- He suffered from polio as a child.
- After gaining his debut role in The Godfather (1972) , Russo hinted to journalists that he had used real-life Mafia connections to get the part. Author Mario Puzo poured scorn on this claim, saying that if he really had done this, he would have been murdered for revealing the fact.
- Had a 12-year relationship with singer/actress Dionne Warwick.
- According to a newspaper report, it was Russo --a native of Staten Island--who led The Godfather (1972) producers to a house on this island borough of New York City that eventually was used to shoot exteriors of the Corleone estate. Reportedly, the owner of the home later re-modeled inside to make it look as much as possible like the interior scenes in the first "Godfather" film.
- When he filmed the reality-TV show Growing Up Gotti (2004), Russo revealed that he was a secret admirer of Victoria Gotti. After he sent her roses, Ms. Gotti's assistant met and screened him for what was to be a surprise meeting with Victoria, and found out about his famous role in The Godfather (1972). Later, Victoria was taken to a restaurant, but she was mortified to see Gianni performing songs from his new CD, and she left.
- He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974).
- Appeared in The Godfather (1972), which was the first film to have a sequel that won a Best Picture Oscar. This feat was only accomplished by two other subsequent movies: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (sequel to Manhunter (1986)), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Coincidentally, Russo later appeared in Red Dragon (2002), a remake of Manhunter (1986), that used the novel's original title. Roger Corman, who appeared with him in The Godfather Part II, also appeared in The Silence of the Lambs.
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