as "Michael Corleone", became a star of international cinema and was awarded an Oscar. In total, the work was awarded the Oscar 11 times, making "The Godfather" one of the most successful multi-part films in film history. Puzo won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1973 and 1975 Academy Awards for co-writing the screenplays for "The Godfather" and "The Godfather - Part II" with Francis Ford Coppola.

In other works by Mario Puzo, the gambling city of Las Vegas was at the center of his stories. In 1977 the novel "Las Vegas" was published in the USA and in 1980 it was published in Europe. He earned further attention in the mid-1980s with the story of the Sicilian rebel "Giuliano" in the novel "The Sicilian", which was also made into a film in 1987 with Michael Cimino. In 1990, "The Godfather III" was released in cinemas, for which Puzo again wrote the screenplay. Puzo's last work was the novel "The Family". He himself died while working on this work. The book was completed by Puzo's assistant and partner Carol Gino, who also worked on the research for the work.

Mario Puzo died on July 2, 1999 in Long Island, New York.
- IMDb mini biography by: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth

The best way to launch an Italian restaurant is to have it raided because the Mafia eats there. Everybody knows they eat well.

[on his infamous encounter with Frank Sinatra] Here he was, a northern Italian, threatening me, a southern Italian, with physical violence. This was roughly equivalent to Einstein pulling a knife on Al Capone.