Albert Anastasia — October 25, 1957

11 Witnesses. 10 Shots Fired. No One Charged.

Probably one of the most famous mob hits in history was on Albert Anastasia — the Lord High Executioner, operational head of Murder Inc, boss of what would become the Gambino crime family. Shot dead in a Manhattan barber’s chair in front of 11 witnesses. No one was ever charged.

Who Was Albert Anastasia?

Albert Anastasia was born in Tropea, Calabria, Italy in 1902 and emigrated to the United States as a young man, settling in Brooklyn where he quickly fell into the criminal underworld. He became one of the most feared figures in American organised crime — not through political cunning or business acumen, but through a capacity for violence that was almost without limit.

He was the operational head of Murder Incorporated — the enforcement arm of the American Mafia — which is believed to have carried out between 400 and 1,000 contract killings across the United States between 1929 and 1941. Anastasia personally ordered and supervised many of these killings. His nicknames — the Mad Hatter and the Lord High Executioner — were not ironic. They were earned.

Why Was He Taken Out?

To understand the 1957 hit, you need to understand the web of alliances and resentments that had been building for years. Anastasia had built a close relationship with both Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello in the 1940s and early 1950s. He was serving as underboss under Vincent Mangano — a boss who deeply resented Anastasia’s habit of doing jobs for Luciano and Costello without permission.

In April 1951 the tension was resolved decisively. Vincent Mangano disappeared and was never seen again. His brother Philip was found shot dead in a marsh. Anastasia told the Commission that the Manganos had been planning to kill him first and he had acted in self-defence. The Commission — needing little persuasion — accepted the explanation and confirmed Anastasia as boss. The family became the Anastasia Crime Family.

As boss, Anastasia accumulated enemies at a remarkable rate. He ordered the murder of Arnold Schuster — a civilian who had tipped off police about bank robber Willie Sutton — purely because seeing Schuster on television had irritated him. Killing an innocent civilian with no mob connection was a serious violation that horrified even hardened Commission members. He was also rumoured to be selling induction into the Mafia to the highest bidder — a fundamental breach of Cosa Nostra rules that undermined the entire organisation’s integrity.

Enter Genovese

The man who turned these grievances into a death sentence was Vito Genovese. Genovese had long harboured ambitions to become the most powerful boss in New York. Standing in his way were Frank Costello — the current Genovese family boss — and Anastasia, Costello’s most dangerous ally.

Genovese needed Meyer Lansky‘s approval for what he was planning — Lansky was managing Lucky Luciano‘s American interests from exile. He also needed Carlo Gambino, Anastasia’s own underboss, who was persuaded to switch sides with the promise of becoming boss of the family after Anastasia was removed.

In May 1957, a gunman shot Frank Costello in the lobby of his apartment building. Costello survived — the bullet only grazed his head — but the message was clear enough. He retired from the position of boss rather than risk a second attempt. With Costello neutralised, Anastasia was next.

The Barbershop — October 25, 1957

Picture the setting. It is 10:20am on October 25, 1957. Albert Anastasia is in the barber’s chair at the Park Sheraton Hotel on 870 7th Avenue — now the Park Central Hotel on 56th and 7th. He is being shaved. A hot towel covers his face. His eyes are closed.

His bodyguard, Anthony Coppola, had conveniently stepped away from his post moments before. Whether Coppola was complicit in the plot or simply absent at the critical moment has never been established. What is certain is that two men entered the barbershop wearing scarves pulled up over their faces. They moved quickly to Anastasia’s chair and opened fire.

What happened next is one of the strangest moments in mob history. Despite being hit multiple times, Anastasia rose from the chair and lunged at the gunmen. In the chaos and confusion — wounded, bleeding, perhaps not fully conscious — he attacked the reflection of the men in the barbershop mirror rather than the men themselves. He died on the floor of the barbershop, surrounded by 11 witnesses, none of whom saw anything useful.

A New York journalist wrote at the time: “The vivid image of a helpless victim swathed in white towels was stamped in the public memory.” The murder scene — the barber’s tools, the white towels, the body on the tiled floor — became one of the most iconic images of the American Mafia’s golden age.

Who Killed Him?

No one was ever charged with Anastasia’s murder. The strongest theory points to Joey Gallo and his crew, acting on orders from Genovese and Gambino. Gallo is said to have remarked afterwards: “You can just call the five of us the barbershop quintet.”

However the attribution to Gallo is disputed. Critics point out that Gallo was a member of the Profaci family — and Joe Profaci had been allied with Anastasia on the Commission against Genovese, Costello and Lucchese. Why would a Profaci soldier kill someone his own boss was allied with? Alternative theories suggest the gunmen were out-of-town associates brought in specifically so they could not be identified or connected to any New York family.

The truth has never been established. It almost certainly never will be.

The Aftermath — And Genovese’s Short Reign

Carlo Gambino took over as boss of the family, which became the Gambino crime family — a name it bears to this day. Gambino proved to be one of the most capable and enduring bosses in New York history, running the family until his natural death in 1976.

For Vito Genovese, the rewards were fleeting. Having engineered the removal of both Costello and Anastasia, he became the most powerful boss in New York. But just weeks after Anastasia’s murder, the disastrous Apalachin Meeting of November 1957 — in which dozens of mob bosses were caught by police at a rural upstate New York estate — destroyed his reputation and drew enormous law enforcement attention to the entire organisation.

His former allies — Lansky, Luciano, Costello and Gambino — conspired against him. A drug dealer was bribed to testify that Genovese had personally worked with him. Vito Genovese was convicted and sent to prison, where he died in 1969. The man who had so ruthlessly cleared his path to power spent the last decade of his life behind bars.

Frequently Asked Questions — Albert Anastasia

How was Albert Anastasia killed?

Anastasia was shot dead on October 25, 1957, in the barber’s chair of the Park Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Two masked gunmen entered while he sat with a hot towel over his face and shot him ten times. His bodyguard had stepped outside moments before. Anastasia rose and charged at the gunmen but in his confusion attacked their reflections in the mirror. He died on the floor. No one was ever charged.

Who ordered the murder of Albert Anastasia?

The hit was orchestrated by Vito Genovese with the cooperation of Carlo Gambino and the approval of Meyer Lansky. Genovese wanted to remove both Costello and Anastasia to consolidate power. He offered Gambino the leadership of the family as an incentive. Joey Gallo is the most commonly cited triggerman, though this has never been proven.

What was Anastasia’s role in Murder Inc?

Anastasia was the operational head of Murder Incorporated — the Mafia’s enforcement arm responsible for between 400 and 1,000 contract killings across the US. He personally ordered and supervised many of those murders, earning the nicknames the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner.

Why was Anastasia killed?

Multiple reasons converged. He had ordered the murder of Arnold Schuster — an innocent civilian — which horrified the Commission. He was selling Mafia membership to the highest bidder. He had antagonised Meyer Lansky by threatening his Havana casino interests. Genovese built a coalition of his enemies and the Commission approved the hit.

Who took over after Anastasia was killed?

Carlo Gambino — Anastasia’s own underboss, who had switched sides to join Genovese’s conspiracy — took over as boss. The family became the Gambino crime family. Gambino ran it with great skill until his natural death in 1976, building it into the most powerful of the Five Families.