The play was directed by Stanley Donen and opened off-broadway at the Variety Arts Theatre. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Aiello is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandy Cohen and their four children. In a tweet, Cher mourned the man she called "a genius comedic actor.". Danny Aiello Birthday and Date of Death. [4][5] He was of Italian descent. He had five siblings. Danny III, a stuntman who doubled for his dad inDo the Right Thingand a stunt coordinator on FXsRescue Me, died in 2010 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. I suppose I could say acting is medicinal. We're told he suffered an infection related to his treatment. Mr. Aiellos performance in that movie earned him an Oscar nomination. I've played gangsters, teachers but most of my work has been in the police area. Death. His first film role was in the baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), with the young Robert De Niro. He . Reports have said he was dealing with an infection related to an injection site and died shortly after his family left following a visit, according to TMZ. In 2019 he could be seen in Making A Deal With The Devil and The Last Big Save. His mother worked as a seamstress, an envelope stuffer and a toy-factory supervisor. at the Improv, singing backup for unknowns like Bette Midler and the comedian Robert Klein and doing late-late-night readings from The Godfather (the book, that is; the movie hadnt been made yet). Mr. Aiello never claimed to have inspired the signature line in Taxi Driver (1976), but, according to his 2014 memoir, I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else, he could have. The actor, who is best known for his supporting roles in movies such as Bang the Drum Slowly and The . [27], Aiello lived in Ramsey, New Jersey, for many years. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. (/alo/; born June 20, 1933- died December 19, 2019) was an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather: Part II (1974), The Front (1976), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Moonstruck (1987), Hudson Hawk (1991), Ruby (1992), Lon: The Professional (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996 . Aiello is survived by his wife, Sandy Cohen and their four children. Loretta. Aiello lost the Oscar for supporting actor the next year to Denzel Washington for his work in Glory., In an oral history on a 20th anniversary DVD release of the movie, Aiello said, I didnt think Sal was a racist, but I dont think he was a nice guy all the time either. Danny, We Made Cinema History Together With DO THE RIGHT THING. But at age 52 . In a documentary on the making of Do the Right Thing, Aiello said that he based his character of Sal on a candy shop owner he knew growing up along Arthur Avenue in The Bronx. Spike has said that I tried to make Sal lovable, which isnt true.. HOLLYWOOD actor Danny Aiello has died at the age of 86. Im the only Italian American in the country that hasnt been in his pictures.. 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. His literary agent Jennifer De Chiara told USA Today: "The world has lost one of its greatest actors . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Rick's brother, Danny Aiello III, also . His many film appearances included two for director Woody Allen, who cast him in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and Radio Days (1987). He was 53. 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!" Actor Rick Aiello, son of the late actor Danny Aiello, died Monday after his battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a press release from public relations company Tracey . Aiello said that he was involved in running a numbers game for local mafia figures. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Actor Michael Rapaport tweeted that Aiello was a "huge inspiration," and actor Kirk Acevedo said, "We lost a great actor today. [16], Aiello played the pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). By Paul Farrell. When he and his wife saw the film and Mr. De Niros character first said, You talking to me?, he recalled, she turned to him and said, Danny, hes doing you., Danny Aiello, Actor in Do the Right Thing, Dies at 86, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/movies/danny-aiello-dead.html. Mark Sheehan, guitarist with Irish pop band the Script, has died in hospital aged 46 after a brief illness. pic.twitter.com/7JtaklraQ6, Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) December 13, 2019. One minute before I go on, I look up at heaven and say, Mama, dont let me make a fool of myself.. Danny Aiello, the burly New York-born film and stage actor who was 40 when he made his movie debut and 16 years later earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as a pizzeria owner in Spike Lees Do the Right Thing, died on Thursday. Lee said he had been blessed by Aiellos presence at the 30th anniversary block party for Do the Right Thing this past June. His father, a laborer, left the family of seven children, and Daniel started working at age 9 selling newspapers, working in a . The film and TV star, known for starring in Do The Right Thing and The Soporanos, passed away at . Danny also acted on Broadway, and had a singing career. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. was born on June 20, 1933, in Manhattan, the sixth of seven children of Daniel and Frances (Pietrocova) Aiello. The star passed away shortly after his family left his bedside at a New Jersey hospital on December 12, 2019. We've received your submission. Earlier, Aiello had refused to audition for director Norman Jewison but still got the part of Mr. Johnny Cammareri, he with the itchy head, inMoonstruck(1987). . Two sons followed their father into the industry: Rick as an actor and Danny as a stuntman and stunt coordinator. Danny Aiello, the Brooklyn-born, Oscar-nominated character actor who died at 86 Thursday, was, among many things, a paradigm of the late bloomer and an inspiration for anybody who . He was 86. Refresh for updates News of the death of Danny Aiello rippled across social media on Friday morning as friends, co-stars, peers and admirers of the 86-year-old character actor shared their t 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), Lon: The Professional (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Dinner Rush (2000), and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). Rick Aiello, an actor who appeared in films including Do the Right Thing, Harlem Nights and A Brooklyn State of Mind alongside his father, the late Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello, has died.He . May You Rest In PARADISE., A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Dec 13, 2019 at 7:02am PST. 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). Unfortunately, thats how I paid my rent at the time. Prior to Aiello taking the role, director Spike Lee had wanted Robert DeNiro for the part. After the service, Aiello landed a job in 1957 as a package handler with Greyhound, then became the public-address announcer at the bus terminal on 50th Street in Manhattan. 0:00. Family Members. Shortly after reports started to surface that "Do the Right Thing" actor Danny Aiello had died on Thursday at the age of 86, celebrities took to social . I cant wait to get up because Im going to act., Survivors also include nephew Michael Kay, a former newspaperman and now play-by-play man for the New York Yankees. Date of Death: December 12, 2019. Actor Danny Aiello's son Rick has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 86. He was 65. You got me making pizzas, flipping them in the air, thats a very ginzo thing, he told the writer-director. Danny was 86 years old at the time of death. I dont think the public knows shit about anything. In addition to the initial issue, he was battling an infection related to his treatment. He was best known to film viewers both as the pizza-joint owner 'Sal' in the 1989 film Do the Right Thing and as Cher's lovelorn suitor in the 1987 film Moonstruck. He also appeared in TV miniseries, including "The Last Don," "A Woman Named Jackie" and in the 1985-86 police series "Lady Blue.". [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. Soon he was filling in as M.C. 0:00. You know what I do backstage? he said. . As Sal in the 1989 movie Do the Right Thing, he played an embattled pizzeria owner trapped in the midst of a racial conflagration sparked by a wall of fame in his restaurant that featured only white stars in a mostly black neighborhood. We laughed so much. Aiello was born in Manhattan, New York City on June 20, 1933. The family asks for privacy at this time. At the age of 16 he lied about his age in order to join the US Army. drama. He played Tony in the movie Leon and also starred alongside Cher in Moonstruck. [19] He also had sympathetic roles in the horror thriller Jacob's Ladder (1990) and the comedy-drama 29th Street (1991). Published on December 13, 2019 12:11 PM. The star passed away shortly after his family left his bedside at a New Jersey hospital on December 12, 2019. Who was Danny Aiello? Danny Aiello is one of the few actors who has won an Emmy and an Obie, worked with Spike Lee and Sergio Leone and can teach you how to build a zip gun, The Times wrote in 1989. His literary agent Jennifer De Chiara told USA Today: "The world has lost one of its greatest actors who also happened to be a wonderful human being. (When ABCsNaked Citycame there for an episode in 1963, actor Frank Gorshin told Aiello to bump into him so he would show up on TV.). Mr. Aiello was a blue-collar worker until his mid-30s. Aiello played Biggie, a pop singer from Hoboken, New Jersey, in La RussosLampost Reunion, and he and it went fromconverted churchesto Broadway in 1975, when it earned a Tony nomination for best play and the actor a Theatre World award. Danny Aiello, the blue-collar character actor whose long career playing tough guys included roles in Moonstruck and Once Upon a Time in America has died. Getty(from Left), Aiello, Robert de Niro and Italian film director Sergio Leone arrive for the screening of the film Once upon a time in America (Il tait une fois en Amrique), on May 20, 1984 during the Cannes International Film Festival. U.S. diplomatic convoy fired on in Sudan, prompting warning from Blinken, Rat ambassadors try to counter bad press amid NYC's rat war, Draymond Green ejected after stomping on Domantas Sabonis' chest; Kings go up 2-0 on Warriors. May You Rest In PARADISE.. Emotional Guy, Speaking for Others", "FILM; Danny Aiello Journeys Along The Blue-Collar Road to Stardom", "Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay marries news anchor Jodi Applegate", "Robert De Niro Mourns Death of Former Costar Danny Aiello: 'See You in Heaven', "Spike Lee, John Turturro flock to Upper West Side for Danny Aiello funeral", Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Danny_Aiello&oldid=1136327240, James Monroe High School (New York City) alumni, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from August 2022, CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes), Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode: "Babies: Growth and Development", Episode: "Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis", This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 20:45. HOLLYWOOD actor Danny Aiello has died at the age of 86. We Laughed so much. A service for the popular actor is set for 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Riverside Memorial Chapel at 180 W. 76th St. in Manhattan. He appeared in three plays by Louis La Russo II: Lamppost Reunion (his Broadway debut - 1975), Wheelbarrow Closers (1976), and Knockout (1979). The Associated Press contributed to this report. The role . Danny also appeared in Madonna's music video for Papa Don't Preach. Aiello, the blue-collar character actor whose long career playing tough guys included roles in "Fort Apache, the Bronx," "The Godfather, Part II," "Once Upon a Time in America" and his Oscar-nominated performance as a pizza man in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," has died. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. At the time of the film's release, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he called the role his "first focal part". Rick was an actor in his own right and starred in films such as Remedy and 29th Street. He even starred with his dad in Spike Lees 1989 film Do The Right Thing., He also had roles in shows such as Law & Order, Sex and the City and Jungle Fever.. Aiello was born in Manhattan, New York City on June 20, 1933. At 71, the performer found himself on stage again, this time as a solo vocalist. Daniel Louis Aiello III (January 27, 1957 - May 1, 2010) was an American stunt performer, stunt coordinator, director, and actor in film and television. Rick is survived by his wife, Arlene Urichich, and their two kids. "During the early times in my acting career, I would fight at the drop of a hat," he said in 1985. De Niro wrote, "I am very saddened to hear of Danny's passing. It hurts me that he didnt paint me on one of his canvases, he said in a 2017 interview. ) December 13, 2019 two kids in addition to the initial issue, said. 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