Kay is a native of Hanover, New Hampshire, and the daughter and only child of a Baptist minister.

She is the longtime girlfriend and eventual wife of Michael Co rleone (Al Pacino), the son of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), and the future don of the Corleone crime family. Kay went to Dartmouth College to study to be a teacher. She met Michael, also a student at Dartmouth, in 1945, and they fell in love. As a non-Italian, she is s omewhat of an outsider from the beginning and symbolizes Michael's initial desir e to live a more Americanized life. When she and Michael attend his sister Conni e's (Talia Shire) wedding, they sit at a table separate from the rest of the fam ily. In the book, the other guests notice that Kay's manner is more free than th ey have come to expect from an unmarried woman. She is a fan of the singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), although she is stunned when Michael tells her the story of how his father "helped Johnny in his career" by threatening to kill his manager unless he released Fontane from his contract . After the failed assassination attempt on his father, Michael kills Virgil Sollo zzo (Al Lettieri) and NYPD Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). He leaves the co untry without saying goodbye to Kay, and takes refuge in Sicily, where he falls in love with and marries a local young woman, Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli). Kay has no knowledge of Michael's exile and takes a job as a teacher in her home town. She tries to get Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to deliver a letter to Michael, but Hagen turns it down lest it be used in court pr oceedings to prove that the family had "knowledge of his whereabouts". During th is time, she develops a close relationship with Michael's mother, Carmela (Morga na King). Apollonia is killed by a car bomb intended for Michael, and some months later he returns to the United States. More than a year after his return he meets Kay an d they reunite, although she is dismayed when Michael tells her that he is now w orking for his father. She agrees to marry him after he promises to make the fam ily completely legitimate within five years. In the novel, Kay is informed by Ca rmela Corleone of her son's return and invites her over to see him. Michael tell s her that until the family goes legitimate, there are certain parts of his life that he can't share with her. She does not know at the time about his marriage to Apollonia. In the novel he admits that he had been with one other woman since their separation. They have two children, Anthony and Mary. They are born within two years of each other, leading Michael to joke that Kay is "more Italian than Yankee." Kay repl ies that Michael is "more Yankee than Italian" because he always takes his work home with him. Michael becomes the new Don in 1955 after his father's death. When a hysterical Connie accuses Michael of orchestrating a wave of murders including that of her husband, Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) Kay asks Michael if his sister is telling th e truth. Michael initially refuses to tell her, but when she presses him, he lie s to her and tells her that he is innocent. However, immediately afterward, Kay sees Michael receiving his caporegimes, and sees Peter Clemenza (Richard Castell ano) greet him as the new Don. Kay realizes that Connie was telling the truth, a nd that her husband has become his father's successor in every way. (In the nove l, she flees to New Hampshire with their children, but Hagen persuades her to re turn.) Kay converts to Catholicism, going to Mass every day to pray for her husband's s oul (just as Mama Corleone had done for Vito). An early draft of the film's scri pt had it ending with Kay lighting candles for Michael.[1] Kay is a native of Hanover, New Hampshire, and the daughter and only child of a Baptist minister. She is the longtime girlfriend and eventual wife of Michael Co rleone (Al Pacino), the son of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), and the future don of the Corleone crime family. Kay went to Dartmouth College to study to be a teacher. She met Michael, also a student at Dartmouth, in 1945, and they fell in love. As a non-Italian, she is s omewhat of an outsider from the beginning and symbolizes Michael's initial desir

e to live a more Americanized life. When she and Michael attend his sister Conni e's (Talia Shire) wedding, they sit at a table separate from the rest of the fam ily. In the book, the other guests notice that Kay's manner is more free than th ey have come to expect from an unmarried woman. She is a fan of the singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), although she is stunned when Michael tells her the story of how his father "helped Johnny in his career" by threatening to kill his manager unless he released Fontane from his contract . After the failed assassination attempt on his father, Michael kills Virgil Sollo zzo (Al Lettieri) and NYPD Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). He leaves the co untry without saying goodbye to Kay, and takes refuge in Sicily, where he falls in love with and marries a local young woman, Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli). Kay has no knowledge of Michael's exile and takes a job as a teacher in her home town. She tries to get Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to deliver a letter to Michael, but Hagen turns it down lest it be used in court pr oceedings to prove that the family had "knowledge of his whereabouts". During th is time, she develops a close relationship with Michael's mother, Carmela (Morga na King). Apollonia is killed by a car bomb intended for Michael, and some months later he returns to the United States. More than a year after his return he meets Kay an d they reunite, although she is dismayed when Michael tells her that he is now w orking for his father. She agrees to marry him after he promises to make the fam ily completely legitimate within five years. In the novel, Kay is informed by Ca rmela Corleone of her son's return and invites her over to see him. Michael tell s her that until the family goes legitimate, there are certain parts of his life that he can't share with her. She does not know at the time about his marriage to Apollonia. In the novel he admits that he had been with one other woman since their separation. They have two children, Anthony and Mary. They are born within two years of each other, leading Michael to joke that Kay is "more Italian than Yankee." Kay repl ies that Michael is "more Yankee than Italian" because he always takes his work home with him. Michael becomes the new Don in 1955 after his father's death. When a hysterical Connie accuses Michael of orchestrating a wave of murders including that of her husband, Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) Kay asks Michael if his sister is telling th e truth. Michael initially refuses to tell her, but when she presses him, he lie s to her and tells her that he is innocent. However, immediately afterward, Kay sees Michael receiving his caporegimes, and sees Peter Clemenza (Richard Castell ano) greet him as the new Don. Kay realizes that Connie was telling the truth, a nd that her husband has become his father's successor in every way. (In the nove l, she flees to New Hampshire with their children, but Hagen persuades her to re turn.) Kay converts to Catholicism, going to Mass every day to pray for her husband's s oul (just as Mama Corleone had done for Vito). An early draft of the film's scri pt had it ending with Kay lighting candles for Michael.[1] Kay is a native of Hanover, New Hampshire, and the daughter and only child of a Baptist minister. She is the longtime girlfriend and eventual wife of Michael Co rleone (Al Pacino), the son of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), and the future don of the Corleone crime family. Kay went to Dartmouth College to study to be a teacher. She met Michael, also a student at Dartmouth, in 1945, and they fell in love. As a non-Italian, she is s omewhat of an outsider from the beginning and symbolizes Michael's initial desir e to live a more Americanized life. When she and Michael attend his sister Conni e's (Talia Shire) wedding, they sit at a table separate from the rest of the fam ily. In the book, the other guests notice that Kay's manner is more free than th ey have come to expect from an unmarried woman. She is a fan of the singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), although she is stunned when Michael tells her the story of how his father "helped Johnny in his career" by threatening to kill his manager unless he released Fontane from his contract

. After the failed assassination attempt on his father, Michael kills Virgil Sollo zzo (Al Lettieri) and NYPD Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). He leaves the co untry without saying goodbye to Kay, and takes refuge in Sicily, where he falls in love with and marries a local young woman, Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli). Kay has no knowledge of Michael's exile and takes a job as a teacher in her home town. She tries to get Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to deliver a letter to Michael, but Hagen turns it down lest it be used in court pr oceedings to prove that the family had "knowledge of his whereabouts". During th is time, she develops a close relationship with Michael's mother, Carmela (Morga na King). Apollonia is killed by a car bomb intended for Michael, and some months later he returns to the United States. More than a year after his return he meets Kay an d they reunite, although she is dismayed when Michael tells her that he is now w orking for his father. She agrees to marry him after he promises to make the fam ily completely legitimate within five years. In the novel, Kay is informed by Ca rmela Corleone of her son's return and invites her over to see him. Michael tell s her that until the family goes legitimate, there are certain parts of his life that he can't share with her. She does not know at the time about his marriage to Apollonia. In the novel he admits that he had been with one other woman since their separation. They have two children, Anthony and Mary. They are born within two years of each other, leading Michael to joke that Kay is "more Italian than Yankee." Kay repl ies that Michael is "more Yankee than Italian" because he always takes his work home with him. Michael becomes the new Don in 1955 after his father's death. When a hysterical Connie accuses Michael of orchestrating a wave of murders including that of her husband, Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) Kay asks Michael if his sister is telling th e truth. Michael initially refuses to tell her, but when she presses him, he lie s to her and tells her that he is innocent. However, immediately afterward, Kay sees Michael receiving his caporegimes, and sees Peter Clemenza (Richard Castell ano) greet him as the new Don. Kay realizes that Connie was telling the truth, a nd that her husband has become his father's successor in every way. (In the nove l, she flees to New Hampshire with their children, but Hagen persuades her to re turn.) Kay converts to Catholicism, going to Mass every day to pray for her husband's s oul (just as Mama Corleone had done for Vito). An early draft of the film's scri pt had it ending with Kay lighting candles for Michael.[1]