Lenny Montana(1926-1992)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Tall and solidly built, this Italian-American professional wrestler
turned actor was born Lenny Passaforo in Brooklyn, New York, and is
best remembered for his first on-screen role as the not too bright but
ever loyal bodyguard Luca Brasi in The Godfather (1972). Montana didn't get a lot of
screen time before being eliminated by the henchmen of opposing
gangster Al Lettieri with a garrote and a knife; however, he caught the eye
of casting agents and over the next ten years racked up roles in 16
movies. Usually cast as "muscle for hire", he was equally good at
playing the intimidating thug or a buffoonish hoodlum, such as in
Battle Creek Brawl (1980) and The Jerk (1979). His last film appearance was in the B-thriller
Blood Song (1982), which he also co-wrote. He died in May 1992 of a heart attack
while in Italy.
