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Michael Grillo is a film producer and second unit director who has worked on movies such as The Deer Hunter, Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He has been nominated for one Oscar and won one award for his work in The Deer Hunter.
- Michael Grillo
Michael Franzese Sr (/ frænˈziːs /) [2] (né Grillo; born May 27, 1951) is an American former mobster who was a caporegime in the Colombo crime family, and son of former underboss Sonny Franzese.
Michael Grillo is known for The Deer Hunter (1978), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
Apr 17, 2024 · Listen to Michael Grillo, who produced Oscar winners and Marvel blockbusters, share his insights on working with amazing talent in the film industry. Watch the full episode on YouTube or find it on other platforms.
- Who Is Michael Franzese?
- Family and Early Life
- Becoming A Mafia Boss
- Other Business Ventures
- Run-Ins with The Law
- Where Is He Now?
- Net Worth
Michael Grillo – aka Michael Franzese – was born in New York City, USA on 27 May 1951. He is a former mobster who was one of the wealthiest mafia bossesin the 1980s. Originally intending to become a doctor, Michael dropped out of medical school at the age of 16, after his father was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and took over his place as the un...
Michael was born to Cristina and John ‘Sonny’ Franzese in the Brooklyn borough of NYC. Growing up, Michael was unaware of his true parentage, not knowing that John is his biological father, believing that his father was his mother’s ex-husband, and used his last name, Grillo, until he turned 18. Michael later found out that his father, John, had go...
During his beginnings in the mafia, Michael was mentored by Joseph ‘Joe Joe’ Vitacco. He climbed the ranks rather quickly, after proving his loyalty in a confrontation against the Gotti family. In 1980, he became a caporegime (a leader) of a crew of around 300 other mobsters. In the following year, he and Lawrence Salvatore Iorizzo created a plan t...
While the gasoline scheme was going on, Michael had to set up multiple other businesses to launder the money, mostly through his movie production company Miami Gold. Miami Gold Productions Inc. produced and distributed the 1986 movie “Knights of the City”. He was also running other businesses that were legitimately profitable, without the gasoline ...
Coincidentally, one of Michael’s first run-ins with the law happened because of his involvement in Walters’ agency. In April 1985, he was charged with racketeering, but was eventually acquitted, but in the same year, law enforcement started investigating his involvement in gasoline bootlegging in New York State and Florida. At that point, his mafia...
During his second term in prison Michael became a born-again Christian, and swore to himself to never become involved with the mob again. He put his experience and motivations on paper in his first autobiography entitled “Quitting the Mob”, which was released in 1992. He left prison two years later, in November 1994, and publicly denounced the worl...
Nowadays, Franzese lives a relatively modest life compared to his mobster days. As of late 2022, his net worthis estimated at roughly $1 million, which comes from his earnings as an author and a motivational speaker. At the height of his criminal career, he was making more than $4 million per month and his estimated net worth exceeded $300 million;...
Michael Grillo is a producer and assistant director who has worked on many films, including Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man, and Wyatt Earp. See his biography, filmography, and credits on TMDB.
Avengers: Endgame. Michael Grillo was an executive producer in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
