Fredo Corleone
Encyclopedia
Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is a fictional character
in Mario Puzo
's novel The Godfather
. In the fictional universe
of the novel and its film adaptation
, he is the second son of Vito Corleone
(Marlon Brando
), head of a powerful Mafia
family. He is the second oldest of Vito's four children; he is the younger brother of Sonny
(James Caan
) and elder brother of Michael
(Al Pacino
) and Connie
(Talia Shire
).
Fredo was portrayed by Italian-American actor John Cazale
in Francis Ford Coppola
's film adaptation of the novel, as well as in its sequel
.
as the weakest and least intelligent of the three Corleone brothers, and therefore is given its unimportant businesses to run. Nevertheless, Fredo is the most obedient and dutiful of the Corleone children, despite being largely ignored by his father.
In a pivotal scene in the novel and film, Fredo attempts to immediately retaliate after the attempted assassination
of his father on a New York street by men working for drug kingpin Virgil Sollozzo
(Al Lettieri
). However, he drops the gun and is unable to return fire. He then sits on the street curb next to his badly wounded father and weeps. In the novel, he becomes sick after his father's shooting, going into shock
after the incident. To help him recover and to protect him from any possible reprisals, Sonny sends him to Las Vegas
under the protection of former hitman
Moe Greene
(Alex Rocco
). While in Las Vegas, Fredo learns the casino
trade and becomes a power in his own right.
After Sonny's assassination, Vito decides that Fredo is incapable of running the family business and chooses younger brother Michael as heir apparent. This causes a deep rift between the two brothers which is expanded upon in Coppola's later sequels to the first film adaptation.
In the original novel, Fredo's primary weakness is his womanizing, a habit which he develops in Las Vegas. In the films, Fredo's feelings of personal inadequacy and his inability to act effectively on his own behalf become character flaws of much greater consequence. He is depicted as being far less cunning and resourceful than his younger brother Michael, weaknesses that other characters are very aware of; early in The Godfather Part II
, Michael explains to his consigliere
, Tom Hagen
(Robert Duvall
), that "Fredo has a good heart, but he's weak and stupid".
, Fredo has become Michael's underboss
, but has little real power. During a family gathering, Fredo is unable to control his intoxicated wife, Deanna Dunn (Marianna Hill
). After she dances with another man, he furiously drags her off the dance floor and threatens to hit her. Deanna mocks him by saying "you couldn't belt your momma," and accuses him of being jealous because he's not "a real man." His wife has to be hauled away by one of Michael's henchmen, an order Michael asks Fredo if he wants to approve, which Fredo does.
Fredo runs a brothel
in rural Nevada
. Tom Hagen
is called to implicate Senator Pat Geary
(G.D. Spradlin) in the murder of a prostitute in order to bring him under the family's thumb. Hagen explains that, in return for the senator's "friendship", the Corleone Family can take care of the problem. Hagen tells Geary, "My brother, Fredo, runs this place. It is like this girl never existed."
Fredo later betrays Michael when approached by Johnny Ola
(Dominic Chianese
), an agent of rival gangster Hyman Roth
(Lee Strasberg
), during the negotiation of a business deal between Roth's organization and the Corleone family. Ola and Roth claim that Michael is being particularly difficult in the negotiations, and Fredo secretly agrees to aid them in exchange for compensation; the film never reveals what specific assistance Fredo provided Ola and Roth against Michael, but this betrayal ultimately results in an assassination attempt against Michael at his Lake Tahoe
home. Fredo later ambiguously claims that his goal in the secret deal had been simply to enrich himself in a manner that did not require him to be dependent on Michael, but swears that he did not realize he was being used as part of a larger plot to kill his brother.
Michael deduces Fredo's role in the plot during his trip to Havana
when Fredo, forgetting that he had previously told Michael that he'd never met Johnny Ola, lets the secret slip that he and Ola had met in Havana sometime previously. Michael confronts Fredo later and, embracing him dramatically, tells his older brother, "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!" In the ensuing fray after dictator Fulgencio Batista
's flight from Fidel Castro
's rebel army, Michael pleads with Fredo to come with him, but Fredo instead runs away, frightened that his brother will kill him. He is eventually tracked down and convinced to return home.
Later, Michael is being pursued by a Senate
subcommittee investigating organized crime
. Michael's former caporegime
, Frank Pentangeli
(Michael V. Gazzo
), is due to testify against Michael at the hearing. A few days before the hearing, Michael has a talk with Fredo to find out what he knows about Roth's plans. Fredo reveals that the subcommittee's lawyer is on Roth's payroll, thus revealing that he knew all along that Pentangeli's testimony could potentially send Michael to prison. He also reveals that he is deeply resentful that Michael was chosen as their father's successor; he believes that, being Michael's older brother, he should be the boss. Michael disowns Fredo, and tells assassin Al Neri
(Richard Bright
) that nothing is to happen to him while their mother is alive; the implication is that Fredo will be murdered once she dies. At their mother's funeral, and at their sister Connie
's urging, Michael seemingly forgives Fredo; however, it is only a ploy to draw Fredo in so as to have him murdered.
Towards the end of the film, Fredo befriends his nephew, Michael's son Anthony
, and is to go fishing with him on Lake Tahoe. However, Anthony is called away by Connie, who tells him that his father wants to take him to Reno
. Fredo is left alone in the fishing boat with Neri, and he takes the boat far out onto the lake. As Fredo prays the Hail Mary
, Neri shoots him in the back of the head, killing him. As this happens, Michael watches from afar in his den.
The film's penultimate scene, a flashback sequence, reveals that Fredo was the only member of the family who supported Michael's decision to drop out of college and join the Marines
after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
.
, in a flashback depicting his death through archive footage. He is also mentioned many times throughout the film, and the dialogue makes it clear that Michael is wracked with guilt over ordering his brother's death, and that it has alienated him from his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton
), and his son, Anthony
(Franc D'Ambrosio
), both of whom know what really happened. Michael himself cries out Fredo's name while having a diabetic stroke
. Later in the film, he breaks down in tears while confessing his part in Fredo's death to Cardinal Lamberto
(Raf Vallone
), who later becomes Pope John Paul I
. Michael's daughter, Mary
(Sofia Coppola
), however, appears to be unsure whether or not Michael was behind Fredo's death; she asks her cousin and love interest, Vincent Corleone (Andy García
), if it is true, but Vincent says it is "just a story" and changes the subject.
's novel, The Godfather Returns
, further expands upon the character of Fredo Corleone. It includes explanations of some of the questions left open by the films, such as the details of Fredo's betrayal of Michael in The Godfather Part II, and how, as was revealed in The Godfather Part III, Anthony had known the truth about Fredo's death.
In the novel, it is revealed that Fredo is bisexual, and that he had been molested as a child by his parish priest
. Michael's rivals, chiefly Louie Russo
, the mob boss of Chicago
, hope to exploit this rumor of Fredo's bisexuality to make Michael look weak. In Las Vegas, Fredo meets Marguerite "Rita" Duvall, who was sent up to his room by Johnny Fontane
as a prank. Though hesitant, they have sex, and Fredo pays her to tell Johnny it was the best she had ever had.
At the funeral for Don Molinari of San Francisco, Fredo gets the idea of setting up a necropolis
similar to Colma in New Jersey
. The Corleone family would be able to buy up the former cemetery land, now prime real estate
, and also be a silent partner in the graveyard business. Fredo would propose this plan to Michael and impress him, reassuring him and others of his abilities. To Fredo's dismay, however, Michael dismisses the plan as unrealistic. Later, in San Francisco, Fredo meets a man at a club and presumably sleeps with him. When the man recognized him from a newspaper photo, Fredo panics and beats him to death. However, largely because of Hagen's efforts, the authorities are persuaded that the man had tried to rob Fredo, forcing Fredo to kill him in self-defense.
At Christmas
, Fredo shows up at the Corleone Christmas party with Deanna Dunn, a famous, yet fading, movie starlet. A few months later they get married. Dunn gets Fredo to make appearances in bit parts in some of her movies. Later, in September 1957, Fredo's Hollywood connections allow him to get his own unsuccessful TV show, "The Fred Corleone Show", which airs irregularly, usually on Monday nights, until his death. Meanwhile, Fredo's alcoholism
worsens. One day, he discovers Deanna cheating on him with her co-star, and shoots up the car he bought her. When Deanna's co-star tries to attack him, Fredo knocks him unconscious and goes to jail. Hagen bails him out, and they get in an argument about Fredo's recklessness and Hagen's blind loyalty to Michael. Despite this, Hagen again gets Fredo out of trouble by claiming self-defense.
It is also revealed that former Corleone capo Nick Geraci
and Vincent Forlenza
, the Don
of Cleveland, were in on Roth's plot to eliminate Michael. Geraci, who is seeking revenge against Michael after the Don tried to have him killed, had met with Forlenza to discuss how Fredo could fit into their plans. Michael's planned deal with Roth has now reached a stalemate
, and they figure Fredo could be used as a pawn to get Michael out of the way. If Fredo is told they could help him with his Colma vision, he would do anything to help. Fredo meets with Johnny Ola and supplies him with all the information they need, especially financial information, about the Corleone family.
Fredo's death plays out in the novel exactly as filmed in The Godfather Part II. Anthony, who is called by his Aunt Connie to go to Reno, actually never goes there; instead, he is sent to his room, where, from his window, he sees Fredo and Neri motor out on the lake aboard a small boat. Anthony hears a gunshot and sees Neri come back on the boat alone.
, Fredo appears in one of Michael's dreams, warning him about an unspecified threat and asking him why he had his own brother killed. Much of the novel portrays Michael dealing with his guilt over Fredo's murder.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
's novel The Godfather
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
. In the fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of the novel and its film adaptation
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, he is the second son of Vito Corleone
Vito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
(Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
), head of a powerful Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
family. He is the second oldest of Vito's four children; he is the younger brother of Sonny
Sonny Corleone
Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. He also appears as an infant, as a young boy, and an adult in The Godfather Part II....
(James Caan
James Caan
James Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado...
) and elder brother of Michael
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
(Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
) and Connie
Connie Corleone
Constanzia "Connie" Corleone , is a fictional character from The Godfather by Mario Puzo. In the films, Connie is portrayed by Talia Shire, the sister of director Francis Ford Coppola....
(Talia Shire
Talia Shire
Talia Shire is an American actress most known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series.-Personal life:...
).
Fredo was portrayed by Italian-American actor John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
in Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's film adaptation of the novel, as well as in its sequel
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
.
The Godfather
In Puzo's novel, Fredo is thought of in the Corleone familyCorleone family
The Corleone family is a fictional Sicilian Mafia family settled in New York City. The family was created by Mario Puzo and appears in his 1969 novel The Godfather, as well as the acclaimed film trilogy of the same name directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The family was founded by Vito Corleone , who...
as the weakest and least intelligent of the three Corleone brothers, and therefore is given its unimportant businesses to run. Nevertheless, Fredo is the most obedient and dutiful of the Corleone children, despite being largely ignored by his father.
In a pivotal scene in the novel and film, Fredo attempts to immediately retaliate after the attempted assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of his father on a New York street by men working for drug kingpin Virgil Sollozzo
Virgil Sollozzo
Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in Mario Puzo's The Godfather.In the novel, it is said that he got his nickname because he has a nose like a Turkish scimitar, has a Turkish wife and kids and also because he does much of his business in Turkey...
(Al Lettieri
Al Lettieri
Alfred Lettieri was an American actor, known for his portrayal of Virgil Sollozzo, in The Godfather....
). However, he drops the gun and is unable to return fire. He then sits on the street curb next to his badly wounded father and weeps. In the novel, he becomes sick after his father's shooting, going into shock
Acute stress reaction
Acute stress reaction is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event...
after the incident. To help him recover and to protect him from any possible reprisals, Sonny sends him to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
under the protection of former hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
Moe Greene
Moe Greene
Moe Greene is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and the first installment of the The Godfather trilogy of films, in which he was portrayed by actor Alex Rocco...
(Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...
). While in Las Vegas, Fredo learns the casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
trade and becomes a power in his own right.
After Sonny's assassination, Vito decides that Fredo is incapable of running the family business and chooses younger brother Michael as heir apparent. This causes a deep rift between the two brothers which is expanded upon in Coppola's later sequels to the first film adaptation.
In the original novel, Fredo's primary weakness is his womanizing, a habit which he develops in Las Vegas. In the films, Fredo's feelings of personal inadequacy and his inability to act effectively on his own behalf become character flaws of much greater consequence. He is depicted as being far less cunning and resourceful than his younger brother Michael, weaknesses that other characters are very aware of; early in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
, Michael explains to his consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
, Tom Hagen
Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
(Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
), that "Fredo has a good heart, but he's weak and stupid".
The Godfather Part II
By the beginning of The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
, Fredo has become Michael's underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
, but has little real power. During a family gathering, Fredo is unable to control his intoxicated wife, Deanna Dunn (Marianna Hill
Marianna Hill
Marianna Hill , born Mariana Schwarzkopf, in Santa Barbara, California on February 9, 1941 is an American actress mostly working in American television.She has appeared in more than 70 films and television episodes...
). After she dances with another man, he furiously drags her off the dance floor and threatens to hit her. Deanna mocks him by saying "you couldn't belt your momma," and accuses him of being jealous because he's not "a real man." His wife has to be hauled away by one of Michael's henchmen, an order Michael asks Fredo if he wants to approve, which Fredo does.
Fredo runs a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
in rural Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Tom Hagen
Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
is called to implicate Senator Pat Geary
Pat Geary
Pat Geary is a fictional character portrayed by G. D. Spradlin in the film The Godfather Part II. He is a U.S. senator from Nevada whose corruption and moral vices are exploited by Michael Corleone....
(G.D. Spradlin) in the murder of a prostitute in order to bring him under the family's thumb. Hagen explains that, in return for the senator's "friendship", the Corleone Family can take care of the problem. Hagen tells Geary, "My brother, Fredo, runs this place. It is like this girl never existed."
Fredo later betrays Michael when approached by Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola is a fictional character appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather Part II. Ola was portrayed by actor Dominic Chianese....
(Dominic Chianese
Dominic Chianese
Dominic Chianese is an American film, television and theatre actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...
), an agent of rival gangster Hyman Roth
Hyman Roth
Hyman Roth is a fictional character, and the primary antagonist in The Godfather Part II, played by the actor and acting teacher Lee Strasberg, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role...
(Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
), during the negotiation of a business deal between Roth's organization and the Corleone family. Ola and Roth claim that Michael is being particularly difficult in the negotiations, and Fredo secretly agrees to aid them in exchange for compensation; the film never reveals what specific assistance Fredo provided Ola and Roth against Michael, but this betrayal ultimately results in an assassination attempt against Michael at his Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
home. Fredo later ambiguously claims that his goal in the secret deal had been simply to enrich himself in a manner that did not require him to be dependent on Michael, but swears that he did not realize he was being used as part of a larger plot to kill his brother.
Michael deduces Fredo's role in the plot during his trip to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
when Fredo, forgetting that he had previously told Michael that he'd never met Johnny Ola, lets the secret slip that he and Ola had met in Havana sometime previously. Michael confronts Fredo later and, embracing him dramatically, tells his older brother, "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!" In the ensuing fray after dictator Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
's flight from Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's rebel army, Michael pleads with Fredo to come with him, but Fredo instead runs away, frightened that his brother will kill him. He is eventually tracked down and convinced to return home.
Later, Michael is being pursued by a Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
subcommittee investigating organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. Michael's former caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
, Frank Pentangeli
Frank Pentangeli
Francesco "Frankie Five Angels" Pentangeli is a fictional character from the film The Godfather Part II. In the film, he was portrayed by Michael V. Gazzo, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance, which he lost to Robert De Niro, his co-star from the same film...
(Michael V. Gazzo
Michael V. Gazzo
Michael Vincenzo Gazzo was an American Broadway playwright who later in life became a film and television actor....
), is due to testify against Michael at the hearing. A few days before the hearing, Michael has a talk with Fredo to find out what he knows about Roth's plans. Fredo reveals that the subcommittee's lawyer is on Roth's payroll, thus revealing that he knew all along that Pentangeli's testimony could potentially send Michael to prison. He also reveals that he is deeply resentful that Michael was chosen as their father's successor; he believes that, being Michael's older brother, he should be the boss. Michael disowns Fredo, and tells assassin Al Neri
Al Neri
Albert "Al" Neri is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the three films based on it. In all three motion pictures, he is portrayed by actor Richard Bright. In The Godfather: The Game, he is voiced by Gary Chalk...
(Richard Bright
Richard Bright (actor)
Richard James Bright was an American actor best known for his role as Al Neri in the The Godfather films.-Early life & work:...
) that nothing is to happen to him while their mother is alive; the implication is that Fredo will be murdered once she dies. At their mother's funeral, and at their sister Connie
Connie Corleone
Constanzia "Connie" Corleone , is a fictional character from The Godfather by Mario Puzo. In the films, Connie is portrayed by Talia Shire, the sister of director Francis Ford Coppola....
's urging, Michael seemingly forgives Fredo; however, it is only a ploy to draw Fredo in so as to have him murdered.
Towards the end of the film, Fredo befriends his nephew, Michael's son Anthony
Anthony Corleone
Anthony "Tony" Vito Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather trilogy of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He is portrayed by Anthony Gounaris in the first film, James Gounaris in the second, and singer Franc D'Ambrosio in the third...
, and is to go fishing with him on Lake Tahoe. However, Anthony is called away by Connie, who tells him that his father wants to take him to Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
. Fredo is left alone in the fishing boat with Neri, and he takes the boat far out onto the lake. As Fredo prays the Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
, Neri shoots him in the back of the head, killing him. As this happens, Michael watches from afar in his den.
The film's penultimate scene, a flashback sequence, reveals that Fredo was the only member of the family who supported Michael's decision to drop out of college and join the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
.
The Godfather Part III
Fredo appears only once in the third filmThe Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American gangster film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. It completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who tries to legitimize his criminal empire...
, in a flashback depicting his death through archive footage. He is also mentioned many times throughout the film, and the dialogue makes it clear that Michael is wracked with guilt over ordering his brother's death, and that it has alienated him from his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
), and his son, Anthony
Anthony Corleone
Anthony "Tony" Vito Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather trilogy of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He is portrayed by Anthony Gounaris in the first film, James Gounaris in the second, and singer Franc D'Ambrosio in the third...
(Franc D'Ambrosio
Franc D'Ambrosio
Franc D'Ambrosio , is an American singer and actor, best known for his role in the stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. He also played the adult Anthony Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part III.Affectionately known as Phantom's "The Iron Man of The Mask", Franc D'Ambrosio...
), both of whom know what really happened. Michael himself cries out Fredo's name while having a diabetic stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Later in the film, he breaks down in tears while confessing his part in Fredo's death to Cardinal Lamberto
Cardinal Lamberto
Cardinal Lamberto is a fictional character appearing in The Godfather Part III. He is portrayed by Raf Vallone.-In the film:Lamberto is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the man favoured to succeed the terminally ill Pope Paul VI as head of the Church...
(Raf Vallone
Raf Vallone
Raffaele "Raf" Vallone was an Italian footballer, actor and an international film star.Born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, Vallone attended Liceo classico Cavour in Turin, and studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Turin and entered his father's law firm...
), who later becomes Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
. Michael's daughter, Mary
Mary Corleone
Mary Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather Part III, portrayed by Sofia Coppola. She is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone.-The Godfather Part II:...
(Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
), however, appears to be unsure whether or not Michael was behind Fredo's death; she asks her cousin and love interest, Vincent Corleone (Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
), if it is true, but Vincent says it is "just a story" and changes the subject.
In The Godfather Returns
Mark WinegardnerMark Winegardner
Mark Winegardner is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include The Godfather Returns, Crooked River Burning, and The Veracruz Blues. He published a collection of short stories, That's True of Everybody, in 2002. His newest novel, The Godfather's Revenge, was published...
's novel, The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which was originally published in 1969, and The Sicilian...
, further expands upon the character of Fredo Corleone. It includes explanations of some of the questions left open by the films, such as the details of Fredo's betrayal of Michael in The Godfather Part II, and how, as was revealed in The Godfather Part III, Anthony had known the truth about Fredo's death.
In the novel, it is revealed that Fredo is bisexual, and that he had been molested as a child by his parish priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. Michael's rivals, chiefly Louie Russo
Louie Russo
Luigi 'Louie' Russo is a fictional character in Mark Winegardner's The Godfather Returns. Russo serves as the Don of the Chicago Outfit from 1955 to 1961.-Biography:...
, the mob boss of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, hope to exploit this rumor of Fredo's bisexuality to make Michael look weak. In Las Vegas, Fredo meets Marguerite "Rita" Duvall, who was sent up to his room by Johnny Fontane
Johnny Fontane
John "Johnny" Fontane is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the series of films based upon it. In Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of the novel, he was portrayed by Al Martino, the role having been turned down by Vic Damone....
as a prank. Though hesitant, they have sex, and Fredo pays her to tell Johnny it was the best she had ever had.
At the funeral for Don Molinari of San Francisco, Fredo gets the idea of setting up a necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
similar to Colma in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The Corleone family would be able to buy up the former cemetery land, now prime real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, and also be a silent partner in the graveyard business. Fredo would propose this plan to Michael and impress him, reassuring him and others of his abilities. To Fredo's dismay, however, Michael dismisses the plan as unrealistic. Later, in San Francisco, Fredo meets a man at a club and presumably sleeps with him. When the man recognized him from a newspaper photo, Fredo panics and beats him to death. However, largely because of Hagen's efforts, the authorities are persuaded that the man had tried to rob Fredo, forcing Fredo to kill him in self-defense.
At Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Fredo shows up at the Corleone Christmas party with Deanna Dunn, a famous, yet fading, movie starlet. A few months later they get married. Dunn gets Fredo to make appearances in bit parts in some of her movies. Later, in September 1957, Fredo's Hollywood connections allow him to get his own unsuccessful TV show, "The Fred Corleone Show", which airs irregularly, usually on Monday nights, until his death. Meanwhile, Fredo's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
worsens. One day, he discovers Deanna cheating on him with her co-star, and shoots up the car he bought her. When Deanna's co-star tries to attack him, Fredo knocks him unconscious and goes to jail. Hagen bails him out, and they get in an argument about Fredo's recklessness and Hagen's blind loyalty to Michael. Despite this, Hagen again gets Fredo out of trouble by claiming self-defense.
It is also revealed that former Corleone capo Nick Geraci
Nick Geraci
Fausto Dominic 'Nick' Geraci Jr. is a central character in the Mark Winegardner novels The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge. He is a caporegime in the Corleone crime family, but later betrays the family, and becomes a sworn enemy to Don Michael Corleone.-Biography:The Godfather Returns...
and Vincent Forlenza
Vincent Forlenza
Vincent "The Jew" Forlenza is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Mark Winegardner's sequel The Godfather Returns.-In The Godfather:...
, the Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
of Cleveland, were in on Roth's plot to eliminate Michael. Geraci, who is seeking revenge against Michael after the Don tried to have him killed, had met with Forlenza to discuss how Fredo could fit into their plans. Michael's planned deal with Roth has now reached a stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
, and they figure Fredo could be used as a pawn to get Michael out of the way. If Fredo is told they could help him with his Colma vision, he would do anything to help. Fredo meets with Johnny Ola and supplies him with all the information they need, especially financial information, about the Corleone family.
Fredo's death plays out in the novel exactly as filmed in The Godfather Part II. Anthony, who is called by his Aunt Connie to go to Reno, actually never goes there; instead, he is sent to his room, where, from his window, he sees Fredo and Neri motor out on the lake aboard a small boat. Anthony hears a gunshot and sees Neri come back on the boat alone.
In The Godfather's Revenge
In Winegardner's 2006 sequel, The Godfather's RevengeThe Godfather's Revenge
The Godfather's Revenge, a 2006 novel written by author Mark Winegardner, is the sequel to The Godfather, The Sicilian, and The Godfather Returns. The story takes place from 1963–1964, and picks up the story from where The Godfather Returns left off...
, Fredo appears in one of Michael's dreams, warning him about an unspecified threat and asking him why he had his own brother killed. Much of the novel portrays Michael dealing with his guilt over Fredo's murder.
Family
- Vito CorleoneVito CorleoneVito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
— Father; played by Marlon BrandoMarlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
in The Godfather and by Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
in The Godfather Part II - Carmela Corleone — Mother; played by Morgana KingMorgana KingMorgana King is an American singer and actress. She is a noted jazz singer, who is regarded as a "musician's singer." The musical œuvre of her stylized vocal artistry spans a period of more than four decades and has an "appeal that bridges generations, tastes and life styles"."She is, like all...
- Santino 'Sonny' CorleoneSonny CorleoneSantino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation. He also appears as an infant, as a young boy, and an adult in The Godfather Part II....
— Elder brother; played by James CaanJames CaanJames Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado... - Constanzia 'Connie' Corleone-RizziConnie CorleoneConstanzia "Connie" Corleone , is a fictional character from The Godfather by Mario Puzo. In the films, Connie is portrayed by Talia Shire, the sister of director Francis Ford Coppola....
— Sister; played by Talia ShireTalia ShireTalia Shire is an American actress most known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series.-Personal life:... - Michael CorleoneMichael CorleoneMichael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
— Younger brother; played by Al PacinoAl PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared... - Tom HagenTom HagenThomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
— Adopted brother; played by Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career.... - Mary CorleoneMary CorleoneMary Corleone is a fictional character in The Godfather Part III, portrayed by Sofia Coppola. She is the daughter of Michael Corleone and Kay Adams and sister of Anthony Vito Corleone.-The Godfather Part II:...
— Niece; played by Sofia CoppolaSofia CoppolaSofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing... - Anthony Vito Corleone — Nephew; played by Anthony Gounaris in The Godfather, played by James Gounaris in Godfather Part II, played by Franc D'AmbrosioFranc D'AmbrosioFranc D'Ambrosio , is an American singer and actor, best known for his role in the stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. He also played the adult Anthony Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part III.Affectionately known as Phantom's "The Iron Man of The Mask", Franc D'Ambrosio...
in Godfather III - Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone — Illegitimate nephew; played by Andy GarcíaAndy GarcíaAndrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
.