Willi Cicci
Encyclopedia
Willi Cicci is a fictional character in The Godfather
film series. The character of Cicci is loosely based on real-life Mafia
soldier
and informant Joe Valachi
.
, working under longtime caporegime
Peter Clemenza. He is introduced in The Godfather standing by a piano amid a group of Corleone soldiers who have "gone to mattresses" (in between battles) during the war between the Corleones and the Tattaglias (in the montage of scenes after Michael Corleone
's assassination of McCluskey
and Sollozzo
). On the day of Michael's nephew's baptism
, Cicci assassinates Don
Carmine Cuneo in the revolving doors at the St. Regis Hotel after he gets a haircut and shave at the hotel's barber shop while waiting for Cuneo to appear. Later, Cicci tells Sal Tessio that Michael will not be travelling to the meeting as arranged by Tessio as part of a plan to have Michael killed. He then disarms Tessio after he realizes that Michael has found out about his treachery. He is not specifically named in the first film.
In The Godfather Part II
, when the Corleone family moves to Nevada
in 1955, Cicci remains in New York City
, working for Clemenza and his successor, Frank Pentangeli
, apparently as the latter's bodyguard and right-hand man. In 1958, when The Godfather Part II begins, he goes with Pentangeli to Anthony Corleone
's First Communion
in Lake Tahoe
and expresses his suspicions about Clemenza's death, supposedly of a heart attack. After the party, Cicci is seen with Pentangeli back in New York when the latter is nearly killed by the Rosato brothers. Cicci opens fire on the Rosatos, but he is struck by a car and severely injured.
He apparently recovers, and joins Pentangeli in testifying against Michael at the Senate
hearings on organized crime. He appears nervous and confused at the Senate hearings, reluctant to spell out exactly what euphemisms like "soldier" and "button
" mean, having to have the meaning of the word "behest" explained to him by his lawyer, and wrongly addressing the Senate lawyer Questadt as "Senator" and an actual Senator as "counselor". His testimony is damning; he states that Michael not only killed Virgil Sollozzo
and Captain McCluskey in 1947, but planned his mass slaughter of the other New York Dons as early as 1950. However, he never received orders directly from Michael. The committee called Pentangeli as a surprise witness to corroborate Cicci's testimony, since there is no insulation between Michael and himself. However, Michael called in Pentangeli's brother, Vincenzo, to intimidate Pentangeli into silence, and the case against Michael fell apart.
Willi Cicci was originally intended to be one of the major characters in The Godfather Part III
, but was written out and replaced by the character of Joey Zasa
following the sudden death of actor Joe Spinell
in early 1989, before any filming was to begin.
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...
film series. The character of Cicci is loosely based on real-life 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...
soldier
Soldato
A Soldato is the lowest level of the formal Mafia hierarchy, both in America and in Sicily. However, a soldier is much greater in rank and prestige than any ordinary associate of the crime family. In order to become a soldier, the primary requisite for an associate is to become a made man...
and informant Joe Valachi
Joe Valachi
Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...
.
Appearances
Cicci began working for the "Genco Olive Oil Company" in 1942. However, in reality he is a top enforcer for 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...
, working under longtime 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...
Peter Clemenza. He is introduced in The Godfather standing by a piano amid a group of Corleone soldiers who have "gone to mattresses" (in between battles) during the war between the Corleones and the Tattaglias (in the montage of scenes after Michael Corleone
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...
's assassination of McCluskey
McCluskey
The McCluskey last name or surname is of Irish origin that evolved from the Irish Gaelic names O Cathain or Mac Cathain .-History:First found in what is modern County Londonderry where they were a branch of the O'Kanes. It originates from Gaelic Ireland in the North and the South. .-Famous...
and 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...
). On the day of Michael's nephew's baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, Cicci assassinates Don
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
Carmine Cuneo in the revolving doors at the St. Regis Hotel after he gets a haircut and shave at the hotel's barber shop while waiting for Cuneo to appear. Later, Cicci tells Sal Tessio that Michael will not be travelling to the meeting as arranged by Tessio as part of a plan to have Michael killed. He then disarms Tessio after he realizes that Michael has found out about his treachery. He is not specifically named in the first film.
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...
, when the Corleone family moves to 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...
in 1955, Cicci remains in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, working for Clemenza and his successor, 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...
, apparently as the latter's bodyguard and right-hand man. In 1958, when The Godfather Part II begins, he goes with Pentangeli to Anthony Corleone
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...
's First Communion
First Communion
The First Communion, or First Holy Communion, is a Catholic Church ceremony. It is the colloquial name for a person's first reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist is one of the central focuses of the Catholic Church...
in 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...
and expresses his suspicions about Clemenza's death, supposedly of a heart attack. After the party, Cicci is seen with Pentangeli back in New York when the latter is nearly killed by the Rosato brothers. Cicci opens fire on the Rosatos, but he is struck by a car and severely injured.
He apparently recovers, and joins Pentangeli in testifying against Michael at the 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...
hearings on organized crime. He appears nervous and confused at the Senate hearings, reluctant to spell out exactly what euphemisms like "soldier" and "button
Button Man
Button Man is a comic strip created for leading British comic 2000 AD, written by John Wagner and illustrated by Arthur Ranson.-Plot:...
" mean, having to have the meaning of the word "behest" explained to him by his lawyer, and wrongly addressing the Senate lawyer Questadt as "Senator" and an actual Senator as "counselor". His testimony is damning; he states that Michael not only killed 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...
and Captain McCluskey in 1947, but planned his mass slaughter of the other New York Dons as early as 1950. However, he never received orders directly from Michael. The committee called Pentangeli as a surprise witness to corroborate Cicci's testimony, since there is no insulation between Michael and himself. However, Michael called in Pentangeli's brother, Vincenzo, to intimidate Pentangeli into silence, and the case against Michael fell apart.
Willi Cicci was originally intended to be one of the major characters in The Godfather Part III
The 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...
, but was written out and replaced by the character of Joey Zasa
Joey Zasa
Joey Zasa is a fictional character appearing in The Godfather Part III. He was portrayed by Joe Mantegna. He is based on a mix of three real Mafia members: Joseph Colombo, Joe Gallo and John Gotti.-Character overview:...
following the sudden death of actor Joe Spinell
Joe Spinell
Joe Spinell was an American character actor, who appeared in numerous films in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:...
in early 1989, before any filming was to begin.