Pete Clemenza

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Peter Clemenza (1895-1957) is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and two of the three films based on it.

In his young adulthood, in The Godfather Part II, Clemenza is portrayed by Bruno Kirby. In his later years, he is portrayed by Richard S. Castellano.

Peter Clemenza is one of two caporegimes in the Corleone Family (the other being Salvatore Tessio), ruling over the family's territory in Little Italy. He treats Michael like a son and even demonstrates how to make a good pasta sauce. He also teaches Michael how to fire a gun, walking him through the scenario for assassinating Sollozzo.

Clemenza got his start selling stolen goods such as dresses and guns with Vito Corleone and Sal Tessio as far back as 1917, after immigrating from Sicily. He is regarded as one of the more friendly and jovial members of the family, although he is less intelligent than his friend and counterpart Tessio. He plants the gun in the bathroom during Virgil Sollozzo's assassination. During the murders of the heads of the five families Clemenza shot Don Stracci and his bodyguard, as well as eliminating Carlo Rizzi, Connie Corleone's husband and Michael's brother-in-law in retaliation for setting up Sonny's assassination.

Clemenza's forces include soldiers Paulie Gatto, Willie Cicci, Al Neri, and Rocco Lampone. Clemenza dies under suspicious circumstances (reportedly a heart attack, although his soldiers dispute this) shortly before 1958, when the latter-day events of The Godfather Part II take place, and was succeeded by underling Frank Pentangeli.

In Puzo's novel The Sicilian, Clemenza is featured in Sicily, where he meets Michael Corleone in order to arrange his safe return to America and also to oversee the safe passage of the novel's lead character, Salvatore Giuliano. In this novel he has an older brother, Domenic Clemenza, who is an old-fashioned and well respected Mafia Don. Neither Clemenza nor Michael Corleone are featured in the film version of the novel, presumably because of copyright restrictions on the Godfather film franchise.

[edit] Quotes

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli." (To Rocco Lampone, following the killing of Paulie Gatto.)

"Watch out for the kids when you're backin' out" (To Paulie Gatto, just hours before his assassination)