Salvatore Tessio

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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, and as a younger man in the sequel by John Aprea.

Tessio began with his friends Peter Clemenza and Vito Corleone as low-level hoodlums in Little Italy. As Don Corleone rose to prominence in the Mafia underworld, Tessio and Clemenza rose with him, each eventually settling into the caporegime roles. Tessio owned the Embassy Club in Brooklyn and made it his base of operations. From there, he managed his Mafia soldiers and was very well-connected throughout the borough. Most federal investigators considered Tessio the smarter and savvier of the two capos.

Although Tessio was initially the more trusted of the two capos during the war with the Five Families, and was issued the task of assassinating Bruno Tattaglia, he in turn never completely trusted Vito's son Michael, and so began plotting against him after he took over the family following his father's death. Ultimately, Tessio arranged for Michael's assassination at a peace summit set up by his enemies. Michael had anticipated the plot, however, and had him killed instead. Before his execution, Tessio instructed Tom Hagen to tell Michael that it was not a personal act of violence, simply business. Tessio was executed at point blank by enforcer Nick Geraci in the book The Godfather Returns. His former soldier Al Neri replaced him.