Bronx born, stocky Italian-American actor who only appeared in a
handful of films, yet earned some degree of immortality for his role as
the loyal Corleone capo Peter Clemenza teaching Al Pacino how to shoot
a crooked police captain in the iconic gangster film Der Pate (1972). He was
originally a construction company manager, then he gained work with the
New Yiddish Theatre, before breaking into film near his thirtieth
birthday. However in 1970, in only his fourth film, Castellano received
a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Liebhaber und andere Fremde (1970) and
came to the attention of casting agents for Der Pate (1972). After his strong
showing as a tough hoodlum in Der Pate (1972), he became somewhat typecast as a
screen criminal and appeared in further crime films including Honor Thy Father (1973)
and Bis zum letzten Schuß (1981).
He died in December 1988 from a heart attack at the age of
55.
