Capone's persona and character have been used in fiction as a model for crime-lords and criminal masterminds ever since his death. His accent, mannerisms, facial construction, sometimes his physical stature, type of dress, and often even parodies of his name are found in various cartoon series villains as well as some movies. These characters are often shown as wily and crafty, rather than contemptible, criminal characters.
In film
Al Capone's grave
One of the most notorious American gangsters of the 20th century, Capone has been the subject of numerous articles, books, and films. He has been portrayed on screen by Nicholas Kokenes, Wallace Beery, Paul Muni, Barry Sullivan, Rod Steiger, Neville Brand, Jason Robards, Ben Gazzara, Robert De Niro, William Devane, Titus Welliver, Al Pacino and William Forsythe.Al Capone also had two films about his life called Scarface. In the original 1932 version of the movie, his name was changed to Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, played by Paul Muni and in the 1983 version, it was changed to Antonio 'Tony' Montana, played by Al Pacino. The 1983 version, however, was remade to suit the modern day. The main difference is the main character, the Cuban Tony Montana, dealing in the Florida narcotics business instead of the illegal sale of alcohol. Both the original and the remake, reference how the downfall of both Tony Montana and Al Capone was due to tax evasion.In Rocky II, Burt Young's character Paulie was likened to Capone by World Champion Apollo Creed.Capone was an off-screen character (in a deleted scene that was added to the DVD release) in the 2002 film Road to Perdition, where he was portrayed by Anthony LaPaglia.
In television
Al Capone's privileged cell in Eastern State Penitentiary, where he spent ten months in 1929-1930 for possession of a concealed weapon
Capone and his era were highlighted in the 1959 television film The Untouchables and its feature film and television series remakes, which have created the myth of the personal war between the crime lord and Eliot Ness.An alleged vault of Capone's was opened by Geraldo Rivera on live television in 1986 on The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault. It turned out to be empty, except for an old whiskey bottle. This was parodied on the Simpsons, when Homer was trying to write a song and made the lyrics "There was nothing in Al Capone's vault/But it wasn't Geraldo's fault".In The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, Capone was toyed with in a very humorous episode.
In literature
He was a Possessor in Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn Trilogy science fiction novels, managing to form a powerful "Organization" which overran several planets during the 2611 Possession Crisis.Capone is mentioned in the famous gangster novel "The Godfather", where he plays a part in Vito Corleone's past. In the Godfather, he is portrayed as a ruthless man, but one without tact.In several stories in the alternative history anthology Back in the USSA by Kim Newman and Eugene Byrne, Capone is imagined as the brutal dictator of a United States of America which experienced a communist revolution in 1917 instead of Russia, and is presented as an obvious analog to Joseph Stalin.Capone appears in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's novel "Inferno".In the World of Darkness sourcebook Chicago by Night, Capone is an eighth-generation Ventrue Vampire who rules the Chicago underworld under the hand of Lodin, Prince of the City.In 2004, the book Al Capone Does My Shirts was published. It became the recipient of the Newberry Award the next year.
In music
The Paper Lace song entitled "The Night Chicago Died" imagines Capone and his army of criminals waging war against the Chicago Police force.
Capone is the subject of the Prince Buster song Al Capone and is the namesake of Rancid's Young Al Capone. Capone also appeared on the album art for Sufjan Stevens's 2005 album Illinois.Comedic songwriter Wesley Willis has a song about Al Capone. It is featured on his second greatest hits album.
In comics
Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould created the villainous crime-boss Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in 1931 as a caricature of Capone.
He was a character in the comic book Tintin in America, the only real person to appear as a character in the The Adventures of Tintin series.
In videogames
He is a non-playable character in the video game Shadow Hearts: From The New World.In the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours, Tony can buy the fictional "Whiskey Ghost" car, a gold-plated 1927 Ford Model A Custom Limo said to be once owned by Al Capone, for $10,000,000.