Very interesting site, with great information. I was surprised to hear that he was the highest paid actor in GF. I guess when you think of it, the film, at the time, except for Brando, was basically a group of little known actors. I remember at the time,when I saw the film in the theater, the only ones I really recognized were Richard Conte, Al Martino and Sterling Hayden. While they all played important characters, their screen time wasn't all that long.

Castellano was the highest paid actor in the Godfather, and would have been in the sequel, but was written out of the script because he demanded too much money and also because he insisted on having his own separate writer to write his dialogue. After the Godfather, he appeared in 9 more films, usually typecast as a criminal. On TV he played the father of Bruno Kirby, in "The Super" (1972) and "Joe and Sons," 1975-76. He died at his home in North Bergen, NJ of a heart attack on Saturday, December 10, 1988, at the age of 55. His funeral was held on December 14 at the Lady of Libero Roman Catholic Church, after which his body was taken to the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen. Of note, his wife in the Godfather was played by his real life wife, actress Ardell Sheridan, who also played his wife in "the Super." (bio by: Frank Russo)