Trivia

Was writing a story outline for a fourth "Godfather" film before he died.

In the foreword of his 1972 autobiography, "The Godfather Papers & Other Confessions", he explains that "The Godfather", though a best seller, was his least favorite book, but hated when people knocked it solely because it was a best seller.

In the 1950s and 1960s he worked at Magazine Management which was owned by Martin Goodman, whose company also owned Timely Comics, which later became known as Marvel Comics. He decided to try his hand at writing a comic book, but told Stan Lee that he couldn't meet the monthly deadlines. Stan Lee had the opposite problem: he could work under pressure to produce a monthly comic, but didn't have the discipline to write a novel. While Puzo became better known for writing novels, he did eventually succeed in the comic book genre by writing the first two Superman films.

Early in his career, he worked for a NYC company called Magazine Management that among other things actually wrote fake celebrity stories for fan magazines. His co-workers there included not just one but two other writers who went on to pen their own best-sellers, Bruce Jay Friedman and Dorothy Gallagher.

He had five children: Anthony, Joseph, Dorothy Ann Puzo, Virginia and Eugene.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 494-496. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Wrote the first draft of Earthquake (1974) in mid-1972. When the film was pushed into production in mid-1973, Puzo had to quit the project due to his commitment to writing The Godfather Part II (1974). As the final script featured elements of his original, he was one of the two writers credited for Earthquake (1974). In 1975, a minor legal dispute arose between Puzo and Universal over his share of the profits, which was quickly settled.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 131, pages 366-373. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.

Met his wife Erika Lina Broeske while stationed with the United States Army Occupation Forces in Germany during 1946. He brought her to America on the SS Salvador Brau on 21 December 1947.

Sold his book "The Mafia", retitled "The Godfather" to Paramount Pictures to pay a $10,000 gambling debt.

Parents Antonio and Maria were Italian immigrants.

Father was committed to Pilgrim State Hospital in Long Island, New York for schizophrenia.

Fifth of seven children.

His first short story was published in 1950. He wrote for macho men's pulp magazines Male, Men and True Action.

Grew up at 358 10th Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City.

Worked at the New York Central Railroad's 72nd Street station.

His father suffered from schizophrenia and was committed to the Pilgrim State Hospital when Mario was twelve.

He served in the United States Army Air Forces in Germany during World War II.

He had diabetes.

He was an avid cigar smoker.

He struggled with gambling addiction throughout his life.

In 1939 his mother moved with her children to 41-08 Vernon Blvd in the Queensbridge Houses.