Few works have influenced the way we think of the Mafia more than The Godfather. But, art always reflects life, and many characters in The Godfather were actually influenced by real people, including the Godfather himself. Of course, the character of Vito Corleone was inspired a collection of a few different real people, but there are some pretty striking links between Corleone and Mafia crime boss Carlo Gambino.
Like Vito Corleone, Carlo Gambino was from Sicily. And like Corleone, he immigrated alone to America as a young man. Once in the country, Gambino quickly found a home in the American Mafia.
Gambino was only 19 when he became a “made man” in the Mafia. And he fell in with a group of young mafiosos known as the “Young Turks.” Led by figures like Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano, the Young Turks had a different view of the future of the American Mafia than the older, Sicilian-born members.
