LENNY MONTANA, WAS NOT SOMEONE TO FUCK WITH.

Some of you may recognize the hulking 6'6 figure from a number of things.  For starters he was once a professional wrestler known as "The Zebra Kid," back in the 50's.   You might have seen Lenny on episodes of Magnum PI, but most will recognize him as Luca Brasi from The Godfather.   Born Leonardo Passaforo in 1926, Lenny was actually quite the heavyweight, that is, in the Colombo Crime Family.

Lenny had been in films prior to The Godfather,  including Change of Habit which starred Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore.  How did Lenny get into the cast of The Godfather?  Easy.  Lenny was sent via Russel Bufalino on behalf of Joe Colombo, to maintain control of the script and to ensure that Francis Ford Coppola never ever uttered the word "MAFIA" in the film.

Many people believe Joe Colombo had control over the script, and it's long been reported falsely.  What many scholars don't report, and for maybe a good reason is that Russel Bufalino had control over the studios, the script, and had the final say, as they controlled the unions, which is one of the reason Francis Ford Coppola bitched about having a hell of a time on set with the studio and others.

It was Bufalino who didn't want the terms mob, mafia, and gangsters mentioned.  At the time Joe Colombo was in full swing with the Italian American Civil Rights League.  Bufalino sent word that he wanted the production controlled, and sent word to Joe Colombo who sent a made member of the mob to oversee the project, and that guy brought a bodyguard named "Lenny."   Lenny was a hitman, and an arsonist for the Colombo crime family.   His claim to fame was how he used gasoline soaked tampons, which would be tied to rats tails, and the rats would be sent into buildings to torch the place. He also employed another way.  He would place a candle in front of a cuckoo clock, soak the place in gas, and when the bird popped out the candle would collapse and engulf the place.

It would be Al Ruddy and Francis Ford Coppola who would see Lenny on set, and looking for Luca Brasi realized that Lenny would be perfect.  Lenny agreed, but while smart in every criminal manner couldn't remember lines and was intimidated by the skills of Marlon Brando.  Francis recognized this, and allowed the two to use that nervousness.  In fact, when you see Lenny on screen practicing his speech to "Don Corleone," it was real. "Lenny couldn't remember his own address," Francis would say two decades later.  Lenny would go on to do more films and television, but always kept a close watch on the Colombo's as he would be used in a few different ways.  He would bodyguard the older members of the family, collect debts, torch buildings, and word on the street is that he also took part in several murders.   Art imitating life, imitating art.