1. Ralph Macchio is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in four Karate Kid films, as well as in Cobra Kai, a sequel television series on YouTube Premium and Netflix.
25 Facts About Ralph Macchio
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Ralph Macchio had a recurring role as Officer Haddix in the television series The Deuce.
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Ralph Macchio received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024, next to that of his Karate Kid co-star Pat Morita.
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Ralph Macchio is the son of Rosalie and Ralph George Macchio Sr.
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Ralph Macchio's father is of half Italian and half Greek descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry.
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In 1979, Ralph Macchio graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, New York.
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Ralph Macchio began tap dancing lessons at the age of three and was discovered by a talent agent at the age of 16.
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Ralph Macchio had minimal training in martial arts, as he learned little karate and jiujitsu when he was in elementary school, long before getting the role of Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid film franchise.
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Ralph Macchio was cast as Jeremy Andretti for a season in the television series Eight Is Enough.
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Ralph Macchio next won the role of Johnny Cade in the 1983 film The Outsiders.
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Ralph Macchio continued to portray the character in two of its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III.
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Ralph Macchio appeared in the 1986 film Crossroads, portraying music student Eugene Martone.
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That same year, Ralph Macchio starred in Cuba and His Teddy Bear on Broadway, alongside Robert De Niro.
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In 1992, Ralph Macchio starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy film My Cousin Vinny, playing Billy Gambini, who was wrongfully accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town.
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In 1996, Macchio performed the lead role of J Pierrepont Finch in the US tour revival of the 1962 Tony Award-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and received positive reviews.
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In 2005, Ralph Macchio played himself in the HBO series Entourage.
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On September 20,2010, Ralph Macchio played the adult Carl Morelli in a staged reading of the Charles Messina play A Room of My Own presented by the Bleecker Street Theater Company.
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In February 2011, it was announced that Ralph Macchio would compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
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Ralph Macchio was eliminated during the semi-finals, placing fourth in the overall competition.
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Ralph Macchio appeared in the 2007 music video for the song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings as a caricature of himself and Daniel LaRusso from The Karate Kid.
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In 2013, Ralph Macchio appeared in How I Met Your Mother.
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In 2022, Ralph Macchio published the memoir Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me, in which he reflects upon the legacy of the Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai.
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Ralph Macchio was introduced to his future wife, Phyllis Fierro, by his grandmother when he was 15.
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Ralph Macchio is a fan of the New York Islanders hockey team and was featured as the team's celebrity captain in the 1991 Pro Set Platinum trading card series.
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Ralph Macchio earned his black belt in karate in 2025, a little more than 40 years after starring in The Karate Kid.