REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
Tom Hardy
Born: September 15, 1977 Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England, UK | Al Capone
Born: January 17, 1899 Birthplace: New York City, USA Death: January 25, 1947, Palm Island, Florida, USA (cardiac arrest) |
Linda Cardellini
Born: June 25, 1975 Birthplace: Redwood City, California, USA | Mae Capone
Born: April 11, 1897 Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA Death: April 16, 1986, Hollywood, Florida, USA |
Kyle MacLachlan
Born: February 22, 1959 Birthplace: Yakima, Washington, USA | Dr. Kenneth Phillips
Renamed Karlock in the Movie |
Matt Dillon
Born: February 18, 1964 Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York, USA | Johnny Torrio
Born: January 20, 1882 Birthplace: Montepeloso, Basilicata, Kingdom of Italy Death: April 16, 1957, New York City, USA (heart attack) |
Noel Fisher
Born: March 13, 1984 Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Albert Francis 'Sonny' Capone, Jr.
Born: December 4, 1918 Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA Death: August 4, 2004, Florida, USA |
The Capone true story reveals that the former boss of the Chicago underworld served a total of seven years, six months and fifteen days of an 11-year prison sentence. He had been convicted of tax evasion in 1931 at age 32. He was first housed in the Cook County Jail and then the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, before being transferred to Alcatraz in 1934. Like in the Capone Tom Hardy movie, he was released from prison due to his deteriorating health. After his release, he went to a Baltimore hospital for brain treatment and then to his home at 93 Palm Ave on Palm Island in Florida where he was looked after by his wife Mae Capone. While some believe that Al Capone faked dementia to get out of prison, we'll explain below why this theory is likely not accurate. -FBI.gov
The Capone movie's writer/director Josh Trank (Chronicle) isn't the first person to suggest that Al Capone's dementia might have been an act to get out of prison. Clyde Smaldone, who was the head of the Smaldone Family crime syndicate out of Denver, stated in author Dick Kreck's book Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, "They told Al he had syphilis and that's a damned lie. He never had syphilis. I think his heart was broken more than anything." Smaldone said that he went to see Capone a week before he died and that Capone did not exhibit signs of dementia.
The Capone true story confirms that it has long been believed that Al Capone's fortune is out there somewhere and that he forgot where he hid it. The idea was introduced by his niece, Marie Capone, who wrote that her uncle had buried and hidden millions of dollars but was too mentally ill with dementia when he was released from prison to remember where it was at. At the height of his criminal empire, Chicago newspapers estimated Al Capone was making $100 million annually. His net worth was estimated to be roughly $1.3 billion in today's dollars. It makes sense that he would have hidden a large portion of his money, knowing he would need it when he got out of prison. People have been looking for his fortune unsuccessfully ever since his arrest.
It was rumored that he had buried the money on a peninsula in Michigan. However, in the 1980s, another theory came to light when a construction company was planning a renovation of the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Prior to his imprisonment, Capone had lived in a suite at the hotel. The construction company found a series of escape tunnels beneath the hotel, along with a shooting range and most importantly, a secret vault. The tunnels led to nearby bars and brothels. As for the vault, its discovery resulted in many people believing that it contained at least part of Al Capone's money. The opening of the vault on April 21, 1986 became a nationally televised event hosted by Geraldo Rivera and viewed by more than 30 million people, making it the then-most-watched syndicated TV special of all time. Disappointingly, all that was found inside was a few empty bottles and dirt. The mystery surrounding the location of Al Capone's fortune remains unsolved.
After he was released from prison and received treatment for late-stage syphilis at a Baltimore hospital, Al Capone went to his home in Florida, which he had purchased in 1928 for $40,000 (about $550,000 today). The estate is located at 93 Palm Ave on Palm Island in Biscayne Bay near Miami. While there, Al Capone's dementia and syphilis were managed with the help of his wife Mae Capone, his doctor Kenneth Phillips, and his staff. Prior to living at the Palm Ave estate after his release from prison, Al Capone had conveniently been there during the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, which he is believed to have ordered. -FBI.gov
One of Al Capone's biggest rivals in Chicago was Irish gangster George "Bugs" Moran. His gang had tried to assassinate Capone on September 20, 1926 while Capone was having lunch at the Hawthorne Hotel in Chicago. As bullets sprayed at him from Thompson sub-machine guns, his bodyguard saved him by tackling him to the floor and lying on top of him. Roughly two-and-a-half years later on Valentine's Day 1929, men disguised as police officers raided a garage where Moran ran his bootlegging empire from. They lined up seven of Moran's men against a wall and opened fire, killing all of the men (one was still alive when the actual police arrived but refused to talk before taking his last breath). The incident became known as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Moran pointed the finger at Capone, who was conveniently in Florida at his 93 Palm Ave estate at the time.
"Fonzo" was the original title of the movie while it was in production. It is based on his nickname which comes from his full name, Alphonse Gabriel Capone.
No. As depicted in the Tom Hardy movie, he never publicly returned to Chicago following his 1939 release from prison. He was no longer mentally capable of running a criminal empire. As depicted by Tom Hardy's character in the movie, Capone lived in seclusion on his Palm Island estate with his wife Mae Capone and immediate family.
Like in the Capone movie, the true story confirms that the real Al Capone suffered a stroke on January 21, 1947. His condition began to improve but he contracted bronchopneumonia and went into cardiac arrest on January 22. He died in bed three days later on January 25, 1947 when his heart failed as a result of apoplexy. It was a week after his 48th birthday. Al Capone's death certificate is displayed below.