Al Lettieri

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Al Lettieri (born Alessandro Lettieri, February 24, 1928–October 18, 1975) was an Italian American actor, best known for his portrayal of Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo in The Godfather.

Lettieri convincingly projected a remarkable aura of menace and ruthlessness in his film roles, which he attributed to his acquaintance with real-life gangsters, including Joey Gallo. He made his on screen debut in the made for TV film The Hanged Man. Lettieri played the villain against some of Hollywood's biggest screen names including chasing Steve McQueen in The Getaway, Charles Bronson in Mr. Majestyk, and John Wayne in McQ.

Lettieri died of a heart attack in 1975, at the age of 47, leaving two children. His daughter, Alda Lettieri, is a stage actress in New York City.

[edit] Filmography

The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992) (V) .... Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo
Dublin Murders (1985)
Bordella (House of Pleasure for Women) (1976) .... Eddie Mordace
Vai Gorilla (Go Gorilla Go) (1976) .... Ciro Musante
Winner Take All (Time Lock) (1975/I) (TV) .... Man at Track
Piedone a Hong Kong (aka Flatfoot Goes East, Flatfoot in Hong Kong) (1975) .... Frank Barella
Mr. Majestyk (1974) .... Frank Renda
McQ (1974) .... Manny Santiago
The Deadly Trackers (1973) .... Gutierrez, Mexican Policeman
The Don Is Dead (Beautiful But Deadly, The Deadly Kiss) (1973) .... Vince
The Getaway (1972) .... Rudy Butler
Footsteps (Foosteps: Nice Guys Finish Last, Nice Guys Finish Last) (1972) (TV) .... Zimmerman
Pulp (1972) .... Miller
The Godfather (1972) .... Solozzo
A Town Called Hell (A Town Called Bastard, Una Ciudad llamada Bastarda) (1971) .... La Bomba
The Night of the Following Day (1968) (as Al Lettier) .... Pilot aka Al
The Bobo (1967) .... Eugenio Gomez
Dark Intruder (Black Cloak) (1965) (as Anthony Lettier) .... 2nd Sergeant
Wild Seed (Fargo) (1965) (as Anthony Lettier) .... Bartender
The Hanged Man (1964) (TV) .... Al