Anthony Corleone
Encyclopedia
Anthony "Tony" Vito Corleone is a fictional character
in The Godfather
trilogy
of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola
. He is portrayed by Anthony Gounaris in the first film, James Gounaris in the second, and singer Franc D'Ambrosio
in the third. The character was given the name Anthony because it was thought that the three-year-old Gounaris of the first film would respond best if his own name was used. He is the son of Michael
(Al Pacino
) and Kay Corleone (Diane Keaton
), and the older brother of Mary Corleone
(Sofia Coppola
). While Anthony was never a major character in the first two films, major events in his life were the backdrop of key parts of the second film, and his relationship with his father is a plot point in the third film. He was not mentioned by name in the novel
.
(Marlon Brando
).
. It continues with an extravagant banquet held in his honor near Lake Tahoe
. During this banquet, his father is largely tied up with family business, a theme which would repeat itself throughout the film. Anthony receives many gifts, mostly from people he does not know.
Later in the film, he and his sister, Mary
, overhear their parents fighting; during the fight Kay mentions her concern that Michael's soldati have become Anthony's primary playmates, but Michael refuses to believe he has influenced his son in any negative way. Michael and Kay get a divorce by the end of the film; Anthony seems to resent his mother's role in the divorce, and as a result is sullen and reluctant to kiss her during a visit. At the end of the film, he develops a friendship with his uncle Fredo
(John Cazale
) and is due to go fishing with him, until Michael intervenes and requests Anthony accompany him to Reno
. Fredo is then assassinated by Al Neri
(Richard Bright
) at Michael's order.
, along with his mother and sister. At the banquet that follows, he confronts his father, along with Kay, and tells him that he is quitting law school
for a career in opera
, and will not join the family business, claiming it has brought him nothing but "bad memories". This infuriates Michael, who wants him to be a lawyer even if he is not in the "family business". Nevertheless, Michael relents and gives his blessing at Kay's insistence. Kay also tells Michael (in secret) that Anthony knows that he had Fredo killed, and has resented him for it ever since.
Anthony's operatic career is a success, and he is given the lead in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana
in Palermo, Sicily. Overjoyed, his family join him for the premiere. As a gift at a gathering, he performs the traditional Sicilian
ballad "Brucia La Terra" (the official theme of the trilogy). During this visit, he joins his parents in criticizing his sister's relationship with their cousin, Vincent Corleone (Andy García
).
The film concludes with Anthony performing his debut. Although the production is a success, it is overshadowed by numerous murders and assassinations during the evening; most notably, Mary (Sofia Coppola
) is killed by the assassin Mosca during an attempt on Michael's life.
's sequel
novels The Godfather Returns
and The Godfather's Revenge
. In the former novel, he witnesses Fredo's murder from his window, explaining the third film's revelation that he knows the truth about his uncle's death.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
. He is portrayed by Anthony Gounaris in the first film, James Gounaris in the second, and singer Franc D'Ambrosio
Franc D'Ambrosio
Franc D'Ambrosio , is an American singer and actor, best known for his role in the stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. He also played the adult Anthony Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part III.Affectionately known as Phantom's "The Iron Man of The Mask", Franc D'Ambrosio...
in the third. The character was given the name Anthony because it was thought that the three-year-old Gounaris of the first film would respond best if his own name was used. He is the son of Michael
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
(Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
) and Kay Corleone (Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
), and the older brother of Mary Corleone
Mary Corleone
Mary Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather Part III, portrayed by Sofia Coppola. She is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone.-The Godfather Part II:...
(Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
). While Anthony was never a major character in the first two films, major events in his life were the backdrop of key parts of the second film, and his relationship with his father is a plot point in the third film. He was not mentioned by name in the novel
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
.
The Godfather
Anthony has a small role in the first film; his only scene of consequence is one in which he witnesses the death of his grandfather, Vito CorleoneVito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
(Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
).
The Godfather Part II
The second film's plotline opens in 1958, with Anthony's first communionEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. It continues with an extravagant banquet held in his honor near Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
. During this banquet, his father is largely tied up with family business, a theme which would repeat itself throughout the film. Anthony receives many gifts, mostly from people he does not know.
Later in the film, he and his sister, Mary
Mary Corleone
Mary Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather Part III, portrayed by Sofia Coppola. She is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone.-The Godfather Part II:...
, overhear their parents fighting; during the fight Kay mentions her concern that Michael's soldati have become Anthony's primary playmates, but Michael refuses to believe he has influenced his son in any negative way. Michael and Kay get a divorce by the end of the film; Anthony seems to resent his mother's role in the divorce, and as a result is sullen and reluctant to kiss her during a visit. At the end of the film, he develops a friendship with his uncle Fredo
Fredo Corleone
Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. In the fictional universe of the novel and its film adaptation, he is the second son of Vito Corleone , head of a powerful Mafia family...
(John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
) and is due to go fishing with him, until Michael intervenes and requests Anthony accompany him to Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
. Fredo is then assassinated by Al Neri
Al Neri
Albert "Al" Neri is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the three films based on it. In all three motion pictures, he is portrayed by actor Richard Bright. In The Godfather: The Game, he is voiced by Gary Chalk...
(Richard Bright
Richard Bright
Richard Bright may refer to:*Richard Bright , English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease*Richard Bright , English Member of Parliament, 1868–1878...
) at Michael's order.
The Godfather Part III
Sometime in the 1960s, Michael gave custody of Anthony and Mary to their mother. A fully-grown Anthony attends Michael's celebration on his receipt of a citation from the PopePope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, along with his mother and sister. At the banquet that follows, he confronts his father, along with Kay, and tells him that he is quitting law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
for a career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and will not join the family business, claiming it has brought him nothing but "bad memories". This infuriates Michael, who wants him to be a lawyer even if he is not in the "family business". Nevertheless, Michael relents and gives his blessing at Kay's insistence. Kay also tells Michael (in secret) that Anthony knows that he had Fredo killed, and has resented him for it ever since.
Anthony's operatic career is a success, and he is given the lead in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
in Palermo, Sicily. Overjoyed, his family join him for the premiere. As a gift at a gathering, he performs the traditional Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
ballad "Brucia La Terra" (the official theme of the trilogy). During this visit, he joins his parents in criticizing his sister's relationship with their cousin, Vincent Corleone (Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
).
The film concludes with Anthony performing his debut. Although the production is a success, it is overshadowed by numerous murders and assassinations during the evening; most notably, Mary (Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
) is killed by the assassin Mosca during an attempt on Michael's life.
Sequel novels
Anthony appears in Mark WinegardnerMark Winegardner
Mark Winegardner is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include The Godfather Returns, Crooked River Burning, and The Veracruz Blues. He published a collection of short stories, That's True of Everybody, in 2002. His newest novel, The Godfather's Revenge, was published...
's sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
novels The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which was originally published in 1969, and The Sicilian...
and The Godfather's Revenge
The Godfather's Revenge
The Godfather's Revenge, a 2006 novel written by author Mark Winegardner, is the sequel to The Godfather, The Sicilian, and The Godfather Returns. The story takes place from 1963–1964, and picks up the story from where The Godfather Returns left off...
. In the former novel, he witnesses Fredo's murder from his window, explaining the third film's revelation that he knows the truth about his uncle's death.