Actor. He gained fame playing 'Peter Clemenza' in the motion picture "The Godfather" (1972). Although his weight was normally about 200 pounds, he specialized in playing overweight characters. He started off his acting career on the stage with the New Yiddish Theatre in New York, eventually moving on to the Off Broadway production of "A View From the Bridge," where he acted in a total of 643 performances. His most highly acclaimed performance was in the Broadway smash hit "Lovers and Other Strangers," in the role of Frank Vecchio, a role in which he was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Dramatic Role. He also appeared in the film version of the play as well, reprising his role as Frank Vecchio. Castellano was the highest paid actor in The Godfather, and would have been in the sequel, but was written out of the script because he demanded too much money and also because he insisted on having his own separate writer to write his dialogue. After The Godfather, he appeared in 9 more films, usually typecast as a criminal. On TV, he played the father of Bruno Kirby in "The Super" (1972) and "Joe and Sons" (1975-76). He died at his home in North Bergen, New Jersey of a heart attack on Saturday, December 10, 1988, at the age of 55. His funeral was held on December 14 at the Lady of Libero Roman Catholic Church, after which his body was taken to the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen. Of note, his wife in The Godfather was played by his real life wife, actress Ardell Sheridan, who also played his wife in "The Super."
Actor. He gained fame playing 'Peter Clemenza' in the motion picture "The Godfather" (1972). Although his weight was normally about 200 pounds, he specialized in playing overweight characters. He started off his acting career on the stage with the New Yiddish Theatre in New York, eventually moving on to the Off Broadway production of "A View From the Bridge," where he acted in a total of 643 performances. His most highly acclaimed performance was in the Broadway smash hit "Lovers and Other Strangers," in the role of Frank Vecchio, a role in which he was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Dramatic Role. He also appeared in the film version of the play as well, reprising his role as Frank Vecchio. Castellano was the highest paid actor in The Godfather, and would have been in the sequel, but was written out of the script because he demanded too much money and also because he insisted on having his own separate writer to write his dialogue. After The Godfather, he appeared in 9 more films, usually typecast as a criminal. On TV, he played the father of Bruno Kirby in "The Super" (1972) and "Joe and Sons" (1975-76). He died at his home in North Bergen, New Jersey of a heart attack on Saturday, December 10, 1988, at the age of 55. His funeral was held on December 14 at the Lady of Libero Roman Catholic Church, after which his body was taken to the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen. Of note, his wife in The Godfather was played by his real life wife, actress Ardell Sheridan, who also played his wife in "The Super."
Bio by: Frank Russo
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