The Godfather made Al Pacino a star, setting him on a path toward one of the most singular and inimitable careers in Hollywood history. It was also so difficult for the actor to make that he was nearly fired multiple times.

In his new memoir, "Sonny Boy," Al Pacino wrote that he and Diane Keaton were certain that "The Godfather" would end their burgeoning careers.

Francis Ford Coppola confronted the star about his performance in an upmarket Manhattan restaurant, telling him to look back on his acting so far.

In his new memoir 'Sonny Boy', Al Pacino reflected on his breakthrough role in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' (1972).

In the mid 1980s, Al Pacino was dating Diane Keaton when he discovered that he was broke. The Godfather had been a huge critical and commercial success, but it wasn’t a big payday for Pacino, who reportedly was only paid $US35,000 ($52,000) on the film.

According to Pacino, that was everything he had in giving to that scene; his character took more than 15 hours of shooting that close-range shooting scene with Al Lettieri and Sterling Hayden's characters.