Born on October 15th, 1920, Mario Puzo was an author, screenwriter, and journalist. He’s best known for writing crime novels about Italian American mobsters and the Sicilian Mafia. His most notable novel “The Godfather,” published in 1969, was adapted into the Francis Ford Coppola trilogy of the same name.
Puzo’s parents were Italian Immigrants from Pietradefusi, a province of Avellino in Campania. His writing career started in 1950 with the publication of “The Last Christmas” in American Vanguard. In 1955, he published his first book “The Dark Arena.”
During his research into organized crime, he began working on “The Godfather.” The novel hit the New York Times best sellers list for 67 weeks and sold over nine million copies in two years. The Paramount Vice President of Production, Peter Bart, believed that the story was “beyond a mafia story.” They went on to produce the film trilogy, the first movie receiving three awards out of the 11 Oscar nominations, Puzo receiving one for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Puzo died on July 2nd, 1999, in Bay Shore, New York. His legacy continued in the paramount+ show “The Offer,” where actor Patrick Gallo portrays Puzo and highlights the the process of writing “The Godfather” and the creation of the trilogy of films.
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.