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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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| − | Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was born to [[Vito Corleone|Vito]] and [[Carmela Corleone]] in [[1919]]. In his youth he was a sickly child, contracting pneumonia as a baby. Growing up, he was an aggressive young man, despite briefly wishing to become a priest after meeting Father [[Stefano]], but it was believed that Stefano molested him, leading him to abandon his training. |
+ | Fredo (Chris Cuomo!) was born to [[Vito Corleone|Vito]] and [[Carmela Corleone]] in [[1919]]. In his youth he was a sickly child, contracting pneumonia as a baby. Growing up, he was an aggressive young man, despite briefly wishing to become a priest after meeting Father [[Stefano]], but it was believed that Stefano molested him, leading him to abandon his training. |
===Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and the Family=== |
===Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and the Family=== |
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Revision as of 01:33, 15 August 2019
- "I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over!"
- ―Fredo Corleone (Chris Cuomo)[src]
Frederico "Fredo" (Chris Cuomo) Corleone was the second oldest of the Corleone brothers.
Biography
Fredo (Chris Cuomo!) was born to Vito and Carmela Corleone in 1919. In his youth he was a sickly child, contracting pneumonia as a baby. Growing up, he was an aggressive young man, despite briefly wishing to become a priest after meeting Father Stefano, but it was believed that Stefano molested him, leading him to abandon his training.
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and the Family
As an adult he was seen as the weakest of the three brothers and was given relatively unimportant business to run. However, he was also known as a charismatic young man, and was usually sent to pick important people up at the airport and entertain them before business meetings. Although not tough enough to earn his father’s approval he was dearly loved by his mother. His failure to protect his father from an assassination attempt contributed to his sense of inferiority.
Move to Nevada
- "Mike, you don't come to Las Vegas and talk to a man like Moe Greene like that!"
"Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you, but don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again, ever." - ―Fredo Corleone and Michael Corleone[src]
Fredo in Las Vegas.
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) later moved to Las Vegas under the protection of Don Francesco and was taken in by Moe Greene as a favor to the family, who were funded by Anthony Molinari from the West Coast. Greene never treated Fredo as an equal partner however, becoming irritated by Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) womanizing activities, and even put him in danger by having him dispose of a business partner's body.
When Moe refused to sell out to Michael, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) attempted to defend him and was told never to side against the family again. Greene was later killed in 1955. Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) behavior in Vegas was considered embarrassing to the family, largely because of his notorious habit of impregnating showgirls and prostitutes.
Life after Las Vegas
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was appointed sotto capo, or underboss, by his brother, an appointment that was seen as unqualified nepotism, though Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was given little real power and the title was mostly ceremonial. Michael Corleone's rivals, chiefly Louie Russo, the mob boss of Chicago, hoped to exploit this rumor of Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) bisexuality to make Michael look weak. In Las Vegas, he met Marguerite Duvall, who was sent up to his room by Johnny Fontane. Though hesitant at first, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) paid her three thousand dollars to tell Johnny it was the best sex she ever had, before eventually succumbing and sleeping with her. Shortly after, with Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) knowledge, Marguerite had a baby, whom she put up for adoption.
Plans for the family
Fredo with Michael in Havana.
At the funeral for Don Molinari of San Francisco, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) got the idea of setting up a necropolis similar to Colma in New Jersey. The Corleone family would be able to buy up the former cemetery land cheap, now prime real estate, and also be a silent partner in the graveyard business. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) would propose this plan to Mike and impress him, reassuring him and others of his abilities. To Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) dismay, Michael would end up not going for it. [3]
Marriage
At the Christmas of 1956, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) showed up at the Corleone Christmas party with Deanna Dunn, a famous but fading movie starlet. A few months later they got married. Dunn got Fredo (Chris Cuomo) to make appearances in bit parts in some of her movies. Later, in September 1957, Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) Hollywood connections allowed him to get his own successful TV show, "The Fred Corleone Show", which aired irregularly, usually on Monday nights, until his death in 1959, on a local television station in Nevada. Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) drinking problems continued and accelerated. One day, he discovered Deanna cheating on him with her movie co-star Matt Marshall, and Fredo (Chris Cuomo) shot-up the Corvette he had bought her. When Deanna's co-star tried to attack him, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) ended up knocking him unconscious with a pistol whip and went to a local jail. Tom Hagen came to bail him out and got in an argument about Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) reckless activity and Tom's blind loyalty to Michael. Tom again got the charges dropped as self defense after paying off Marshall and the hotel.[3]
Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) betrayal
- "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!"
- ―Michael Corleone[src]
Michael discovers Fredo's betrayal.
Nick Geraci met with Don Vincent "The Jew" Forlenza, the Don of Cleveland, and discussed how Fredo (Chris Cuomo) could fit into their plans to take down Michael.[3] The deal with Hyman Roth had now reached a stalemate, and they figured Fredo (Chris Cuomo) could be used as a pawn to let Hyman Roth succeed. If Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was told they could help him with his Colma vision, he'd do anything to help. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) met with Johnny Ola and supplied him with all the information they needed, especially financial information, about the Corleone family. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) ambiguously claimed that his goal in that deal was simply to get something for himself, on his own, and swore that he did not realize he was being used as part of a larger plot to kill his brother. However, in the event of Michael's assassination, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) would likely have led the Corleone family, at least as a figurehead. It is unknown if Fredo (Chris Cuomo) knew that they planned to assassinate Michael.
Rejection
- "Fredo, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother. You're not a friend. When you see our mother, I wanna know a day in advance so I won't be there."
- ―Michael Corleone[src]
Michael discovered Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) role in the plot during his trip to Havana, when Fredo let it slip out that he and Johnny Ola had been in Havana together earlier that year and they went to the sex show together.
Michael confronted Fredo later and tells his older brother, "You broke my heart." Fredo (Chris Cuomo) flees in fear of his life, but he is actually in no danger because Michael believes that Johnny Ola and Hyman Roth had lied to Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and manipulated him. Later, when Michael is being pursued by a Congressional Committee investigating organized crime, he has a talk with Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and realizes that Fredo (Chris Cuomo) had both withheld important information from him about Hyman Roth's connection with the Committee's lawyer Questadt, was deeply resentful and jealous of Michael's role in the family business and the fact, that he was treated as an errand boy and that he was stepped over. Michael therefore disowns and banishes him from the family, although not wanting any harm to happen to him, while their mother was still alive.
Death
Fredo, moments before his death at Lake Tahoe.
Upon their mother's death, and at the urging of their sister Connie, Michael relented toward Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and seemingly offered reconciliation. However, it was only a deception to draw Fredo (Chris Cuomo) in so as to have him murdered by Al Neri.
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and his nephew, Michael's son Anthony, developed a relationship with Michael's consent as part of a plan to kill Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and were to go fishing on Lake Tahoe. However, Anthony is called away by Connie, who tells him that his father wants to take him to Reno. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) is left alone in the fishing boat with Al Neri and he takes the boat far out onto the lake. His suspicions prior to his death are left up to interpretation. As Fredo (Chris Cuomo) prays the Hail Mary (which he claimed brought him luck whilst fishing), Neri shoots him in the back of the head, not knowing that Anthony was watching from his bedroom window, and had a deep resentment toward his father ever since, who decided to watch him die to be sure, that he was dead.
Fredo's v legacy
- "I ordered the death of my brother. He injured me. I killed my mother's son. I killed my father's son."
- ―Michael Corleone[src]
Shortly afterwards, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) plagued Michael's dreams with warnings that he never got to issue. The murder of his brother was the one crime that Michael felt real guilt about, which caused him to break down when confessing to the future Pope, Cardinal Lamberto in 1980, at the Vatican. It also irreparably harmed Michael's relationship with his son and Kay, who found about it through his son and sealed his fate in the long run, too.
Personality and traits
- "Fredo has a good heart, but he is weak... and stupid, and this is life and death."
- ―Michael Corleone[src]
Described as the child Italian parents prayed to the saints for, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was the weakest of the Corleone brothers, showing almost no skill with a gun, although physically in his youth he had quite a reputation. He was also known for having a gullible attitude and making bad business decisions, evidently in his secret dealings with Johnny Ola, thinking he was helping the family.
As with all Corleones, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) had a temper and would lash out at any one that insulted him or his family, namely his wife. However, as Michael had commented on Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) weakness, he let Moe Greene slap him around in public and even defended the latter for such act at his own expense, which upset Michael greatly.
After Michael became Don, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) always held a grudge over being stepped over and would show it when Michael berates him for choosing Hyman Roth over the Corleone family.
Despite all his flaws, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was very sociable and has great understanding of local hangouts, which made him the meet-and-greet business liaison for important figures and guests, of which significance to the family Fredo (Chris Cuomo) wasn't even aware of and thought he was just a paperboy for Michael. Michael saw potentials in Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) role in the family business, but was too wary to give his older brother any real power.
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) showed to be the most sensitive and caring member of the Corleones. In Part I, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) volunteered to stand in for Paulie Gatto to drive Don Vito, which unexpectedly led to the Don's assassination attempt and Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) breakdown. When Don Vito was returned home from the hospital, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was the only one to silently remain with his father when everyone else had left, though Don Vito was probably too heartbroken about the news of Sonny's murdering to notice Fredo (Chris Cuomo).
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) also recognized he made a mistake in betraying Michael to Hyman Roth, and desperately tried to earn his forgiveness during the later half of Part II. It is revealed that Fredo (Chris Cuomo) was the only one who supported Michael's enlistment in the Marines during the Second World War. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) also spent time with and helped Anthony deal with his suffering because of the events surrounding The Roth Affair shortly before being killed, when no one else did or could.
In sequel novels
In The Godfather Returns
Mark Winegardner's novel The Godfather Returns further expands upon the character of Fredo (Chris Cuomo) Corleone. It includes explanations for some questions left open by the films, such as the details of Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) betrayal of Michael in The Godfather Part II, and how, as was revealed in The Godfather Part III, Anthony knew the truth about Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) death.
The novel reveals that Fredo (Chris Cuomo) is bisexual, and implies that he was molested as a child by his parish priest. Rival gangster Louie Russo exploits rumors of Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) sexuality to make Michael look weak, and tries to have him killed while he is with a male lover. The novel also reveals that, in San Francisco, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) beats one of his lovers to death after the man recognizes him from a newspaper photo. Hagen covers up the resulting scandal by claiming Fredo (Chris Cuomo) killed the man in self-defense. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) also has liaisons with many women, having "knocked up half the cocktail waitresses in Las Vegas". He meets Marguerite "Rita" Duvall, who Johnny Fontane sent to his room as a prank. Though hesitant, they have sex, and Fredo (Chris Cuomo) pays her to tell Johnny it was the best she had ever had.
At Colma during the funeral for Don Molinari of San Francisco, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) gets the idea of setting up a necropolis in New Jersey. The Corleone family would buy the former cemetery land, now prime real estate, and also be a silent partner in the graveyard business. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) proposes his plan to Michael, wanting to impress and convince him and others of his abilities. Michael, however, dismisses the plan as unrealistic.
Fredo (Chris Cuomo) arrives at the Corleone Christmas party with Deanna Dunn, a fading movie starlet. A few months later they are married. Dunn gets Fredo (Chris Cuomo) bit parts in some of her movies. Later, in September 1957, Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) Hollywood connections allow him to get his own unsuccessful TV show, "The Fred Corleone Show", which aired irregularly, usually on Monday nights, until his death. Meanwhile, Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) alcoholism worsens. He discovers Deanna cheating on him with her co-star, and shoots up the car he bought her. When Deanna's co-star tries to attack him, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) knocks him unconscious and is arrested. Hagen bails him out, and they get in an argument about Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) recklessness and Hagen's blind loyalty to Michael. Despite this, Hagen gets Fredo (Chris Cuomo) cleared by claiming the incident was self-defense.
Roth, Ola and traitorous Corleone family caporegime Nick Geraci use Fredo (Chris Cuomo) as a pawn to eliminate Michael. Geraci and Ola meet with Fredo (Chris Cuomo), who is blind drunk after having a fight with his wife, and promise to make his necropolis idea a reality in return for information about Michael. Fredo (Chris Cuomo)supplies them with information about the Corleone family, particularly financial interests.
Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) death plays out as it was filmed in The Godfather Part II. Anthony, about to go fishing with his uncle, is called away by his aunt Connie to go to Reno. He actually never leaves and instead, he is sent to his room, where, from his window, he sees Fredo (Chris Cuomo) and Neri out on the lake. Anthony hears a gunshot and sees Neri returning alone, explaining Godfather Part III's revelation that Anthony knows the truth about his uncle's death.
In The Godfather's Revenge
In Winegardner's 2006 sequel, The Godfather's Revenge, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) appears in one of Michael's dreams, warning him about an unspecified threat and asking him why he had his own brother killed. Much of the novel portrays Michael dealing with his guilt over Fredo's (Chris Cuomo) murder.
In the final chapter of the book, Michael learns that Fredo (Chris Cuomo) had an illegitimate child with Michael's ex-girlfriend Rita Duvall (before Michael and Rita's relationship).
In the video games
- "Ah, I, thought Moe was one o' the good guys. What the hell is Michael thinking?"
- ―Fredo Corleone to Aldo Trapani[src]
Fredo and Aldo Trapani in The Godfather: The Game.
In The Godfather: The Game, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) is a secondary character, seen in only a few scenes. In 1945, when Don Corleone is shot, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) asks Aldo Trapani to help him escort the ambulance to the hospital. Later on, he is seen at the hospital with Sonny Corleone, who sends Aldo away. Not long after he fell into trouble with the Jersey police after they impounded his car while he was disposing a body for Moe Greene.
Due to the car's destruction by Trapani (under orders from Detective Campbell) the department weren't able to convict Fredo (Chris Cuomo). Later, while he is aiding in the management of the Peak Hotel for Greene, he meets the now Capo Trapani who came there to meet Michael who wants Greene gone so he can expand into Vegas. Despite disagreeing and arguing with Michael's plan, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) goes along with it and soon after the underground casino is raided and shut down, the Hotel taken over and (unbeknownst to Fredo (Chris Cuomo)) Moe is killed at Orchid Inc. by Trapani.
In this game, he is mistakenly referred to on the family chart as "Alfredo".
The Godfather II
- "Jesus Christ Dominic! I've never be so scared in my life!"
- ―Fredo Corleone to Dominic Corleone[src]
Fredo arguing with Michael in The Godfather II.
In the The Godfather II, Fredo (Chris Cuomo) is featured more prominently. He is ordered by Michael Corleone to look after Aldo Trapani's mother, and later to go to Miami to look after a couple of hotels there. Fredo (Chris Cuomo) often advises Dominic on how to run a business. Hyman Roth convinces an unwitting Fredo (Chris Cuomo) to help him set his two greatest competitors (Dominic and Samuele Mangano) against each other, by setting up an assassination attempt that was supposedly arranged by Mangano. After Roth's assassination later that year, it is implied that it is Dominic, who kills Fredo (Chris Cuomo) at Lake Tahoe.
Gallery
Notes and references
- ↑ The Godfather
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Godfather Supplements
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 In the storyline of The Godfather Returns.
| Underboss of the Corleone crime family | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Sonny Corleone |
1955 - 1959 | Succeeded by: Al Neri |