Sonny Corleone
Santino 'Sonny' Corleone is a fictional character, the oldest son of fictional New York Mafia 'Don' Vito Corleone in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and its 1972 movie adaptation. His brothers are Michael Corleone and Fredo Corleone. Sonny is played by James Caan in the movie.
Born in 1916, Sonny was the most impulsive and violent of Vito's three sons, and, before Michael's rise to power, the most involved in the Corleone crime Family. Vito always blamed himself for this, as the boy saw his father murder a rival at the age of 11. Sonny was not without a softer side, however; the same year, he took in a homeless boy, Tom Hagen, to live with the family. He also acted as a protector to his younger siblings, especially his sister Connie.
The normal course of events in Sonny's life were upturned when Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo came to Don Vito with an offer of entering the drug business. He was backed by the Tattaglia family. The Don did not want to enter the drug business as he believed that it would spoil the youth. But Sonny showed interest in the deal. This led Sollozzo to believe that if the Godfather could be taken out of the way, Sonny might agree to work with him. An assasination attempt on the Godfather was arranged.
The assassination attempt failed but left the Godfather near death, although he eventually recovered. Sonny prepared for an all-out war against the Tattaglias and Sollozzo. Michael, showing for the first time his ability to lead a crime enterprise, developed a plan to kill Sollozzo and his bodyguard, police Captain McClusky, that he would carry out. Michael succeeded and was sent immediately to Sicily to wait out the inevitable crackdown on the Five Families. Bruno Tattaglia, Don Philip Tattaglia's son was also killed in his nightclub.
In retaliation for the killing of a rival boss Philip Tattaglia's son, Tattaglia's partner and the Don of one the most powerful of the Five Families, Emilio Barzini, enlisted the help of Sonny's brother-in-law, Carlo Rizzi, in setting a trap for the impulsive Don. In 1948, after Rizzi inflicted a particularly vicious beating on Sonny's sister Connie. Connie telephoned Sonny, who in a fit of anger left the family compound unaccompanied and headed for Connie's apartment with the intention of bashing (and perhaps killing) Carlo. However, Carlo knew the beating would prompt Sonny to come after him, and so telephoned Tattaglia to inform him that Sonny was on his way. The trap was set. As Sonny approached a toll plaza, a number of Tattaglia's men emerged from the toll booths and the car in front of Sonny's with submachine guns and viciously gunned him down. His death persuaded Vito to call a truce with the other Families.
Sonny, though married, was a womanizer, famous for his alliance with Lucy Mancini, who was Connie's friend. He fathered a child out of wedlock with her. That child, Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone, grows up to succeed Michael as Godfather.
Family
- Vito Corleone — Father; played by Marlon Brando
- Constanzia 'Connie' Corleone-Rizzi — Sister; played by Talia Shire
- Fredo Corleone — Younger brother; played by John Cazale
- Michael Corleone — Youngest brother; played by Al Pacino
- Mary Corleone — Niece; played by Sofia Coppola
- Mama Corleone
- Vincent 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone — Son; played by Andy Garcia.