Biography for
Mario Puzo More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

15 October 1920, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

2 July 1999, Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA (heart failure)

Mini Biography

Mario Puzo was born October 15, 1920, in "Hell's Kitchen" on Manhattan's (NY) West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best-known novel, "The Godfather," was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels, "The Dark Arena" and "The Fortunate Pilgrim." In 1978, he published "Fools Die," followed by "The Sicilian" (1984) and "The Fourth K" (1991). Mario Puzo has also written several screenplays, including Earthquake (1974), Superman (1978), and all three "Godfather" movies, for which he received two Academy Awards. Mario's latest novel, 1996's "The Last Don," was made into a CBS television miniseries in May 1997, starring Danny Aiello, Kirstie Alley and Joe Mantegna. In 1997, Part II was aired. Also in 1997, Mario's "The Fortunate Pilgrim" was re-released by Random House. Mario passed away July 2, 1999, at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island. His last novel, "Omerta," will be published July, 2000. He is survived by his companion of 20 years, Carol Gino, and five children.

IMDb Mini Biography By: J Geoff Malta

Spouse

Erika Lina Broske

(1946 - 9 November 1978) (her death) 5 children

Trivia

Early in his career, he worked for a NYC company called Magazine Management that among other things actually wrote fake celebrity stories for fan magazines. His co-workers there included not just one but two other writers who went on to pen their own best-sellers, Bruce Jay Friedman and Dorothy Gallagher.

Was writing a story outline for a fourth "Godfather" film before he died.

He had five children: Anthony, Joseph, Dorothy Ann Puzo, Virginia and Eugene.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 131, pages 366-373. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 494-496. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Wrote the first draft of Earthquake (1974) in mid-1972. When the film was pushed into production in mid-1973, Puzo had to quit the project due to his commitment to writing The Godfather: Part II (1974). As the final script featured elements of his original, he was one of the two writers credited for Earthquake (1974). In 1975, a minor legal dispute arose between Puzo and Universal over his share of the profits, which was quickly settled.

In the foreword of his 1972 autobiography, "The Godfather Papers & Other Confessions", he explains that "The Godfather", though a best seller, was his least favorite book, but hated when people knocked it solely because it was a best seller.

Personal Quotes

The best way to launch an Italian restaurant is to have it raided because the Mafia eats there. Everybody knows they eat well.

Salary

The Godfather (1972)

$500/week+2.5% of profits

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