Franco Citti, Italian star of Godfather I and III, dies in Rome aged 80

The Italian cinema legend Franco Citti has died in Rome aged 80 following a long illness. Friend and fellow actor Ninetto Davoli confirmed that Citti had died on Thursday.

Citti, known internationally for his role as Calò in Francis Ford Coppola’s the Godfather I and III and as the face of films by director Pier Paolo Pasolini, came to fame at the age of 26 playing the title role in Pasolini’s 1961 Accattone. He continued to work with the legendary director throughout the 60s and 70s, appearing in films such as Mamma Roma, Edipo Re, Pigsty and The Decameron.

Born in 1935, Citti was the younger brother of Italian director and writer Sergio Citti, who also often worked alongside Pasolini. Citti also appeared in several comedy films made by his brother, who died in 2005, including Ostia (1970), Bawdy Tales (1973), Beach House (1977), Il Minestrone (1981) and We Free Kings (1996).

The film archive Cineteca di Bologna noted Citti’s intense physicality and expressiveness. These qualities helped him play disturbing characters throughout the height of his career, including a former pimp in Mamma Roma (1962) and a cannibal in Pigpen (1969).

In 1972, Citti played the role of Calò in Coppola’s The Godfather. He reprised the role The Godfather Part III, released in 1990. As Calò, Citti played a bodyguard for Michael Corleone when he fled to Sicily to escape American authorities, his character famous for the line: “In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.”