Vito Corleone is in The Godfather.
Vito Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo 's novel The Godfather and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola 's three Godfather films , in which he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and then , as a young man , by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II . He is also known as a traditionalist who demands respect commensurate with his status ; even his closest friends refer to him as `` Godfather '' or `` Don Corleone '' rather than `` Vito '' .