Danny Aiello

Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. (/aɪˈɛloʊ/) (June 20, 1933[1] – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather Part II (1974), The Front (1976), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Hide in Plain Sight (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Moonstruck (1987), Harlem Nights (1989), Do the Right Thing (1989), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Hudson Hawk (1991), Ruby (1992), Léon: The Professional (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Dinner Rush (2000), and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). He played Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries The Last Don (1997).
Aiello was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Salvatore "Sal" Frangione in the Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing (1989).
== Early life[edit] ==
Aiello, the fifth of six children, was born on West 68th Street, Manhattan,[2] the son of parents Frances Pietrocova, a seamstress from Naples, Italy, and Daniel Louis Aiello, a laborer who deserted the family after his wife lost her eyesight and became legally blind.[3] For many years, Aiello publicly condemned his father, but the two reconciled in 1993, although Aiello harbored a resentment of his father's conduct.[4][5] He was of Italian descent.[6] He moved to the South Bronx when he was seven, and later attended James Monroe High School.[5]
At the age of 16, Aiello lied about his age to enlist in the United States Army. After serving for three years, he returned to New York City and did various jobs in order to support himself and, later, his family.[7][8]
In the 1960s, Aiello served as president of New York Local 1202 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing Greyhound Bus workers. In 1967, he presided over an unsanctioned wildcat strike when the company changed bus driver schedules.[9] The strike was called without authorization by the parent union and he was suspended for that action. He called off the strike after one day.[10]
He was also a bouncer at the legendary New York City comedy club, The Improv.[11] In the mid-1980s, he was a nightly regular at Café Central, a bistro frequented by celebrities on 79th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, in Manhattan, and at an eatery named Columbus restaurant on 66th Street and Columbus Avenue.[12]
== Career[edit] ==
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Danny_Aiello_-_Estelle_Parsons_-_1977.jpg|thumb|With actress Estelle Parsons in 1977
=== Film and television[edit] ===
Aiello broke into films in the early 1970s. One of his earliest roles came as a ballplayer in the baseball drama, Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), with Robert De Niro. Aiello had a walk-on role as small-time hood Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II (1974), ad-libbing the line "Michael Corleone says hello!" during a hit on rival gangster Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo).[13]
Aiello had a co-lead role with Jan-Michael Vincent in Defiance (1980), about some Manhattan residents who fight back against the thugs terrorizing the neighborhood. He received considerable acclaim for playing a racist New York City cop in Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981) with Paul Newman. In 1981, Aiello won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for his appearance in an ABC Afterschool Special called A Family of Strangers.[14]
He was paired with De Niro again for the Sergio Leone gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America (1984), as a police chief whose name was also "Aiello." His many film appearances included two for director Woody Allen, who cast him in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and Radio Days (1987).[15] He played a main role in the 1985-86 television series Lady Blue.[16]
Aiello played the pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). At the time of the film's release, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he called the role his "first focal part". He further identified the film as a very collaborative effort, during which Spike Lee at one point told him, "Whatever you wanna do, you do." Aiello went on to write a crucial scene he shared with John Turturro ten minutes prior to its production.[17] The role earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while the film critics' associations of Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles each named him best supporting actor.[18]
Aiello also portrayed more sympathetic characters. He gained recognition as the befuddled fiancé of Cher opposite her Oscar-winning performance in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987), and made a comic appearance in drag for the Robert Altman fashion-industry film Prêt-à-Porter (1994).[19] He also had sympathetic roles in the horror thriller Jacob's Ladder (1990) and the comedy-drama 29th Street (1991).
Aiello played nightclub owner and Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby in the biopic Ruby (1992), the lead role in Paul Mazursky's film business satire The Pickle (1993), the titular character in the Academy Award-winning short film Lieberman in Love (1995), and a political big shot with mob ties in City Hall (1996), starring Al Pacino. He later starred in the independent feature film Dolly Baby (2012), written and directed by Kevin Jordan; Aiello also starred in Jordan's Brooklyn Lobster, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005.[20]
=== Music[edit] ===
Aiello's singing was on display in films such as Hudson Hawk (1991), Once Around (1991), and Remedy (2005) that starred his son Ricky Aiello and Jonathan Doscher. He released several albums featuring a big-band including I Just Wanted to Hear The Words (2004), Live from Atlantic City (2008), and My Christmas Song for You (2010). Aiello and EMI songwriter Hasan Johnson released an album of standards fused with rap entitled Bridges in 2011.[21]
He played the father for the video of Madonna's song, "Papa Don't Preach" (1986), and recorded his own answer song, "Papa Wants the Best for You", written by Artie Schroeck.[22]
=== Theater[edit] ===
Aiello appeared on the Broadway stage many times throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in three plays by Louis La Russo II: Lamppost Reunion (his Broadway debut - 1975), Wheelbarrow Closers (1976), and Knockout (1979). In 1977, he originated the role of Fran Geminiani in the long-running play Gemini.[23]
In 1981, Aiello starred in Woody Allen's play The Floating Light Bulb alongside Beatrice Arthur. The play, set in 1945, is a semi-autobiographical tale of a lower middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York City. Frank Rich, critic from The New York Times gave the play a mild review, writing "there are a few laughs, a few well-wrought characters, and, in Act II, a beautifully written scene that leads to a moving final curtain". Rich also compared the play to the work of Tennessee Williams.[24]
In the mid-1980s, Aiello starred in a replacement cast version of Hurlyburly (1984) alongside Christine Baranski, Frank Langella, Ron Silver, and Candice Bergen. He also starred in The House of Blue Leaves (1986) alongside John Mahoney (who earned a Tony Award for his performance), Ben Stiller, Stockard Channing, and Julie Hagerty[25]
In 2002, Aiello starred in Elaine May's comedic play, Adult Entertainment alongside May's daughter, Jeannie Berlin. The play was directed by Stanley Donen and opened off-broadway at the Variety Arts Theatre. Critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times, described the play as an "often very funny, but overstretched comedy sketch".[26]
In July 2011, Aiello appeared Off-Broadway in the two-act drama The Shoemaker, written by Susan Charlotte and directed by Antony Marsellis. The play is a stage version of his 2006 movie A Broken Sole, which began life in 2001 as a one-act play.[27]
== Personal life[edit] ==
Aiello lived in Ramsey, New Jersey, for many years with his wife, Sandy Cohen, whom Aiello married in 1955.[28] He later moved to Saddle River, New Jersey.[29]
In 2014, Aiello published his autobiography, I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else: My Life on the Street, on the Stage, and in the Movies via Simon & Schuster.[30] He was the father of stuntman and actor Danny Aiello III, who died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer.[31] Another son Rick, who was also an actor, died in 2021 of the same disease. His surviving children are Jaime, and Stacey Aiello.[14] His nephew is Michael Kay, broadcaster for the New York Yankees.[32]
=== Death[edit] ===
Aiello died on December 12, 2019, at age 86, at a hospital in New Jersey, following a brief illness.[18][33]
Many in the entertainment industry voiced their sadness either on Twitter or released statements, such as his Moonstruck co-star Cher, and Robert De Niro, who starred alongside Aiello in four films: Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and Mistress (1992). De Niro wrote, "I am very saddened to hear of Danny's passing. I have known him for almost 50 years. See you in Heaven, Danny."[34]
== Filmography[edit] ==
=== Film[edit] ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1973	Bang the Drum Slowly 	Horse 	
1974	The Godfather Part II 	Tony Rosato 	
1975	The Godmothers 	 	Uncredited
1976	The Front 	Danny LaGattuta 	
1977	Hooch 	Tony 	
1978	Fingers 	Butch 	
1978	Bloodbrothers 	Artie Di Falco 	
1980	Defiance 	Carmine 	
1980	Hide in Plain Sight 	Sal Carvello 	
1981	Fort Apache, The Bronx 	Morgan 	
1981	Chu Chu and the Philly Flash 	Johnson 	
1983	Blood Feud 	Randy Powers 	
1984	Old Enough 	Mr. Bruckner 	
1984	Once Upon a Time in America 	Police Chief Vincent Aiello	
1984	Broadway Danny Rose 	 	Uncredited
1985	The Purple Rose of Cairo 	Monk 	
1985	The Stuff 	Vickers 	
1985	The Protector 	Danny Garoni 	
1985	Key Exchange 	Carabello 	
1987	Radio Days 	Rocco 	
1987	Man on Fire 	Conti 	
1987	The Pick-up Artist 	Phil Harper 	
1987	Moonstruck 	Johnny Cammareri 	
1988	The Third Solution 	George Sherman 	
1989	The January Man 	Captain Vincent Alcoa 	
1989	White Hot 	Charlie Buick 	
1989	Do the Right Thing 	Salvatore "Sal" Fragione 	
1989	Shocktroop 	John Cunningham 	
1989	Harlem Nights 	Phil Cantone 	
1990	Jacob's Ladder 	Louis 	
1990	The Closer 	Chester Grant 	
1990	He Ain't Heavy 	 	Short
1991	Once Around 	Joe Bella 	
1991	Hudson Hawk 	Tommy "Five-Tone" Messina 	
1991	29th Street 	Frank Pesce Sr. 	
1992	Deathmask 	Capt. Mike Grasso 	
1992	Ruby 	Jack Ruby 	
1992	Mistress 	Carmine Rasso 	
1993	The Cemetery Club 	Ben Katz 	
1993	The Pickle 	Harry Stone 	
1993	Me and the Kid 	Harry 	
1994	Léon: The Professional 	Tony 	
1994	Prêt-à-Porter 	Major Hamilton 	
1994	Save the Rabbits 	Ronnie 	
1995	Power of Attorney 	Joseph Scassi 	
1995	Lieberman in Love 	Joe Lieberman 	Short
1995	Two Much 	Gene 	
1996	City Hall 	Frank Anselmo 	
1996	2 Days in the Valley 	Dosmo Pizzo 	
1996	Mojave Moon 	Al 	
1997	Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis	Mr. Rathbone 	
1997	A Brooklyn State of Mind 	Danny Parente 	
1998	Wilbur Falls 	Phillip Devereaux 	
1999	18 Shades of Dust 	Vincent Dianni 	
2000	Mambo Café 	Joey 	
2000	Dinner Rush 	Louis Cropa 	
2000	Prince of Central Park 	Noah Cairn 	
2001	Off Key 	Fabrizio Bernini 	
2003	Mail Order Bride 	Tony Santini 	
2004	Zeyda and the Hitman 	Nathan 	
2005	The Fool 	Voice of the Dummy 	Short
2005	Brooklyn Lobster 	Frank Giorgio 	
2006	Lucky Number Slevin 	Roth 	
2006	Last Request 	Pop 	
2006	A Broken Sole 	The Shoemaker 	
2010	Stiffs 	Frank Tramontana 	
2013	Dolly Baby 	Tony Lanza 	
2014	Henry & Me 	Dr. Acosta 	Voice
2014	Reach Me 	Father Paul 	
2017	The Neighborhood 	Joseph Donatello 	
2018	Little Italy 	Carlo 	
2019	The Last Big Save 	Louis Brown 	
2019	Making a Deal With The Devil 	Mario 	
2021	One Moment 	Joe McGuinness 	Posthumous release; Final film role
TBA 	Hereafter Musical 	Jason 	Short
=== Television[edit] ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1976 	Kojak 	Mattie 	Episode: "Black Thorn"
1977 	The Andros Targets 	Lt. Phil Lombardi 	3 episodes
1978 	On Our Own 	Skip Mazarelli 	2 episodes
1978 	The Last Tenant 	Carl 	TV film
1978 	Lovey: A Circle Of Children, Part II 	Bernie Serino 	TV film
1980 	A Family of Strangers 	Dominic Ginetti 	ABC Afterschool Special
1982 	Gemini 	Fran 	TV film
1982 	Nurse 	Gene Halley 	Episode: "Gene Halley"
1982 	The Unforgivable Secret 	Frank Caruso 	ABC Afterschool Special
1982 	A Question of Honor 	Martelli 	TV film
1983 	3-2-1 Contact 	Florist 	Episode: "Babies: Growth and Development"
1984 	Tales from the Darkside 	Tommy Vale 	Episode: "The Odds"
1985 	The Lucie Arnaz Show 	Vic Rosetti 	Episode: "Good Sports"
1985–1986	Lady Blue 	Lt. Terry McNichols 	14 episodes
1987 	Saturday Night Live 	Master of Ceremonies 	Episode: "Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis"
1987 	Daddy 	Coach Jacobs 	TV film
1987 	Night Heat 	Frankie D. 	Episode: "Comeback"
1988 	Alone In The Neon Jungle 	Chief 	TV film
1989 	The Preppie Murder 	Det. Mike Sheehan 	TV film
1990 	Madonna: The Immaculate Collection 	Papa 	Segment: "Papa Don't Preach"
1992 	The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 	Tony Rosato 	TV reruns
1995 	Brothers' Destiny (aka The Road Home) 	Duke 	TV film
1996 	Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook	Narrator 	Documentary
1996 	Saturday Night Live 	Himself (host) 	Episode: "Danny Aiello/Coolio"
1997 	The Last Don 	Don Domenico Clericuzio	TV mini-series
1997–1998	Dellaventura 	Anthony Dellaventura 	14 episodes
1998 	The Last Don II 	Don Domenico Clericuzio	TV mini-series
2009 	Harry: A Communication Breakdown 	Narrator 	Documentary
2017 	Broken Dreams Blvd 	Teddy Berry 	TV film
2017 	Difficult People 	Danny Aiello (voice) 	Episode: "Passover Bump"
Category:1933 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:Male actors from New Jersey
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:Male actors from Manhattan