Biography for
Al Lettieri More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

24 February 1928, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

18 October 1975, New York City, New York, USA (heart attack)

Mini Biography

Menacing looking Italian American actor who developed into the quintessential on-screen hoodlum via several strong roles in key crime films of the early 1970s. Lettieri played the villain against some of Hollywood's biggest screen names including chasing Steve McQueen in The Getaway (1972), intimidating Charles Bronson in _Mr Majestyk (1974)_ , threatening 'John Wayne' in McQ (1974) and, arguably in his most well known role, as Virgil "The Turk" Sollozo trying to eliminate Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972).

He was already 36 years old when he made his on screen debut in The Hanged Man (1964) (TV), and remarkably several years later was associate producer on the disturbing kidnapping drama The Night of the Following Day (1968) starring Marlon Brando. He really hit his strides in the early 1970s starring in many high profile films, before unfortunately succumbing to a heart attack at just 47 years of age. One of the most convincing "heavies" of modern cinema.

IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44

Trivia

Only actor credited as "starring" in The Godfather (1972) who is not on the poster.

In his two most remembered roles, "The Godfather" and "The Getaway", he plays a villain to characters who are also "bad guys" (the mafia in "The Godfather" and bank robbers in "The Getaway").