Gianni Russo

Some actors are just made to play wiseguys. For Gianni Russo, it was in his blood. The Italian-American actor, raised on Staten Island, claims that his uncle was a gunman for the Gambino crime family. Russo suffered from polio as a child, which prevented him from following in his father's footsteps as a longshoreman. Instead, he pursued a variety of business opportunities before being cast as Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather." Some claim that he got the role by acting as an intermediary between Paramount Pictures and Mafia don Joe Colombo Sr., who had shut down production in New York. Russo also appeared in the film's sequel, in a flashback sequence. From there, he took dozens of TV and movie roles, most often playing organized crime types. Some of his more notable films include "The Freshman," which reunited him with Marlon Brando, as well as "Seabiscuit" and "Any Given Sunday." He has also done television work on shows like "Prison Break" and "Pacific Palisades." Russo dated Dionne Warwick for many years and claims to have had romantic trysts with actresses including Marilyn Monroe and Zsa Zsa Gabor. For many years, he owned the Las Vegas restaurant Gianni Russo's State Street. He released an album, "Reflections," in 2004.