Don Fanucci

Fabrizio Fanucci
Gastone Moschin portraying Don Fanucci
First appearance	The Godfather
Last appearance	The Godfather Part II
Created by	Mario Puzo
Portrayed by	Gastone Moschin
Information
Nickname(s)	"Don Fanucci"
Gender	Male
Occupation	Extortioner, mobster
Family	Black Hand
Relatives	Sandiago Fanucci (nephew)

Don Fabrizio Fanucci is a fictional character appearing in the Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the film The Godfather Part II, a sequel to the film version of Puzo's novel. Fanucci is portrayed by Gastone Moschin and is based on the personality of Ignazio Lupo, a real-life mafioso.

Fanucci is a Black Hand extortionist in Little Italy. Fanucci demands protection money from neighborhood businesses.Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) witnesses Fanucci threatening to disfigure a young girl when her father refuses to pay him, and almost intervenes but is stopped by his friend, Genco Abbandando, who tells him who Fanucci really is. Vito also loses his job when Fanucci demands that Genco's father provide employment for his nephew, Sandiago.

In the novel and in the chronological film version re-edited for TV (The Godfather Saga), Vito witnesses an attack on Fanucci by two youths of the neighborhood who are tired of Fanucci's oppression over the neighborhood. Although Fanucci screams for help, nobody comes to his rescue and the attack ends only when the youths have robbed him, cut his throat, and run away. Vito knows from his own experiences that a real Don would probably be escorted by bodyguards, and that anybody who dared attack him would be dealt with severely and publicly. Vito begins to suspect that Fanucci's power comes from the threat of force rather than force itself.

One day, while Vito is driving a load of stolen merchandise, Fanucci jumps onto the moving vehicle. He explains that he has gotten word that Vito, Peter Clemenza (Bruno Kirby) and Sal Tessio (John Aprea) have participated in several robberies and are fencing the stolen goods. He demands $200 from the three men, but almost immediately states he will take slightly less if he is wrong on the amount. He also threatens to go to the police unless Vito gives him a cut of their profits. This confirms Vito's suspicions in the novel that Fanucci is not as powerful as he claims, as he would not have to anonymously get the police involved against Vito if he truly had the power and resources to retaliate.