Lenny Montana(1926-1992)

Tall and solidly built, this Italian-American professional wrestler turned actor was born Leonardo Passaforo in Brooklyn, New York, and is best remembered for his first on-screen role as the loyal bodyguard Luca Brasi in Le Parrain (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 Le Chinois (1980) and Un vrai schnock (1979). His last film appearance was in the B-thriller Dream slayer (1982), which he also co-wrote. He died in May 1992 of a heart attack while in Italy.