Sonny Grosso

Salvatore Anthony Grosso (July 21, 1930 – January 22, 2020), known as Sonny Grosso, was an American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective, noted for his role in the case made famous in the book and film versions of the French Connection. The French Connection Grosso, his partner Eddie Egan, and other NYPD detectives broke up an organized crime ring in 1961 and seized 112 lb of heroin, a record amount at the time. The investigation was the subject of a book by Robin Moore and subsequent Academy Award-winning film, The French Connection, which won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, and Best Writing in 1971. Egan and Grosso were technical advisers to the movie and played small roles. The movie was highly fictionalized, and a character based on Grosso, called Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, was played by actor Roy Scheider, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. Like the character, Grosso's nickname as a detective was "Cloudy", due to his pessimism, as well as the fact that "Cloudy" is the opposite of "Sonny".