Mario Puzo
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| Mario Puzo | |
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 Mario Puzo |
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| Born | Mario Gianluigi Puzo October 15, 1920 Manhattan, New York |
| Died | July 2, 1999 (aged 78) Bay Shore, New York |
| Occupation | novelist, screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Crime fiction |
| Subjects | Mafia |
| Notable work(s) | The Godfather (1969) |
| Notable award(s) | Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Won, 1972 & 1974) |
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Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an Italian American author, known for his novels about the Mafia, especially The Godfather (1969).
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[edit] Life and works
Puzo was born into a poor family of Neapolitan[1] immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.
His most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. The book was later developed into a trilogy of films (The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III) directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather: Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie and the original draft for Superman II.
Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, doubted that Puzo had actually finished Omertà and expressed the view that it may have been completed by "some talentless hack."[2]
Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.
[edit] Works
[edit] Novels
- The Dark Arena (1955)
- The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965)
- The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw (1966)
- The Godfather (1969)
- Fools Die (1978)
- The Sicilian (1984)
- The Fourth K (1991)
- The Last Don (1996)
- Omertà (2000)
- The Family (2001) (completed by Carol Gino)
[edit] Non-fiction
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- FreshAir Interview - Audio interview from Fresh Air. Originally broadcast July 25, 1996
- Mario Puzo at the Internet Movie Database
- Mario Puzo biography
- The Official Mario Puzo Library
- "Saying Goodbye to Mario Puzo", an affectionate recollection of Mario Puzo written by his friend Jules Siegel on being notified of his death.
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Puzo, Mario Gianluigi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American Novelist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 15, 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manhattan, New York, United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 2, 1999 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Bay Shore, New York, United States of America |
