Frank Costello: The “Prime Minister” Who Helped Inspired Don Corleone
NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesA mugshot of Frank Costello from the 1930s.
When Frank Costello agreed to testify before the Senate about organized crime in the 1950s, he made an impression in more ways than one. Not only was Costello the only mobster to forgo pleading the fifth, but his calm demeanor and raspy voice would later inspire Marlon Brando as he developed the iconic character of Don Corleone in The Godfather.
Indeed, the fictional Don Corleone bore a strong resemblance to the real-life mob boss Frank Costello in more ways than one.
Like Corleone, Costello was born in Italy in 1891. Both men made their way to the United States at a young age, where both changed their names (Costello was born Castiglia; Corleone as Andolini). And both rose through the ranks of the American Mafia to become powerful bosses in their own right.
Costello, who aligned himself with Lucky Luciano early on, benefited by Luciano’s ascension after the Castellammarese War by becoming a consigliere of the Luciano Family. But then Luciano was deported and his underboss, Vito Genovese fled to Italy to avoid prosecution. In their absence, Costello became the boss of what became known as the Genovese Family.
Wikimedia CommonsFrank Costello during his Senate testimony.
Like Don Corleone, Costello projected respectability (he was even nicknamed the “prime minister”) and made strategic alliances to ensure his power.
But Costello’s life would ultimately take several unexpected turns. After he was called to testify before the Senate in the 1950s, Costello faced a number of legal problems, including charges of contempt for walking out during his testimony. He was also nearly assassinated by Genovese in 1957, who wanted to retake control of the Family, and soon afterward agreed to cede power.
Nevertheless, Frank Costello died a rich man at the old age of 82 in 1973. Like Gambino, he passed away at home. But Costello’s one-time rival and fellow Mafia boss Vito Genovese was not so lucky…
