One of his first films was in Robert De Niro's movie Bang The Drum Slowly. "I always thought that I could talk, that people liked me, that I can represent them." Sandy Cohen and three children. 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.. HOLLYWOOD actor Danny Aiello has died at the age of 86. Junior was a wage earner from the age of 9 first shining shoes at Grand Central Terminal during World War II (10 cents for regular shoes, 25 cents for combat boots), then delivering magazines and laundry and, by his own admission, running numbers for the local mob. He studied at James Monroe High School. HILLSDALE, N.J. Danny Aiello III, a veteran stuntman and stunt coordinator and a son of the actor Danny Aiello, died Saturday at his home in Hillsdale. He was 86. He followed it up by playing Tony Rosato in "The Godfather: Part II" in which he delivered the famous line, "Michael Corleone says hello!". The film and TV star, known for starring in Do The Right Thing and The Soporanos, passed away at . "During the early times in my acting career, I would fight at the drop of a hat," he said in 1985. He'd worked alongside his father in "Do The Right Thing" as his dad's on-camera stunt double. In 1990 he was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in Do The Right Thing. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [9] The strike was called without authorization by the parent union and he was suspended for that action. TMZ has the report that Danny Aiello died at a medical facility in New Jersey sometime yesterday evening. Yet Aiello soon branched out, playing small roles in the movies "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "The Godfather, Part II," and as the bartender lead in a musical play "Lamppost Reunion." [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). Lee stated, "We recognized our differences, political or whatever else you want to talk about it, but we truly loved each other."[35]. He was 65. 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. Danny Aiello III - Biography Danny Aiello III (January 27, 1957 - May 1, 2010) was an American stunt performer, stunt coordinator, director, and actor in film and television. We laughed so much. He worked at one job after another, and in 1970 was hired as a bouncer at the New York comedy club Improvisation. The star passed away shortly after his family left his bedside at a New Jersey hospital on December 12, 2019. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Aiello also played the role of Domenico Clericuzio in Mario Puzos The Last Don. Aiello wrote in his 2014 book, I Only Know Who I Am When Im Somebody Else, that people often come up to him and repeat his famous line, Michael Corleone says hello, while asking for autographs. 0:34. May You Rest In PARADISE., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Mark Sheehan, guitarist of the Script, dead at 46, Al Jaffee dead at 102: Mad magazine cartoonist created popular Fold-In, Emmy winner and As The World Turns star dead at 89. He also starred on the small screen in TV shows such as The Last Don, Dellaventura and Lady Blue. 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. [6] He moved to the South Bronx when he was seven, and later attended James Monroe High School. In honor of Danny Aiello's incredible life we look back on his career, achievements, family and death. And theyre not. 9 on the Billboard jazz chart. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. He had five siblings. It was the last time they were together. When asked about how his conservative politics mixed with working in a Hollywood in a 2011 interview with the New York Times, Aiello said, Theyre probably the people responsible for outsourcing work more than any other company Ive seen, but they claim to be liberals, great liberals. me . Lee said he had been blessed by Aiellos presence at the 30th anniversary block party for Do the Right Thing this past June. Daniel Louis Aiello III (January 27, 1957 - May 1, 2010) was an American stunt performer, stunt coordinator, director, and actor in film and television. Danny 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, his publicist confirmed to CBS News on Friday. 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Danny used his singing talents in Broadway, creating dazzling performances in the Gemini and The House of Blue Leaves. In addition, Aiello said that he was involved in robbing cigarette vending machines. he cried. In "Fort Apache, the Bronx," when you can't see Danny, it's his son throwing the punches. Danny Aiello III was a veteran stuntman and stunt coordinator, and an accomplished producer and director with over twenty-five years of experience in the film industry. We're told he suffered an infection related to his treatment. Thats how I used to do it. Veteran film actor Danny Aiello, known for his roles in the movies Do The Right Thing and The Godfather Part II, has died aged 86. The Obie, incidentally, came in 1977 for his off-Broadway performance in the play Gemini, and the Daytime Emmy for an ABC Afterschool Special. He played Tony in the movie Leon and also starred alongside Cher in Moonstruck. HOLLYWOOD actor Danny Aiello has died at the age of 86. Danny, fr Born on June 20, 1933, Danny was the fifth of six children to a seamstress mum and labourer dad. Aiello died Thursday at the age of 86. His family said with "profound sorrow" in a statement that he died after a short illness, reports bbc.com. [7][8], In the 1960s, Aiello served as president of New York Local 1202 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing Greyhound Bus workers. 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Movie Merch to Shop Right Now, Midges Retro Tupperware Is On Sale to Celebrate the Final Season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Best Designer iPhone Cases to Showcase Your Luxury Style for Less, Hollywood Plastic Surgeons Confront the Rise of Ozempic Body, Brad Pitt and the Bizarre Charity Mess Thats Left Katrina Victims Stranded Again, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. Updated on: December 13, 2019 / 4:42 PM The website noted that Aiello supported Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican primary race. The star passed away shortly after his family left his bedside at a New Jersey hospital on December 12, 2019. Who was Danny Aiello? I did a few movies in Canada, and I consider myself a turncoat for doing it.. Kay said that Aiello sang at his wedding. "There was a little bantering between acts, and I kept that short. Danny was a Great Actor, But a Genius Comedic Actor. Mr. Aiellos performance in that movie earned him an Oscar nomination. A child of New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, Aiello retained the pugnacity he learned on city streets. He had apparently been . [19] He also had sympathetic roles in the horror thriller Jacob's Ladder (1990) and the comedy-drama 29th Street (1991). He also played Madonnas dad in the 1986 music video for Papa Dont Preach, directed by James Foley. In a way, he owed his show business career to his baseball talent. All Rights Reserved. I've played gangsters, teachers but most of my work has been in the police area. His mother, Sandy, confirmed the news to TMZ. . Actor Danny Aiellos son Rick has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. "[34], Aiello's funeral was held on December 19, 2019, at the Riverside Memorial Chapel on the Upper West Side. Mr. Aiello was a blue-collar worker until his mid-30s. He was 86. Ive become, well, not an expert, but I know about movies. Danny Aiello, the New York actor and former Greyhound bus employee best known for his Oscar-nominated turn as Sal the pizza-joint owner inDo the Right Thingand for portraying Chers lovelorn suitor inMoonstruck, has died. (Aiello said he pulled some strings to help Kay get a job with theNew York Postyears ago.). Aiello, a native New Yorker, broke into movies in the early '70s by landing a small role in the Robert De Niro baseball drama, "Bang the Drum Slowly." He was 86. READ NEXT: Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School, Danny Aiello Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. A fourth child, stuntman and stunt coordinator Danny Aiello III, died in May 2010 of pancreatic cancer. The ambitious Aiello rose to become president of the transit union. Do The Right Thing star Danny Aiello has died aged 86. He was once nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Salvatore "Sal" Frangione in the comedy-drama film "Do the Right Thing" (1989). He had a small but notable role in "The . XXXtremely", "A Word With: Danny Aiello. He called off the strike after one day. Aiello was married to his wife, Sandy, for more than 60 years. 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). Then his career stretched from the early 1970s until the present day. He was raised on the West Side of Manhattan and then in the South Bronx by his legally blind mother, Frances. See you in Heaven, Danny. I dont think the public knows shit about anything. I have known him for almost 50 years. Their father, Danny Aiello, passed away in 2019 at the age of 86 after a short illness. CNN . For other inquiries, Contact Us. His last was in Making a Deal With the Devil, a 2019 F.B.I. Danny Aiello was an American actor of Italian descent, and enjoyed a lengthy career in film. He was 53. Aiellos son, Rick, also appears in the movie as a cop who is involving in the killing of Radio Raheem at the films climax. Aiello wed Sandy Cohen in 1955, and the couple has three living children. A statement from Aiellos family said that a private funeral service would be forthcoming. Aiello arrives at the New York premiere of Cavu Pictures The Holy Land at the Peter Norton Symphony Space July 8, 2003 in New York City. Aiello sang Fly Me to the Moon in Lasse HallstromsOnce Around(1991), and he wound up releasing a handful of jazz albums, including 2004sI Just Wanted to Hear the Words, which made it to No. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 1. I [finally] said to him, If you give me an opportunity to add something to this character I know this character, I may know him better than you. He said Lee listened to his recommendations and allowed Aiello to supply bits of dialogue, like when Sal yells at the African American kids in his pizza place and says, They grew up on my food., Lee posted on Instagram: Just Found Out My Brother DANNY AIELLO Made His Transition Last Night. We've received your submission. His roles included the macho South Philadelphia father in the hit comedy Gemini (1977), for which he had already won an Obie Award for the plays Off Broadway run; a violent tough guy in Hurlyburly, in which he replaced Harvey Keitel in 1985; and a Hollywood director clinging to his past in The House of Blue Leaves (1986). In addition to the initial issue, he was battling an infection related to his treatment. 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. 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. He went on to play Mia Farrows short-tempered husband in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and a Mafia hit man in Radio Days (1987), both of which were directed by Mr. Allen. Danny Aiello and His Two Sons died back to back adding to the pattern of Three as in Three Fates. Aiello died of pancreatic cancer, age 53, in Hillsdale, New Jersey, on May 1, 2010. Danny,We Made Cinema History Together With DO THE RIGHT THING. [30] He was the father of stuntman and actor Danny Aiello III, who died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer. The Godfather Part Two: Frank Pentangelli And The Rosato Brothers (Movie Clip), Danny Aiello on His Famous Scene in Godfather II (Dec. 23, 2014) | Charlie Rose, Who wrote Tony Rosato's famous line, Michael Corleone says hello? Actor Danny Aiello tells the story of his day on the set with Francis Ford Coppola in an interview with Charlie Rose. His first film role was in the baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), with the young Robert De Niro. Lee had first offered the role to Robert De Niro, but Aiello's performance brought him an Oscar nomination for supporting actor. Though he lost to Denzel Washington (for Glory), Mr. Aiello established his stardom when he was named best supporting actor by the Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston film critics associations that same year. 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. One minute before I go on, I look up at heaven and say, Mama, dont let me make a fool of myself.. He was the son of actor Danny Aiello. But when Greyhound accused him of starting a wildcat strike and the union leaders agreed, Aiello quit his job. Born in Manhattan, Aiello was raised in the Bronx with his five siblings, then dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Army when he was 16. Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School. 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Danny Aiello, best known for his Oscar-nominated role of pizza shop owner Sal in Spike Lee's 1989 film Do The Right Thing, has passed away at the age of 86.The actor died in a New Jersey hospital on Thursday night where he was receiving treatment for an infection that was caused by an injection. He was the father of stuntman and actor Danny Aiello III, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010. . Danny Aiello III, Rick's brother, was a stuntman and died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at the age of 53. 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. You got me making pizzas, flipping them in the air, thats a very ginzo thing, he told the writer-director. His father, a laborer, left the family of seven children, and Daniel started working at age 9 selling newspapers, working in a grocery store and bowling alley, shining shoes and loading trucks. A fourth son, stuntman and stunt coordinator Danny Aiello III, died in May 2010 of pancreatic cancer. He also has a role in The Black Caesar as Vito Lanza, due to be released in 2020. He added that sometimes he engaged in fistfights with actors after work because of incidents during filming or rehearsals. Age at Death: 86. [28] He later moved to Saddle River, New Jersey. Danny was 86 years old at the time of death. Bookmark. Danny Aiello, the Oscar-nominated star of "Do the Right Thing," has died at the age 86. In 1990 he was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in Do The Right Thing. Actor Danny Aiello's son Rick has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Aiello and his wife, Sandy, lived in Ramsey, New Jersey. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Doing occasional work for an uncle unloading trucks at the Coliseum convention center on Columbus Circle, he wandered into an amateur softball group, the Broadway Show League, just across the way in Central Park. during a hit on rival gangster Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. "The family asks for privacy at this time," she said in a statement. It will be open to the public. In a 2016 PBS interview with Rafael Pi Roman, Aiello noted that Spike Lee had been after him to star inDo the Right Thing(1989) for some time. Siblings . [10], He was also a bouncer at the legendary New York City comedy club, The Improv. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. was born June 20, 1933, to Italian parents. Prior to Aiello taking the role, director Spike Lee had wanted Robert DeNiro for the part. Family Members. In one, in which Mr. Allen starred, Mr. Aiello was cast as a bookie in the 1950s blacklist drama The Front (1976). A playwright patron from Hoboken, N.J., Louis La Russo, persuaded Mr. Aiello to be in a showcase production of his play Lamppost Reunion, about a Sinatra-like singer. ", 8:22 AM PT -- Cher just tweeted about Danny's death, saying, "Goodbye Dear Danny Aiello. 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. The family asks for privacy at this time. . Aiello's literary . Aiello met wife-to-be Sandy Cohen when they were in their mid-teens and married her in 1955. At 71, the performer found himself on stage again, this time as a solo vocalist. It was one of the happiest times in my life & He was a part of that happy time. Aiello had drawn a diagram for a reporter of how to build his favorite boyhood weapon, and then he flashed a scar he got from one when he was 13. Rick Aiello, actor and son of Oscar nominee Danny Aiello, died of pancreatic cancer on Monday at a hospital in Warwick, N.Y., his niece Sydney Fingerhut told Variety. InThe Godfather: Part II(1974), Aiello played gangster Tony Rosato (his line, Michael Corleone says hello, said as he garrots Frankie Pentangeli, was improvised), and he appeared as the neighborhood bookie who takes bets from Allens character inThe Front(1976). Aiello said, Ive been so many damn things. He also played a frustrated 1940s waiter and family man, opposite Bea Arthur, in Mr. Allens 1981 play, The Floating Light Bulb.. A late bloomer, he didnt get his union card until he was in his 40s. Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser. May You Rest In PARADISE, Lee said in one of a number of tribute posts Friday morning. ", 8:09 AM PT -- A rep for Danny's family tells us, "It is with profound sorrow to report that Danny Aiello, beloved husband, father, grandfather, actor and musician passed away last night after a brief illness. Danny Aiello, the veteran character actor known for his Oscar-nominated supporting turn in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," died Thursday night in New Jersey. Death. Aiello also portrayed more sympathetic characters. Me . The actor also appeared in TV shows including Dellaventura and Lady Blue and the miniseries The Last Don and The Last Don II. His dozens of film credits included parts in Fort Apache: The Bronx, Lucky Number Slevin, Dinner Rush and, most recently, Making a Deal With the Devil. In 1986, he was hired for Madonnas Papa Dont Preach music video. Danny Aiello, the acclaimed actor who rose to prominence with roles in "The Godfather Part II" and "Do The Right Thing," has passed away at 86 years old. 0:00. It hurts me that he didnt paint me on one of his canvases, he said in a 2017 interview. Danny Aiello, the Oscar-nominated star of "Do the Right Thing," has died at the age 86. Danny also appeared in Madonna's music video for Papa Don't Preach. He also became a union official but lost his job after a wildcat strike, reducing him to pool-hall hustling and eventually to burglary to feed his growing family. Together they had sons Rick, Jaime and Danny Aiello III and daughter Stacey. May You Rest In PARADISE.. 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 Miller & Associates.He was 65. A son, stuntman Danny Aiello III, died of pancreatic cancer at age 53 in 2010. "I was very hungry. me . Aiello, whonever took an acting class, was considered the favorite in the supporting actor race entering the Oscar telecast, but he lost out to Denzel Washington ofGlory. Aiello's role in Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" landed him a 1989 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. A veteran of stage and film, Aiello was best known for playing the pizza parlour owner Sal in Spike Lee's 1989 Do the Right Thing. The family asks for privacy at this time, Tracey Miller said in a statement. [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. Danny Aiello pictured in February 2004. Aiellos nephew was ESPN radio personality Michael Kays uncle. (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.). You know what I do backstage? he said. Aiello is . Their father, Danny Aiello, passed away in 2019 at the age of 86 after a short illness. 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. They remained together until his death, and she survives him. Im not happy doing that, so I turned it down. [32], Aiello died on December 12, 2019, at age 86, at a hospital in New Jersey, following a brief illness. Emmy winner and 'As The World Turns' star dead at 89. I hate to admit it but I became a part-time thief. Sad loss: Do The Right Thing actor Rick Aiello has died at age 65 after a year-and-a-half battle with pancreatic cancer. One night, he was asked to act as an assistant emcee. He took a crack at starring in a TV series, playing a cop-turned-private eye, but CBSDellaventuralasted just 14 episodes in 1997-98. It was one of the happiest times in my life and he was a part of that happy time.. He also starred on the small screen in TV shows such as The Last Don, Dellaventura and Lady Blue. I have known him for almost 50 years. Rick's brother, Danny Aiello III, also . He was 86. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. ", Major change for Tesco shoppers from today - how to avoid paying more, Former Neighbours star dies suddenly and unexpectedly aged 58, Jesy Nelson breaks silence on Little Mix feud and says 'we haven't spoken', Brit hunted by Spanish cops after Towie star's restaurant bouncer killed, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. His first acting role. He was 53. The star passed away shortly after his family left his bedside at a New Jersey hospital on December 12, 2019. 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Aiello is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandy Cohen and their four children. In a similar vein, he battled with Paul Newman inFort Apache the Bronx(1981), portraying a crooked cop who tosses a kid off a roof. View our online Press Pack. Mr. Aiello never studied acting and was often described by critics as a natural a description, he said in a 2015 NPR interview, that he considered some sort of insult., To me, he said, it meant I was unlearned., In a 1990 interview with The New York Times Magazine, he appeared to dismiss Method techniques and preparation. Danny Aiello III's father, Danny Aiello, died on December 12, 2019 as he was 86 years old. He also played Madonna's father in the 1986 video for Papa Don't . He started his onscreen career with Italian American sagas like "The Godfather: Part II" and "Once Upon A Time In America .