
Hector Adonis was an Italian literature professor at the University of Palermo and godfather to Salvatore Giuliano. He taught Giuliano literature in his childhood, specializing in the works of Dante, and he advanced in his career with the help of Don Croce Malo. He helped Malo's unqualified nephew gain a job as a doctor despite the objection of his professor Bernardo Nattore, and he advised Nattore to flee Sicily rather than be murdered. Adonis later served as a go-between for Malo and Giuliano after Giuliano turned to banditry and made enemies with the Sicilian Mafia, but he failed to persuade Giuliano to join his wife Giovanna Ferra in exile in New York City in 1950, resulting in Giuliano's death. Adonis later avenged Giuliano's death by poisoning Gaspare Pisciotta in prison.