Salvatore Tessio
Encyclopedia
Salvatore "Sal" Tessio is a fictional character in Mario Puzo
's novel The Godfather
and the film based on it
. In the film, Tessio was portrayed by Abe Vigoda
. In the sequel
, Vigoda reprised the role in a flashback
, set in late 1941, at the end of the film. Actor John Aprea
portrayed the younger Tessio in The Godfather Part II
.
as low-level hoodlums in New York City
's Hell's Kitchen
neighborhood. As Corleone rises to prominence in the Mafia
underworld, he makes Tessio and Clemenza his main caporegime
s. Tessio owns the Embassy Club in Brooklyn
and makes it his base of operations. From there, he manages his Mafia soldiers
and is very well-connected throughout the borough. Most federal investigators consider Tessio the smarter, savvier and more ruthless of the two capos. However, according to the book, he mellows considerably over the decade of peace between New York's Mafia families.
Tessio's first name is never mentioned in the novel.
Mark Winegardner
's sequel novel The Godfather Returns
reveals that Tessio's regime includes soldiers Nick Geraci
, Momo Barone
, Eddie Paradise
, and Tommy Neri
. He is initially the more trusted of the two capos during the war with the Five Families and is issued the task of assassinating Bruno Tattaglia
. In the original novel, he never really trusts Michael Corleone
after he takes over the family, and is frustrated that Michael won't allow him to take vengeance against Emilio Barzini
when his family starts chipping away at his balliwick in Brooklyn. He does, however, think more of the young Don than do Clemenza and Tom Hagen
. Ultimately, Tessio arranges for Michael's assassination at a peace summit set up by his enemies, Barzini and Philip Tattaglia
. In return, Tessio would inherit the Corleone family upon Michael's death.
At Vito's funeral, Tessio tells Michael that he set up the peace summit, to be held on his territory in Brooklyn. However, Michael had anticipated the plot by way of a warning from his father, who intimated that the person who approached him about the peace summit would be the family traitor. Tessio's betrayal comes as a surprise to Hagen, who thought Clemenza was the traitor. However, Michael isn't surprised, saying, "It's the smart move; Tessio was always smarter."
A few days later, Tessio is ready to head for Brooklyn
with Hagen when Willi Cicci
tells him that Michael is going in a separate car. Tessio is frustrated, saying that it's interfered with his "arrangements." At that point, Hagen tells Tessio he can't go either, and several button men surround Tessio. Realizing that Michael has found him out, Tessio asks Hagen to tell Michael that his betrayal was not personal, but simply business; Hagen replies that Michael understands that. Tessio also asks Hagen if he could get him off the hook, "for old time's sake," but Hagen refuses. The original novel merely implies Tessio's resultant death, but the later novel The Godfather Returns
explains that he is executed with a gunshot at point blank range by his enforcer Nick Geraci
. According to this book, Geraci is chosen and intended to succeed him as capo, but in the original novel, Al Neri
takes over the old Tessio regime.
, Tessio is the main hit contracter
for the first half of the game's story. Later, after he is confronted by Tom Hagen and Cicci, Tessio is escorted to the place where he was to betray Michael by the game's protagonist, Aldo Trapani
. He subsequently flees, but is hunted down and shot by Trapani. In the game, Tessio's death takes place before the baptism
executions, unlike in the film.
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
's novel The Godfather
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...
and the film based on it
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...
. In the film, Tessio was portrayed by Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda is an American movie and television actor. Vigoda is well known for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom television series Barney Miller from 1975–1977 and on its spinoff show Fish that aired from February 1977 to...
. In the sequel
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
, Vigoda reprised the role in a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, set in late 1941, at the end of the film. Actor John Aprea
John Aprea
John Aprea is an American actor, known for his role as "Young Sal Tessio" in The Godfather: Part II and on television as "Lucas Castigliano" on the soap opera Another World, from 1989 to 1992. As of 2006, he is currently filming a new soap opera in Southern California called, "The Heiress", which...
portrayed the younger Tessio in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
.
In the novel and film
Tessio starts out with his friends Peter Clemenza and 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...
as low-level hoodlums in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
neighborhood. As Corleone rises to prominence in the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
underworld, he makes Tessio and Clemenza his main caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
s. Tessio owns the Embassy Club in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and makes it his base of operations. From there, he manages his Mafia soldiers
Soldato
A Soldato is the lowest level of the formal Mafia hierarchy, both in America and in Sicily. However, a soldier is much greater in rank and prestige than any ordinary associate of the crime family. In order to become a soldier, the primary requisite for an associate is to become a made man...
and is very well-connected throughout the borough. Most federal investigators consider Tessio the smarter, savvier and more ruthless of the two capos. However, according to the book, he mellows considerably over the decade of peace between New York's Mafia families.
Tessio's first name is never mentioned in the novel.
Mark Winegardner
Mark 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 novel 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...
reveals that Tessio's regime includes soldiers Nick Geraci
Nick Geraci
Fausto Dominic 'Nick' Geraci Jr. is a central character in the Mark Winegardner novels The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge. He is a caporegime in the Corleone crime family, but later betrays the family, and becomes a sworn enemy to Don Michael Corleone.-Biography:The Godfather Returns...
, Momo Barone
Momo Barone
Cosimo "Momo" Barone is a fictional character in the novels The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge. He grew up in the Bronx alongside boyhood friend Eddie Paradise...
, Eddie Paradise
Eddie Paradise
Edward 'Eddie' Paradise is a fictional character in the novels The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge.He is a Sicilian gangster and Soldato in the Corleone crime family under Nick Geraci....
, and Tommy Neri
Tommy Neri
Thomas 'Tommy' Neri is a fictional character in the novels The Godfather, The Godfather Returns, and The Godfather's Revenge.-In the novels:...
. He is initially the more trusted of the two capos during the war with the Five Families and is issued the task of assassinating Bruno Tattaglia
Bruno Tattaglia
Bruno Tattaglia is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the first installment of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy of films. He also appeared in The Godfather: The Game, where the player kills him in an act of revenge...
. In the original novel, he never really trusts Michael Corleone
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...
after he takes over the family, and is frustrated that Michael won't allow him to take vengeance against Emilio Barzini
Emilio Barzini
Don Emilio Barzini is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and in its film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte-In the novel:...
when his family starts chipping away at his balliwick in Brooklyn. He does, however, think more of the young Don than do Clemenza and Tom Hagen
Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
. Ultimately, Tessio arranges for Michael's assassination at a peace summit set up by his enemies, Barzini and Philip Tattaglia
Philip Tattaglia
Philip Tattaglia is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, the first installment of The Godfather film trilogy and The Godfather video game. He was portrayed by actor Victor Rendina.-In the story:...
. In return, Tessio would inherit the Corleone family upon Michael's death.
At Vito's funeral, Tessio tells Michael that he set up the peace summit, to be held on his territory in Brooklyn. However, Michael had anticipated the plot by way of a warning from his father, who intimated that the person who approached him about the peace summit would be the family traitor. Tessio's betrayal comes as a surprise to Hagen, who thought Clemenza was the traitor. However, Michael isn't surprised, saying, "It's the smart move; Tessio was always smarter."
A few days later, Tessio is ready to head for Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
with Hagen when Willi Cicci
Willi Cicci
Willi Cicci is a fictional character in The Godfather film series. The character of Cicci is loosely based on real-life Mafia soldier and informant Joe Valachi.-Appearances:...
tells him that Michael is going in a separate car. Tessio is frustrated, saying that it's interfered with his "arrangements." At that point, Hagen tells Tessio he can't go either, and several button men surround Tessio. Realizing that Michael has found him out, Tessio asks Hagen to tell Michael that his betrayal was not personal, but simply business; Hagen replies that Michael understands that. Tessio also asks Hagen if he could get him off the hook, "for old time's sake," but Hagen refuses. The original novel merely implies Tessio's resultant death, but the later novel 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...
explains that he is executed with a gunshot at point blank range by his enforcer Nick Geraci
Nick Geraci
Fausto Dominic 'Nick' Geraci Jr. is a central character in the Mark Winegardner novels The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge. He is a caporegime in the Corleone crime family, but later betrays the family, and becomes a sworn enemy to Don Michael Corleone.-Biography:The Godfather Returns...
. According to this book, Geraci is chosen and intended to succeed him as capo, but in the original novel, 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...
takes over the old Tessio regime.
In Godfather: The Game
In the video game adaptationThe Godfather: The Game
The Godfather: The Game is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second video game in the Godfather series and based upon the 1972 film of the same name. Originally released in March 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows, The Godfather...
, Tessio is the main hit contracter
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
for the first half of the game's story. Later, after he is confronted by Tom Hagen and Cicci, Tessio is escorted to the place where he was to betray Michael by the game's protagonist, Aldo Trapani
Aldo Trapani
Aldo Trapani is the protagonist and player character of the video game The Godfather: The Game, based on the film The Godfather. He also briefly appears in the sequel, The Godfather II, which is based on The Godfather Part II....
. He subsequently flees, but is hunted down and shot by Trapani. In the game, Tessio's death takes place before the baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
executions, unlike in the film.