Richard S. Castellano
Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather.
Also recorded as Richard Salvatore Castellano · Richard Castellano
Richard S. Castellano
ABC Television · eBay item photo front photo back · Public domain
- Name
- Richard S.
- Birth Name
- Richard Salvatore Castellano
- Born
- 4 September 1933
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 10 December 1988
- Place of death
- North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Richard Salvatore Castellano (September 4, 1933 – December 10, 1988) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers and his subsequent role as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather.
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Note VALÉORINE
Richard S. Castellano (1933–1988) was an American actor, film actor and stage actor, among other activities. Born in The Bronx, the actor died in North Bergen. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q464714 · wikipedia · Richard S. Castellano
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Richard S. Castellano • Birth Name — Richard Salvatore Castellano • Born — 4 September 1933 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 10 December 1988 • Place of death — North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S. • Notable Works — The Godfather • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1962–1982
Early life
Early life
Castellano was born in the Queens borough of New York City on September 4, 1933. His parents, Mariantonia Angello and Filippo Castellano, were Italian immigrants from Castrofilippo, Sicily. His middle name, Salvatore, was in honor of his oldest brother who had died two years before he was born. After his death, Castellano's widow, Ardell Sheridan, who had played his character Peter Clemenza's wife in The Godfather, claimed he was the nephew of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano; however, Richard Castellano's sister dismissed the claim as false: "we're not related to Paul", she stated.
Career
Career
Castellano, after beginning as an extra in TV shows such as Naked City, started working in various small roles. He first gained fame for his role in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He won a Tony in the stage version of the work in 1968. He appeared on Broadway in The Investigation, the Peter Weiss play depicting the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, in Frank D. Gilroy's That Summer, That Fall, alongside Tyne Daly and Irene Papas, and in Art Buchwald's comedy Sheep on the Runway. He achieved stardom in 1972, with The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola, playing the part of gangster Peter Clemenza. The Godfather became the highest-grossing film up to that time and Castellano, along with several other cast members, became widely known from the popular film. He spoke, and, according to his wife, partially ad libbed, one of the film's most famous lines, "Leave the gun; take the cannoli." In The Godfather Part II (1974), only the young Clemenza appears, portrayed by Bruno Kirby. Castellano and Coppola had differences, resulting in Castellano no longer playing the role in the sequel. Castellano worked on television, playing the lead role in The Super sitcom that ran for 10 episodes in 1972, whose protagonist, Joe Girelli, is the superintendent of a New York City apartment building. His real-life daughter, Margaret Castellano, portrayed the super's daughter, Joanne. Castellano also starred as the lead, Joe Vitale, in the sitcom Joe and Sons (1975–1976).
Death
Death
Castellano died from a heart attack at his home in North Bergen, New Jersey, in 1988 at age 55. His wife said that they both had been working on a book to be titled History of the Method, which would ostensibly chronicle the birth of method acting.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1963 — Love with the Proper Stranger — Extra — Uncredited • 1965 — Three Rooms in Manhattan — Angry American — Uncredited • 1966 — A Fine Madness — Arnold • 1968 — A Lovely Way to Die — The Bartender — Uncredited • 1970 — Lovers and Other Strangers — Frank Vecchio — Oscar Nominated • 1972 — The Godfather — Peter Clemenza • 1973 — Honor Thy Father — Frank Labruzzo • 1973 — Incident on a Dark Street — Frank Romeo • 1980 — Night of the Juggler — Lieutenant Tonelli • 1981 — The Gangster Chronicles — Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria • 1982 — Dear Mr. Wonderful — FBI Agent — (final film role)
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Richard Salvatore Castellano and Richard Castellano. His recorded language was English. Other recorded relations include Paul Castellano.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1988
Richard S. Castellano died at North Bergen.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
The Bronx.
Birth place
North Bergen.
Death place
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Canby, Vincent. Moving and Brutal Godfather Bows. The New York Times. March 16, 1972.
- 2.Profile of Richard S. Castellano (1933-1988). Family Search.
- 3.Kleiner, Dick. Richard Castellano: the Sincere Guy. The Town Talk. Newspapers/com. September 10, 1972.
- 4.American Film Institute. The Godfather. August 21, 2020.
- 5.Ardell Sheridan. Rotten Tomatoes.
- 6.Sheridan-Castellano, Ardell. Divine Intervention and a Dash of Magic : Unraveling The Mystery of The Method (Behind the scenes of Godfather 1). Trafford Publishing. 2002. 9781553698661.
- 7.Seal, Mark. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather. Simon and Schuster. October 19, 2021. 9781982158613.
- 8.Eight Million Stories in the Naked City - Many of them uncredited, Part III. Classic TV History. March 15, 2011.
- 9.Actor Richard Castellano; Clemenza in Godfather. Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1988.
- 10.Ujjainee, Roy. Leave The Gun, Take The Cannoli: 10 Of The Best Quotes From The Godfather. Screen Rant. April 26, 2020.
- 11.Doyle, Bill. How a 'Godfather' actor became a legend thanks to one line. New Jersey 101.5. 2019-12-10.
- 12.Schaal, Eric. 'The Godfather': Why Richard Castellano Didn't Reprise His Clemenza Role in 'II'. Showbiz Cheat Sheet. 2021-03-27.
- 13.Richard Castellano Is Dead at 55; An Actor of Stage, Screen and TV. The New York Times. December 12, 1988.
References
Citations
References
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Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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