Carlo Rizzi (The Godfather)

Carlo Rizzi
Gianni Russo as Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather
First appearance	The Godfather
Last appearance	The Godfather Part II (flashback cameo)
Created by	Mario Puzo
Portrayed by	Gianni Russo
Information
Gender	Male
Family	Corleone family
Spouse(s)	Connie Corleone (1945-1955)
Children	Victor Michael Francis

Carlo Rizzi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. In the 1972 film adaptation, he was portrayed by Gianni Russo.

Born in Nevada, Rizzi moves to New York City following trouble with the law. He befriends Sonny Corleone and in 1941 meets Connie at a surprise birthday party for Vito. They marry in 1945. Vito dislikes Connie marrying a small-time criminal and that Rizzi is not a full-blooded Sicilian because his mother was from northern Italy. He gives consent to the marriage on condition that they have a traditional Sicilian wedding.

Rizzi is thrilled by the prestige that comes with marrying a member of the Corleone crime family. However, Vito instructs consigliere Tom Hagen to forbid Carlo any significant knowledge of the Family's workings, and only to "give him a living". He is given a small sports book to operate under the family's supervision, though he proves incompetent.

Described in the novel as "a punk sore at the world", he is resentful of the Corleones' treatment of him. He regularly assaults and cheats on Connie as a means of exerting his own power over the Corleone family. When Connie eventually complains to her parents, Vito harshly refuses to intervene, presumably to punish her for her poor choice in a husband. In truth, Vito is furious with Rizzi's behavior, but he feels powerless to act because Italian tradition forbids a father from interfering with a daughter's marriage. Vito has to forcibly restrain Sonny from intervening.

Sonny visits Connie and finds her injured and bruised after a particularly fierce beating. She begs him to do nothing, and he promises her he will not. Sonny is furious, however, and ruthlessly attacks Carlo in the street, threatening to kill him if he ever hurts Connie again. Not long afterward, the Corleones are forced to shut down Rizzi's bookmaking racket as the war with the Five Families escalates. Enraged by this, and still humiliated after Sonny's barbaric public beating, Rizzi seeks revenge by secretly making a deal with the Corleones' chief rival, Emilio Barzini, to murder Sonny.