
Lenny Montana
Born: 1926-03-13
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Tall and solidly built, this Italian-American professional wrestler turned actor was born Lenny Passaforo in Brooklyn, New York, and is best remembered for his first on-screen role as the not too bright but ever loyal bodyguard Luca Brasi in The Godfather (1972). Montana didn't get a lot of screen time before being eliminated by the henchmen of opposing gangster Al Lettieri with a garrote and a knife; however, he caught the eye of casting agents and over the next ten years racked up roles in 16 movies. Usually cast as "muscle for hire", he was equally good at playing the intimidating thug or a buffoonish hoodlum, such as in Battle Creek Brawl (1980) and The Jerk (1979). His last film appearance was in the B-thriller Blood Song (1982), which he also co-wrote. He died in May 1992 of a heart attack while in Italy.
Filmography

The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
2016

The Godfather
1972

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977

Magnum, P.I.
1980

Kojak
1973

Search
1972

Patty
1976

The Jerk
1979

Contract on Cherry Street
1977

Below the Belt
1980

Fingers
1978

Defiance
1980

...All the Marbles
1981

The Funny Face of the Godfather
1973

Strike Force
1975

The Big Brawl
1980

Seven
1979

Matilda
1978