Robert De Niro A Goomba To The Gambinos?
- DeNiro With “Fat Andy” Ruggiano, And Other Gambino Associate
Robert De Niro is one of my all time favorite actors. He was in such greats as The Goodfellas, Bronx Tale, Analyze This, The Untouchables, and let’s not forget him as a the young Vito Corleone in Godfather II.
These particular movies all had one thing in common. The Mafia.
Although in Bronx Tale, he was against the mafia and played a hard working bus driving Dad.
Billy Crystal and DeNiro in Analyze This
Did you ever wonder why De Niro is SO good at playing Mafioso? Well perhaps this is why.
When De Niro took the role of Paul Vitti in the 1999 film Analyze This, (co-star Billy Crystal played Dr. Ben Soble) nobody knew just how far De Niro went to make his part as authentic as possible until recently, when a never before seen photo surfaced of De Niro and late Gambino family soldier Anthony Fat Andy Ruggiano. (God I love these names)
De Niro was introduced to the Gambino family through Anthony Corrozzo who is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild AND also played a part in the movie, although I could not find him listed in the credits.
*fact* There was REAL footage of MANY actual mafia members in this movie.
DeNiro’s rep, Stan Rosenfeld says De Niro doesn’t remember Ruggiano, due to the fact that the movie was filmed over 10 years ago. I can just hear De Niro saying in that famous De Niro voice : “Yeah… maybe I don’t remember it so much…you have a problem with that? Get outta here!”
Rosenfeld was quoted as saying:
“Bob seldom, if ever, discusses his research techniques.”
Smart man that Bobby De Niro.
This wasn’t the first time De Niro researched his movie roles. When DeNiro did Goodfellas, he also wanted to meet with James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke. But Burke was in jail and refused to meet him a source said. DeNiro isn’t alone with all this researching. Many actors like to rub elbows with tough guys or wise guys in this case.
The New York Daily News posted the never seen before photo and a write up:
While making the 1999 film “Analyze This,” about a neurotic gangster, De Niro consulted with the late Gambino soldier Anthony (Fat Andy) Ruggiano – and the Daily News has obtained a never-before-seen photo of the Oscar-winning actor with the big-time gangster in the actor’s trailer.
The film may have been a comedy, but Ruggiano was no joke.
Ruggiano, who died in March 1999, was inducted into the crime family when the boss was Albert Anastasia. He was involved in at least seven murders, including giving the approval to whack his son-in-law.
“He did a lot of work for the family,” Ruggiano’s turncoat son Anthony Jr. testified recently at the trial of a Gambino hit man. “Work” is mob jargon for gangland killings.
“He killed somebody with a fellow named Joe,” Anthony Ruggiano Jr. recalled. “He killed a florist in Brooklyn. He killed three people in a warehouse that was robbing crap games.
“He killed somebody with me . . . and they had this guy Irish Danny killed behind the Skyway Motel on Conduit Blvd.”
De Niro, who is famous for scrupulously researching his roles, was introduced to Ruggiano by reputed Gambino associate Anthony Corozzo, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and an extra on “Analyze This,” a knowledgeable source said.
Anthony Corozzo is the brother of high-ranking Gambinos Nicholas (Little Nick) Corozzo, a powerful capo, and reputed consigliere Joseph Corozzo. He also appeared in another film starring De Niro, “A Bronx Tale,” and forgettable flicks “This Thing of Ours, “The Deli” and “Men Lie.”
“Anthony is like a liaison with the acting community,” the source said.
De Niro’s rep, Stan Rosenfeld, said the movie was made a long time ago and the actor doesn’t recall Ruggiano.
“Bob seldom, if ever, discusses his research techniques,” Rosenfeld said.
Attorney Joseph Corozzo Jr. denied his uncle brought Fat Andy to the set.
Jerry Capeci of the Web site Ganglandnews.com said it’s no secret actors like to rub elbows with real tough guys, and the feeling is mutual.
“Even Carlo Gambino, the epitome of the understated, low-key mob boss, couldn’t resist the lure of posing in that now famous backstage picture with Frank Sinatra surrounded by a bunch of smiling wise guys,” Capeci said.
During the filming of “GoodFellas,” De Niro was interested in talking to the legendary gangster he was playing, but James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke was in jail and refused to meet with the actor, the source said.
De Niro is the latest alumnus from the film “GoodFellas” to have met with members of the Gambino family. Actor Frank Sivero posed for photos at Gambino hit man Charles Carneglia’s junkyard, and actor Anthony Borgese was indicted last week for participating in an extortion with a Gambino soldier.
One thing you can certainly say about De Niro, is that he REALLY researched his movie roles! And as Jimmy Conway said in the Goodfellas:
“You learned the two greatest thing in life, never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.”
Well.. I never ratted out any of my friends…but keep my mouth shut? Fu-get about it!
Oh! And I certainly do not mean any disrespect to any “families” who may be reading this. It’s The Daily News you want. *wink wink*
Salute! Molti altri giorni felici!
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