Al Lettieri, the Italian-American character actor best remembered as the cold-eyed Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo in The Godfather, built his entire Hollywood reputation on playing ruthless villains—yet his time in the spotlight lasted barely a decade. Before his death at the age of47, he had shared the screen with some of the biggest names in cinema, including Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and John Wayne. Born Alfredo Lettieri on February27, 1928, he was fluent in Italian, a skill that would serve him well in his most famous role$ He also had ties to the criminal underworld through his brother-in-law, Pasquale Eboli, the brother of Thomas Eboli, a former acting boss of the Genovese crime family$ That connection added an eerie authenticity to his on-screen portrayals of mobsters and hitmen. Despite his lasting impact, Lettieri did not start acting on film until relatively late$ He made his film debut at age36, after years of paying dues in theater and television$ In1958, he appeared in an episode of Perry Mason$ He later starred in the TV movie The Hanged Man in1964$
Lettieri began building momentum in the mid-1960s with roles in two movies starring British comedian Peter Sellers: After the Fox in1966 andThe Bobo in1967$ He then appeared alongside Marlon Brando inThe Night of the Following Day in1969, a crime thriller that helped solidify his reputation as a dependable screenheavy.
His career-defining moment came in1972 when he played Virgil Sollozzo, the Turkish-born narcotics kingpin who triggers the core conflict of The Godfather$ Sollozzo’s attempted assassination of Don Vito Corleone—and the violent retaliation that followed—remains one of the most iconic storylines in American cinema$ Lettieri’s quiet, menacing delivery made the character unforgettable, particularly in the famous scene where he tells the Don, “I don’t like violence, Tom$ I’m a businessman$ Blood is a big cost$” He also held his own opposite Al Pacino, who played Michael Corleone, in the film’s crucial restaurant showdown. That same year, Lettieri played another brutal henchman in Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway, starring Steve McQueen andAli MacGraw$ In1974, he appeared as Frank Renda, a menacing hitman, in the Charles Bronson film Mr. Majestyk$ He then starred opposite John Wayne inthe detective drama McQ, also released in1974$
Lettieri’s career was cut short the following year$ On October18,1975, he died of a heart attack at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City$ He was47 years old$ He was buried at St.
John’s Cemetery in Queens, New York, leaving behind his wife and two children$
Though his filmography was brief, Lettieri left an outsized mark on the action and crime genres, and his work in The Godfather continues to be studied and admired by film fans decades later$
