Tom Hagen

Tom Hagen

Thomas "Tom" Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere (legal advisor). Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of reason within the family. The novel and first film establish that he is of German-Irish ancestry.

He was found, homeless, at age 11 by Sonny Corleone (James Caan), who took him home to see him taken in by the Corleone family. Although the Don never formally adopted Tom, thinking that this would be an act of disrespect to Hagen's parents, Hagen thought of Vito Corleone as his true father. After graduating from law school, Hagen offered to work for Corleone as though he were one of the Don's own sons. His non-Italian ancestry precluded his formal membership in the Mafia, but after the death of Genco Abbandando, Hagen acted as consigliere to Don Corleone.

While Hagen loved all the Corleones, he always idolized Sonny, and Hagen blamed himself when Sonny was murdered. When Vito moved into semi-retirement in 1954, and his youngest son and new heir-apparent, Michael (Al Pacino), became the operating head of the family – on his father's advice – Michael removed Hagen as consigliere in favor of having his father take the position on an informal basis. Thus restricting Hagen to handling the family's legal business in Nevada, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Michael declared that if he needed advice, he would turn to his father – "the best possible consigliere".