Local News

Late ‘Godfather’ actor had ties to Winter Hill Gang

Alex Rocco was arrested multiple times.

Nick Ut/AP

Late Godfather actor Alex Rocco had experience with criminal activities in more places than just on screen, The Boston Globe reports.

Rocco, a Cambridge native, died Saturday from pancreatic cancer. Perhaps best known for playing Casino boss Moe Greene in The Godfather, the late actor made a career out of portraying bad guys on screen.

Prior to his 1972 turn in the classic film, he had been arrested three times, and even served a sentence of several months in connection with the Winter Hill Gang, The Boston Globe reports.

Rocco was arrested and charged with registering bets and served time for brawling in a diner. He was arrested in connection with the murder of Charlestown crime figure Bernard McLaughlin in 1961, when The Globe says a nightclub entertainer accused him of driving the getaway car – but those charges were later dropped.

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In an interview in 2012 with the A.V. Club, Rocco explained he left Boston for California in the early 60’s, and “never got so much as a ticket after that.’’

Click here for The Boston Globe’s full report.

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