Mario Puzo was born October 15, 1920, in "Hell's Kitchen" on Manhattan's (NY) West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best-known novel, "The Godfather," was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels, "The Dark Arena" and "The Fortunate Pilgrim." In...
Dorothy Antoinette Puzo, Joseph Puzo, Anthony Puzo, Eugene Puzo, Virginia Erika Puzo
Siblings
Antonio Puzo
Awards
Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Drama
Nominations
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay, Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy
Movies
The Godfather, Earthquake, The Godfather Part II, Superman, Superman II, A Time to Die, The Cotton Club, The Sicilian, The Godfather Part III, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
The best way to launch an Italian restaurant is to have it raided because the Mafia eats there. Everybody knows they eat well.
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Fact
1
In the 1950s and 1960s he worked at Magazine Management which was owned by Martin Goodman, whose company also owned Timely Comics, which later became known as Marvel Comics. He decided to try his hand at writing a comic book, but told Stan Lee that he couldn't meet the monthly deadlines. Stan Lee had the opposite problem: he could work under pressure to produce a monthly comic, but didn't have the discipline to write a novel. While Puzo became better known for writing novels, he did eventually succeed in the comic book genre by writing the first two Superman films.
2
In the foreword of his 1972 autobiography, "The Godfather Papers & Other Confessions", he explains that "The Godfather", though a best seller, was his least favorite book, but hated when people knocked it solely because it was a best seller.
3
Wrote the first draft of Earthquake (1974) in mid-1972. When the film was pushed into production in mid-1973, Puzo had to quit the project due to his commitment to writing The Godfather: Part II (1974). As the final script featured elements of his original, he was one of the two writers credited for Earthquake (1974). In 1975, a minor legal dispute arose between Puzo and Universal over his share of the profits, which was quickly settled.
4
Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 494-496. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
5
Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 131, pages 366-373. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.
6
He had five children: Anthony, Joseph, Dorothy Ann Puzo, Virginia and Eugene.
7
Was writing a story outline for a fourth "Godfather" film before he died.
8
Early in his career, he worked for a NYC company called Magazine Management that among other things actually wrote fake celebrity stories for fan magazines. His co-workers there included not just one but two other writers who went on to pen their own best-sellers, Bruce Jay Friedman and Dorothy Gallagher.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Omerta
TV Movie book / novel announced
Supergirl
2015-2016
TV Series character: Non - 8 episodes
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
2006
Video screenplay / story
The Godfather
2006
Video Game characters
The Last Don II
1998
TV Mini-Series 1 episode
The Last Don
1997
TV Mini-Series novel - 3 episodes
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992
Video novel "The Godfather"
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
1992
screenplay / story
The Godfather
1991
Video Game characters
The Godfather: Part III
1990
written by
The Fortunate Pilgrim
1988
TV Mini-Series novel - 3 episodes
The Sicilian
1987
novel
The Cotton Club
1984
story
A Time to Die
1982
novel "Six Graves to Munich"
Superman II
1980
screenplay / story
Superman
1978
screenplay / story
The Godfather: A Novel for Television
1977
TV Mini-Series novel "The Godfather" - 4 episodes
The Godfather: Part II
1974
novel "The Godfather" / screenplay
Earthquake
1974
written by
The Godfather
1972
novel "The Godfather" / screenplay
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Streetwise
1984
Documentary thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Coppola and Puzo on Screenwriting
2001
Video short
Himself
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
1990
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Bitte umblättern
1979
TV Series documentary
Himself
The 47th Annual Academy Awards
1975
TV Special
Himself - Co-Winner: Best Adapted Screenplay
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Kid Stays in the Picture
2002
Documentary
Himself
Stone Reader
2002
Documentary
The 72nd Annual Academy Awards
2000
TV Special
Himself (Memorial Tribute)
The 51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1999
TV Special
Himself - Memorial Tribute
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1979
Hugo
Hugo Awards
Best Dramatic Presentation
Superman (1978)
1975
Oscar
Academy Awards, USA
Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1975
WGA Award (Screen)
Writers Guild of America, USA
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1973
Oscar
Academy Awards, USA
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
$1.6 Million
