profile

    Lenny Montana

    1926-03-13 (98 years old) in 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.

    Movies

    poster
    Blood Song
    50 %|Oct 1, 1982
    Horror
    poster
    Pandemonium
    46 %|Apr 1, 1982
    Comedy, Horror, Mystery
    poster
    Evilspeak
    52.67 %|Aug 22, 1981
    Horror, Science Fiction
    poster
    ...All the Marbles
    62 %|Mar 1, 1981
    Comedy, Drama
    poster
    Below the Belt
    47 %|Dec 1, 1980
    Drama
    poster
    The Big Brawl
    59 %|Aug 18, 1980
    Action, Comedy
    poster
    Defiance
    63 %|Mar 14, 1980
    Thriller, Action, Crime
    poster
    The Jerk
    69 %|Dec 14, 1979
    Comedy
    poster
    Seven
    58.16 %|Sep 7, 1979
    Action, Drama
    poster
    They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way
    40 %|Dec 1, 1978
    Comedy
    poster
    Matilda
    52 %|Jun 22, 1978
    Comedy, Crime, Family
    poster
    Fingers
    64 %|Mar 2, 1978
    Drama, Action, Thriller
    poster
    Contract on Cherry Street
    63 %|Nov 19, 1977
    Drama, Thriller, TV Movie
    poster
    Patty
    0 %|Feb 11, 1976
    poster
    Strike Force
    65 %|Apr 12, 1975
    Crime, Drama, TV Movie
    poster
    The Funny Face of the Godfather
    20 %|May 3, 1973
    Comedy
    poster
    The Godfather
    86.89999999999999 %|Mar 14, 1972
    Drama, Crime
    poster
    Change of Habit
    55 %|Nov 10, 1969
    Crime, Drama, Music, Romance

    Series

    poster
    Magnum, P.I.
    72.72999999999999 %|Dec 11, 1980
    Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery
    poster
    Kojak
    69.42 %|Oct 24, 1973
    Crime, Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery
    poster
    Search
    69 %|Sep 13, 1972
    Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy