The smile is warm, if a little sardonic. Carlo Gambino is a disarming man, it says. Nothing to worry about with me. Your favourite uncle, your friendly neighbor. The eyes, though, tell a different story. People can control their facial muscles to generate a smile. But eyes are honest. They reveal the truth.
His Roman nose is prominent, his stature short and stocky. Dark, slightly wavy hair is swept back. Mediterranean features. Rightly so. Carlo Gambino is a first-generation Italian American immigrant. All the way from Sicily. Mafioso country.
Vito Corleone is the figure who defines modern perceptions of the Mafia, and he is, of course, fictional. The Godfather, though, was built from constituent parts of real people, and the largest portion of his imaginary make up comes from the real Godfather. That is Carlo Gambino.
