"A pizza you can't refuse."
The thick Italian accent is immediately implied in this slogan, a famous phrase of The Godfather of Godfather’s Pizza. His commanding “Do it!” sticks in the minds of Americans and elicits dreams of cheesy, saucy dough rich with toppings.
Yes, Godfather’s Pizza is named for Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” released in 1972 and based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. The early ‘70s saw Wild Willy’s beer parlor and the pizza place next door join forces to form Godfather’s Pizza—but something was missing. With the help of an advertisement agency, Godfather’s Pizza created the role of The Godfather himself—an Italian mobster with a commanding presence who would entice the public to purchase pizza.
The role worked like magic; the franchise boomed and expanded, the final ingredient to promote the brand.
When the original Godfather, J. William Koll, retired, Godfather’s brand took a break from the character for about five years. In that half decade, however, sales went down significantly, according to Senior VP of Marketing, Dave Gartlan. Eventually, auditions were held to find a replacement and renew the Godfather’s role in the company’s marketing strategy. Gary Batenhorst, the contract attorney for Godfather’s, called in an old friend to participate: Dale O’Brien.
Dale William O’Brien grew up in Omaha, attending Saint Patrick High School in North Platte as a teenager. After graduation, O’Brien attended Kearney State College to earn a theater degree, then the University of Arkansas to complete his master’s degree.
“At the time, I was going to be a teacher,” O’Brien shared. “But they were only hiring PhDs for those jobs. So I asked one of my teachers in Arkansas, ‘What should I do if I want to be an actor?’ He said, ‘Go to a mid-size city—don’t go to New York or Los Angeles—go someplace that’s got a lot of professional theater and do everything they ask you to do.’ So that’s what I did when I went to Kansas City.”
A professional actor since 1975, O’Brien has had his adventures in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities across the country, but Omaha would eventually give him his most famous role.
“There were about 20 people,” O’Brien recalled of the audition for The Godfather. “I did something prepared, and then I did about 20 minutes of ad-libbing. I did that three times. The other people just kept getting cut, and then finally there were like three or four, including me. And after that, they offered me the job.”
“He’s a great brand ambassador and has great charm,” said Gartlan. “Every time we bring him out to the public he is just beloved, and everybody is in awe of him. He really knows how to relate to every type of person—from younger kids to adults, he makes everyone feel special.”
The public outings are O’Brien’s favorite aspect of being The Godfather. Acting for both adults and children has always been in his wheelhouse; when in Kansas City, he participated in dinner theaters and children’s theater, a joy that has stayed with him over the years and today continues to be an important role in his life.
“I love reading to kids,” he said. “It sort of gives me a chance to act.” Visiting elementary schools to read children’s books aloud and inspire young minds fills O’Brien with joy and a sense of hope. “It’s just great getting a response from them. I have voices for each character in the book. They love it.” Story time with kindergarteners is precious in itself, but O’Brien especially loves the teachable moments. “My favorite author seems to be Jory John, who has a line of food books—‘The Good Egg,’ ‘The Sour Grape,’ ‘The Smart Cookie’—things like that—and he really touches on what kids go through. With ‘The Smart Cookie,’ I tell kids, ‘that was me when I was in elementary school,’ and they say, ‘what’s elementary school?’”
Children often love attention, but there are also those who are afraid to speak up in class. “I was afraid to raise my hand, I was afraid they would call on me,” O’Brien said of his own young schooling days. “And hands go up when I ask them if they have the same problem, they don’t want to be called on. And I tell them everybody in the classroom is going to be good at something.”
A true Clark Kent, O’Brien is not recognized as his Godfather persona on the street, although he may be spotted indulging in Godfather’s Taco Pizza, his favorite by a long shot. “I can’t be recognized without the hat and the suit,” he said. Reasoning for this, perhaps, is the fact that “not a lot of other brands have a character or mascot that’s also a real person,” said Gartlan. “You have a lot of animated characters and things like that, but The Godfather is special because he’s real. He really helps the brand awareness and represents it in a cool way.
“Dale is just a great person,” Gartlan continued. “He’s got a good heart, and he always wants to make everybody’s experience memorable.”
For more information, visit godfathers.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
