Angelo Bruno Biography

Angelo Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who was the boss of the infamous 'Philadelphia crime family' for nearly two decades. He was called the ‘Docile Don’ or ‘Gentle Don’ owing to his preference for conciliation over violence to resolve issues. This was a radical departure from what other mobsters had followed previously. He was also instrumental in changing the way the underworld operated, helping to bring about considerable order and stability in its operations. He was generally loved by most underworld citizens, but still ended up in tussles multiple times with various mafia giants such as Russell Bufalino. He has been associated with the murder of the union leader Jimmy Hoffa and his relationship with the infamous hit man Frank Sheeran gave rise to numerous speculations. Angelo Bruno and his organization mainly ran gambling and loan-sharking enterprises. Apart from these, he also owned stakes in various legitimate businesses. Owing to his docile behavior and his refusal to be directly involved in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, he was never an important target for the FBI. He was ultimately betrayed by a few members of his own crime family and murdered.