The Godfather

Johnny is Don Vito Corleone’s godson. He is a famous singer and actor who hails from New York’s Little Italy neighborhood, where he grew up as a close friend of Sonny Corleone and the broader Corleone Family. Johnny lives and works in Hollywood, California. He first appears in the novel having a drunken argument with his second wife, the young actress Margot Ashton, who is openly cheating on him. Later, Johnny attends Connie Corleone’s wedding, where his celebrity status causes a stir. After performing a few songs for the guests, he tells Don Vito that his career is in decline because he is losing his singing voice. He also asks the Godfather to help him secure a role in an upcoming movie that will restore his career. The film’s producer, the powerful movie mogul Jack Woltz, refuses to cast Johnny because the latter stole Woltz’s trophy girlfriend. After chastising Johnny for divorcing his first wife, Virginia, and leaving their two daughters for Ashton, Don Vito agrees to get Johnny the movie role. Later in the novel, the Las Vegas surgeon, Jules Segal, removes warts from Johnny’s vocal cords, and the surgery allows Johnny to sing once again. Johnny’s character highlights the extensive influence Don Corleone has within the film industry. Johnny acts as the Corleone Family’s liaison with Hollywood and embodies the domineering presence of male sexuality in the novel. Johnny is a consummate womanizer who makes the sexual conquest of young girls essential to his celebrity identity.