Danny Aiello appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather Part II, The Front, Once Upon a Time in America, Hide in Plain Sight, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Harlem Nights, Do the Right Thing, Jacob's Ladder, Hudson Hawk, Ruby, Leon: The Professional, 2 Days in the Valley, Dinner Rush, and Lucky Number Slevin.
27 Facts About Danny Aiello
2.
Danny Aiello played Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries The Last Don.
3.
Danny Aiello, the fifth of six children, was born on West 68th Street, Manhattan, the son of parents Frances Pietrocova, a seamstress from Naples, Italy, and Daniel Louis Danny Aiello, a laborer who deserted the family after his wife lost her eyesight and became legally blind.
4.
For many years, Danny Aiello publicly condemned his father, but the two reconciled in 1993, although Danny Aiello harbored a resentment of his father's conduct.
5.
Danny Aiello moved to the South Bronx when he was seven, and later attended James Monroe High School.
6.
At the age of 16, Danny Aiello lied about his age to enlist in the United States Army.
7.
Danny Aiello was a bouncer at the legendary New York City comedy club, The Improv.
8.
Danny Aiello had a co-lead role with Jan-Michael Vincent in Defiance, about some Manhattan residents who fight back against the thugs terrorizing the neighborhood.
9.
Danny Aiello received considerable acclaim for playing a racist New York City cop in Fort Apache, The Bronx with Paul Newman.
10.
In 1981, Danny 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.
11.
Danny Aiello played the pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.
12.
Danny Aiello gained recognition as the befuddled fiance of Cher opposite her Oscar-winning performance in the romantic comedy Moonstruck, and made a comic appearance in drag for the Robert Altman fashion-industry film Pret-a-Porter.
13.
Danny Aiello had sympathetic roles in the horror thriller Jacob's Ladder and the comedy-drama 29th Street.
14.
Danny Aiello played nightclub owner and Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby in the biopic Ruby, the lead role in Paul Mazursky's film business satire The Pickle, the titular character in the Academy Award-winning short film Lieberman in Love, and a political big shot with mob ties in City Hall, starring Al Pacino.
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Danny Aiello later starred in the independent feature film Dolly Baby, written and directed by Kevin Jordan; Aiello starred in Jordan's Brooklyn Lobster, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005.
16.
Danny Aiello's singing was on display in films such as Hudson Hawk, Once Around, and Remedy that starred his son Ricky Danny Aiello and Jonathan Doscher.
17.
Danny Aiello released several albums featuring a big-band including I Just Wanted to Hear The Words, Live from Atlantic City, and My Christmas Song for You.
18.
Danny Aiello played the father for the video of Madonna's song, "Papa Don't Preach", and recorded his own answer song, "Papa Wants the Best for You", written by Artie Schroeck.
19.
Danny Aiello appeared on the Broadway stage many times throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
20.
Danny Aiello appeared in three plays by Louis La Russo II: Lamppost Reunion, Wheelbarrow Closers, and Knockout.
21.
In 1981, Danny Aiello starred in Woody Allen's play The Floating Light Bulb alongside Beatrice Arthur.
22.
Danny Aiello starred in The House of Blue Leaves alongside John Mahoney, Ben Stiller, Stockard Channing, and Julie Hagerty.
23.
In 2002, Danny Aiello starred in Elaine May's comedic play, Adult Entertainment alongside May's daughter, Jeannie Berlin.
24.
In July 2011, Danny Aiello appeared Off-Broadway in the two-act drama The Shoemaker, written by Susan Charlotte and directed by Antony Marsellis.
25.
Danny Aiello was the father of stuntman and actor Danny Aiello III, who died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer.
26.
Danny Aiello's nephew is Michael Kay, broadcaster for the New York Yankees.
27.
Danny Aiello died on December 12,2019, at age 86, at a hospital in New Jersey, following a brief illness.