village of Corleone and adopts his birthplace's name as his own surname. In the cinematic release of The Godfather, Part II, young Vito, shy and unable to speak English, cannot respond when asked for his proper name, and is given the surname Corleone by an immigration official at Ellis Island. Throughout the film series, various members of the Corleone family visit the town. In the films, the towns of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò were used as locations for those scenes set in Corleone. Michael Corleone is played by Al Pacino, whose real-life maternal grandparents were Corleonese. The adaptation of the town's name into the name of a criminal gang leader in The Godfather is, however, predated by Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock, which was made into a popular film in 1947. The leading character crosses the rival gang leader "Colleoni" in the English seaside town of Brighton. Notable people Al Pacino's grandparents migrated to the US from Corleone. Placido Rizzotto (1914–1948) Bernandino Verro (1866–1915) Richard Nicastro, NYC Chief of Detectives 1984–1986, had parents who migrated to the US from Corleone. Gangster Tommaso Gagliano (1883–1951) Gangster Ignazio Dragna (1891–1956) Gangster Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello (1867–1930) Gangster Michele Navarra (1905–1958) Gangster Luciano Leggio (1925–1993) Gangster Leoluca Bagarella (b. 1942) Gangster Salvatore Riina (1930–2017) Gangster Bernardo Provenzano (1933–2016) Gangster Gaetano Reina (1889–1930) Gangster Ciro Terranova (1888–1938) See also Mafia members from Corleone Royal Palace of Ficuzza References External links Corleone official website Corleone on comuni-italiani.it