Who Is Johnny Fontane in ‘The Godfather’?
So, who exactly is Johnny Fontane? Well, he may seem like a relatively minor character in the epic tale of the Corleone crime family, but in actuality, Johnny provides the namesake for the entire franchise. That’s because Johnny Fontane (played by Al Martino in the film) is the literal godson of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) himself, who is the head of the feared Corleone crime family. We first meet the character very early in the film, when Fontane visits his godfather on the day of his daughter’s wedding to see if he can make him an offer he can’t refuse.
While Constanzia “Connie” Corleone-Rizzi (Talia Shire) is celebrating her wedding day, she is delighted to see that an old friend has shown up to the celebration. Johnny is not just a childhood friend to the Corleone children but is also a famous singer, soon becoming the life of the party at one that isn’t even his own. The adoring crowds convince Johnny to sing a song for him and, perhaps unable to resist a chance to play for a large group of fans, obliges them. The brief time in the spotlight is nice, but it isn’t the reason that Fontane came to the wedding.
Fontane may have fans at the wedding, but he doesn’t really have them anywhere else, with his once-blossoming career on a downward spiral. Desperate for a comeback, Johnny comes to his godfather Don Vito to ask for a favor: to help him become a star again by any means necessary. It’s essentially a deal with the devil, but one that Don Vito agrees to. This, of course, leads into the following first act of the film, featuring iconic sequences like the decapitated horse head in the bed to showcase the work the Corleone family indulges in regularly.
