Sicilian mafia boss Carlo Gambino – Real-life prototype of the novel ‘The Godfather’

Since its inception, the novel ‘The Godfather’ by writer Mario Puzo has been considered one of the classic works of world literature with the story of the Corleone crime family.

Real-life ‘Godfather’

Carlo Gambino was born on the famous Italian island of Sicily in 1902. In 1921, Carlo Gambino left for America and began his mafia path.

When Carlo Gambino first came to America, he had time to serve under another tycoon, Alber Anastasia – head of the Mangano family, one of the five major mafia families that dominated the underworld at that time.

Portrait of cunning tycoon Carlo Gambino

Carlo Gambino is often depicted as a short, old man with round, bright eyes and a large nose.

Although he started his mafia path by joining Alber Anastasia, Carlo Gambino allied with Alber’s enemy Vito Genovese to carry out a contract to assassinate his own boss.

But taking over the Mangano family was not enough for Carlo Gambino, so this short man once again allied with his enemies to overthrow Vito Genovese.

Death and funeral are unique

Carlo Gambino died on October 18, 1976 in a hospital bed from a heart attack.

The death of Carlo Gambino seemed like good news to many Americans at that time, but they could not have imagined that it would not be the end of  the reign of the Gambino crime family.