I heard he had to audition for the Godfather. The audition was held in his home, and he was told they just wanted to see if kleenex in the jowls would work for the look they were after.
In the end it took more than Kleenex in the jowls; the Don Corleone "look" was primarily the work of make-up man Dick Smith, the true Godfather of Movie Make-Up.