The True Story Of Scarface

How Tony Montana Got His Name

Tony Montana’s name came from the screenwriter’s love of professional sports. Oliver Stone was a huge San Francisco 49ers fan, so he decided to name the titular character in his movie after his favorite football star, Joe Montana. Joe Montana won four Super Bowls and was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times (the first one to ever do so). In the film, Tony is called “Scarface” only one time — and not in English. When Tony is threatened with a chainsaw by Colombian gangster Hector, the rival calls him “cara cicatriz” in Spanish, which means Scarface.