I don't know if this has been mentioned on this board yet, (I don't follow this board much), but the woman that played Appolonia in GF I passed away last month.

Here is a link I found to it.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15119066

Thats news to me (sad to read).

Thanks for the heads-up.

She was an incredibly beautiful young woman, and certainly lived up to the character's description in the book. Thanks for sharing the news.

That is too bad to hear.

I noticed her birthday is listed as Nov. 30, 1954. The movie was released in 1972.

Could she have only been sixteen or seventeen when she filmed Godfather? Or is her date of birth inaccurate?

How sad. She was still so young.


Don Cardi

Her character was only 16 in the movie so it's quite possible that's all she was in real life.

Wow! I totally didn't expect this news. How sad. We've heard next to nothing of her since GF. I had no idea she was ill. I'm sorry to hear this news.

She may not have ever really made it big, but she'll forever be the young and beautiful Apollonia to me and surely be a part of the history of all of us GF fans.

TIS

This is really sad news... she was a real beauty, and like so many others in the Godfather, she didnt get much screen time, but she sure did a lot with it (of course the nude scene didnt hurt).

I think as of now more people who were in the original GF are dead than are alive.

Who's left? Pacino, Caan, Duvall, Keaton, and???

Wow, I had never really thought about how few remain.

I'll add:

Talia Shire
Gianni Russo
John Martino
Sofia Coppola

Anybody know if Morgana King's still with us?

Alex Rocco (Moe Green) is still alive

Al Martino(johnny Fontane) is living as well

This is truly sad news. RIP

According to IMBD,Wikipedia (Morgana King)Mama Corleone is still with us. What about Tessio?

Abe Vigoda died twenty years ago but nobody told him yet.

(He's still alive).

That's really sad news. RIP.

Well, Tessio was always smarter

No. I am pretty sure he died recently.

I believe that he's still alive.

Trivia question : In what Television show did Rocco make his acting debut?


Don Cardi

Sad to hear. Andy Garcia and Joe Montanga are still with us. I remember Alex Rocco in a Starsky and Hutch two part episode.

Yea his smartness got him whacked


We can't forget Mr. fake and bake himself George Hamilton is still with us.

Was it Batman, DC?

If so, a bonus question...
What actor in the Godfather had previously appeared on "Gilligan's Island"?

[Hint: He also appeared in episodes of two other series recently mentioned on these boards, namely, "Bonanza" and "The Andy Griffith Show."]

You are correct! It was Batman.

Off hand I don't know the GF actor's real name who appeared on Gilligan's Island, but I believe that it was the same guy who played Nazorine, the baker.


Don Cardi

Yes, you are right. His name is Vito Scotti, and he played a mad scientist and a Japanese sailor on several episodes of "Gilligan's Island." He also played a gypsy on "The Andy Griffith Show" in an episode, in which, I believe, Jamie Farr also appeared.

Vito Scotti had a prolific career playing character
actors superbly. I believe he died approximately ten years ago.

He was also in a couple episodes of the Golden Girls

Vito Scotti died in June, 1996 from cancer.

Alex Rocco, however, is still very much alive and still acting. According to the Internet Movie Database, he has two film credits (so far) in 2006.

Which brings me to my next point: Nowhere on the Database can I find anything about the death of Simonetta Stefanelli. Whenever a notable actor dies, someone usually posts the information on one of their discussion boards. Those folks are very much on top of things like this. As a matter of fact, nowhere on the Internet was I able to find anything at all verifying her death. I did quite a bit of searching, and came up empty-handed. The only thing we have is the Find-a-Grave link mentioned in the original post in this thread. And, the person who submitted the information to that website doesn't supply his source. No obituary, no nuthin'.

Hmmmm......

Wouldn't our esteemed and respected Lavinia from Italy have heard about this? Particularly since it is said that Ms. Stefanelli passed away in Rome?

Now, it's entirely possible that the news was not made public until just recently. But, it's a bit odd that I can find absolutely nothing about this on the Net.



Signor V.

Her wikipedia entry has similar death info on her (also unsourced).

Japanese?!

As I posted in another thread, Wikipedia has so much unreliable/unverified information that the Internet Movie Database will no longer accept info submissions that rely solely on Wikipedia as the source.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the person who posted this on the Find-a-Grave website got it from Wikipedia (or maybe it was the other way around).

Until I see the news of Ms. Stefanelli's death posted on a more reliable website, I'll have to remain a bit skeptical.

Signor V.

Thanks for the info Vitelli. I don't know too much about Wikipedia. I hope they are wrong. If you find anything else to back it up, please post. If untrue, what a horrible "rumor" to print.


TIS

I'm usually pretty good at digging stuff up, and I can't find any information on her death. I emailed the person that posted it on "Find a Grave", and I'll post any reply I receive.

Yes. On one occasion he played a Japanese sailor, who still thought WWII was still going on. He wore a fu man chu moustache and a thick pair of glasses.

from http://www.einsiders.com/features/columns/july06obituaries.php

SIMONETTA STEFANELLI Died July 23, 2006
Italian actress Simonetta Stefanelli died of cancer at age 51. Ms. Stefanelli was 16-years-old when see played the doomed first wife of gangster Michael Corleone in "The Godfather." Ms. Stefanelli spoke of her role as Appolonia this way: "I met him, I married him, I died." Ms. Stefanelli’s other film and TV credits include "Moses the Lawgiver," "The Hawk and the Dove" and "The Art of Love." She was once married to actor/director Michele Placido. The couple are the parents of actress/singer Violante Placido.