Connie Corleone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone | |
|---|---|
| Connie corleone.jpg Connie Corleone-Rizzi portrayed by Talia Shire |
|
| First appearance | The Godfather |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Year of birth | 1923 |
| Year of death | 1988 |
| Family | Corleone family |
| Relationships | Carlo Rizzi |
| Portrayed by | Talia Shire |
| Created by | Mario Puzo |
Constanzia 'Connie' Corleone-Rizzi (1923–1988) is a fictional character from The Godfather by Mario Puzo.
Connie is the daughter of Don Vito Corleone, and sister of Sonny, Fredo and Michael Corleone. She married Carlo Rizzi, who abused her. When she complained to Sonny, he beat Carlo until Connie begged him off.
Born in 1923, she is Michael's younger sister. Her husband Carlo schemed with her brother's rivals, Don Tattaglia and Don Barzini, and once again beat Connie badly, this time in order to ambush Sonny. Connie called Sonny in a state of terror, and he drove to Connie's place; while en route he was ambushed and assassinated. Later, Michael took revenge by having Carlo killed (by Peter Clemenza), after promising Connie he wouldn't; she resented him for years afterward.
Her role in the films continues in the sequels, The Godfather, Part II (where she is shown to be the youngest of the four Corleone children) and The Godfather, Part III.
In the years since Carlo's death, she had a series of meaningless affairs and marriages just to spite Michael, even borrowing money and abandoning her children temporarily, but came back to the Family after their mother died.
She had two sons by Rizzi, Victor and Michael Francis. A brief glimpse in Mama Corleone's funeral scene is the only time that Victor appears in the trilogy. It was during Michael Francis' baptism that Michael Corleone, acting as his godfather, presumably at Connie's request, ordered the killing of members of the Five Families. Michael had Carlo Rizzi killed not long after that.
By the 1970s, Connie had become involved in the family business, and was instrumental in persuading Michael to take his nephew Vincent under his wing and groom him as the new Don. She also poisoned Don Altobello, her godfather, out of retaliation for him trying to assault the family.
In the films, Connie is portrayed by Talia Shire, who is the sister of director Francis Ford Coppola.
Again, a clarification: in the novel The Godfather, Connie at first berates Michael for Carlo Rizzi's death but a week later apologizes to her brother. She marries less than a year later, not fulfilling the widow's mandate of respecting the memory of her late husband.
In The Godfather Part III it is referenced that she thinks Fredo had drowned instead of murdered on Michael's orders. Some critics thought that there was no credibility there being how Connie was fully aware of Michael's ruthlessness especially after Carlo's death. But it can still be debated that she was simply in denial.
- Vito Corleone — Father; played by Marlon Brando
- Santino 'Sonny' Corleone — Brother; played by James Caan
- Sandra Corleone — Sister-in-law; played by Julie Gregg
- Fredo Corleone — Brother; played by John Cazale
- Michael Corleone — Brother; played by Al Pacino
- Anthony Vito Corleone — Nephew; played by Anthony Gounaris in The Godfather, played by James Gounaris in The Godfather, Part II, played by Franc D'Ambrosio in The Godfather, Part III
- Mary Corleone — Niece; played by Sofia Coppola
- Carmella Corleone — Mother, played by Morgana King.
- Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone — Nephew; played by Andy Garcia.
- Carlo Rizzi — First Husband; played by Gianni Russo
