Puzo

Puzo is an Italian surname. It is most commonly found in Italy and among Italian diaspora communities.

Mario Puzo (1920–1999) was an American author and screenwriter, born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents. He is best known for the crime novel The Godfather (1969), which chronicles the fictional Corleone crime family. The book was adapted into the 1972 film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Puzo co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola and received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1973 ceremony.

Beyond The Godfather, Puzo published several other novels, including The Last Don (1996) and Omertà (2000), the latter released posthumously. His work helped popularize a genre blend of family saga and organized crime and influenced later movies and television portrayals of Mafia life.