Gianni Vito Russo is an actor, producer, entrepreneur and singer. He is best known for his role as Carlo Rizzi in the 1972 film The Godfather. Gianni was born in Manhattan, raised in Little Italy. Russo went on to act in more than 46 movies, including Goodnight, My Love, Lepke, Laserblast, Chances Are, The Freshman, Side Out, Another You, The Freshman, Super Mario Bros., Any Given Sunday, Seabiscuit and Send No Flowers. Russo is also a singer. In 2004, he released a CD called Reflections that pays homage to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Russo owns a wine brand, Gianni Russo Wines, which debuted in 2009. In his life he has met and interacted with many prominent figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Pablo Escobar and Pope John Paul II.