Morris "Moe" Greene is a fictional character appearing in
Mario Puzo
Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably ''The Godfather'' (1969), which ...
's 1969 novel ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...
'' and
the 1972 film of the same name. Both Greene's character and personality are based on
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...
: his affiliation with the
mob in Los Angeles, his involvement in the development of Las Vegas, and his flamboyant tendencies. Greene is portrayed in the movie by
Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and his Pr ...
.
''The Godfather''
Greene is introduced in ''The Godfather'' as a renowned Jewish mobster and former executioner for
Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...
He is credited with the development of gambling and entertainment in Las Vegas and bringing the interests of the most powerful organized crime organizations in America to Nevada. Greene is in business with Don
Vito Corleone
Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather ...
, who bankrolls the creation of Greene's first hotel-casino. In return, Greene takes the Don's second son,
Fredo Corleone
Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. Fredo is portrayed by American actor John Cazale in the Francis Ford Coppola 1972 film adaptation and in the 1974 sequel, ''The Godfather Part II'' ...
, under his wing during the war between the
Five Families
The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War.
Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gangs ...
in New York, with the Molinari Family guaranteeing Fredo's safety. Although Fredo is greatly influenced by both Greene and the city, family heir
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather''. In the The Godfather (film series), three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portr ...
disapproves of the effect it has on his brother, whom Greene reportedly chastised and slapped around in public.
At a discreet meeting with Greene, Michael expresses his disapproval and makes an offer to buy out Greene's entire interest in the casino as part of the Corleones' relocation to Nevada. Offended, Greene angrily refuses, claiming that the Corleones have neither the favor nor the power required to drive him out of the business and are only moving to Las Vegas because the other families are chasing them out of New York. In the film, he also belittles Michael's credentials as a Don, saying, "I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!"
In the novel, Greene is murdered shortly afterward by
Al Neri
Albert "Al" Neri is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and Francis Ford Coppola's trilogy of films based on it. In all three motion pictures, he is portrayed by actor Richard Bright. He functions as ...
. At the end of the film, Michael has Greene killed as part of his slaughter of the Corleone family's enemies. An unknown assassin surprises Greene while he is getting a massage and shoots him through the eye. This allows Greene's casinos to become property of the Corleone family.
''The Godfather: Part II''
Greene's death also plays a part in the second film in the series. Greene was a childhood friend to Michael's business partner and rival
Hyman Roth
Hyman Roth (born Hyman Suchowsky) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1974 film ''The Godfather Part II''. He is also a minor character in the 2004 novel '' The Godfather Returns''. Roth is a Jewish mobster, investor and a bus ...
, and it is implied that Roth's anger over Greene's murder is one motivation for his plan to destroy Michael Corleone.
Legacy
Alex Rocco's portrayal of Greene "cemented Rocco's place in Hollywood mob cinema". Greene's character and death scene have been described as "iconic".
Greene's death is loosely based on the murder of mobster
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...
.
The phrase "Moe Greene special" was coined in reference to his execution by being shot through the eye.
Moe Greene special has subsequently been referenced in other gangster shows including ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
'', in the episode "
Meadowlands".
In 1998, he inspired the title of an
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
drama, ''Moe Greene Gets It In The Eye''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Moe
The Godfather characters
Characters in American novels of the 20th century
Fictional American Jews
Fictional murdered people
Fictional assassins
Fictional characters based on real people
Literary characters introduced in 1969
Fictional gangsters
Male film villains
Male literary villains
sv:Moe Greene
Cultural depictions of the Mafia
Fictional crime bosses