Fredo Corleone

Frederico Corleone
John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
First appearance	The Godfather
Last appearance	Godfather II
Created by	Mario Puzo
Portrayed by	John Cazale
Information
Nickname(s)	Fredo, Freddie
Gender	Male
Occupation	Mobster, Hotel & Casino Manager, Brothel Owner, Actor, Television Host
Title	Soldier, Capo, Underboss
Family	Corleone family
Spouse(s)	Deanna Dunn-Corleone
Children	One illegitimate son with Marguerite "Rita" Duvall
Father	Vito Corleone
Mother	Carmela Corleone
Brother	Sonny Corleone Michael Corleone Tom Hagen (adopted brother)
Sister	Connie Corleone

Fredo (Frederico) Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. Fredo is portrayed by American actor John Cazale in the Francis Ford Coppola film adaptation and in the sequel, The Godfather Part II.

He is the second son of the mafia don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro). Fredo is the younger brother of Sonny (James Caan) and the elder brother to Michael (Al Pacino) and sister, Connie (Talia Shire).

In both Puzo's novel and the film adaptations, Fredo is characterized as weaker and less intelligent than his brothers; he therefore has little real power or status within the Corleone crime family. The infant Fredo had pneumonia. In the novel, Fredo's primary weakness is his womanizing, a habit he develops after moving to Las Vegas and which earns his father's disfavor. In the films, Fredo's feelings of personal inadequacy and his inability to act effectively on his own behalf are character flaws leading to greater consequences.

In a pivotal scene in the novel and film, Fredo is with his father when assassins working for drug kingpin Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) gun down Don Corleone in the street. Fredo, terrified, drops his gun, failing to return fire. He sits on the curb next to his severely wounded father, weeping. In the novel, Fredo is sickened after witnessing his father being shot, going into shock. To aid Fredo's recovery and protect him from possible reprisals, Sonny sends his younger brother to Las Vegas under the protection of Don Anthony Molinari of San Francisco. While in Las Vegas, Fredo learns the casino trade and becomes acquainted with former hitman Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), who runs a major Vegas hotel that the Corleone family bankrolled. When Fredo's womanizing starts affecting business, Greene slaps him in public.