Al Martino was an American traditional pop and jazz singer. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and became known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.
Martino in 2005
Martino in 1952 when "Here in My Heart" topped the music charts
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.
Theatrical release poster
Brando (right) and Pacino as Don Vito and Michael Corleone, respectively
Francis Ford Coppola (pictured in 2011) was selected as director. Paramount wanted the picture to be directed by an Italian American to make the film "ethnic to the core".
Al Pacino was chosen to portray Michael Corleone.