Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion
pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk,
The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon: The Professional, Two Days in the Valley,
Once Around and Dinner Rush.
He had a pivotal role in the 1989 Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing as Salvatore "Sal"
Frangione, the pizzeria owner, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actor.
Aiello also played Don Domenico Clericuzio in a miniseries, Mario Puzo's The Last Don.
Early life Aiello, the second youngest of six children,
was born on West 68th Street, Manhattan, the son of Italian American parents Frances, a
seamstress who was a native of Naples, Italy, and Daniel Louis Aiello, Sr., a laborer.
Aiello's father deserted the family even though his wife had gone blind.
For many years, Aiello had publicly condemned his father's desertion of his children and
his blind wife.
Aiello reconciled with his father in 1993, but to this day harbors a resentment of his
father's conduct.
He moved to the South Bronx when he was age 7 and later attended James Monroe High School.
At the age of 16, Aiello lied about his age in order to enlist in the U.S. 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.
Aiello also once served as a union representative for Greyhound Bus workers and was a night
club bouncer at the legendary New York comedy club, The Improv.
Career Film and television
Aiello broke into films in the early 1970s.
One of his earliest roles came as a ballplayer in the 1973 baseball drama, Bang the Drum
Slowly, with Robert De Niro.
Aiello had a walk-on role as small-time hood Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II, ad-libbing
the famous line "Michael Corleone says hello!"
during a hit on a rival gangster Frank Pentangeli.
In 1980, 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.
The next year, he received considerable acclaim for playing a racist New York City cop in
Fort Apache, The Bronx with Paul Newman.
In 1981, Danny Aiello won a Daytime Emmy award for his appearance in an ABC Afterschool Special
called A Family of Strangers.
He was paired with DeNiro again for the Sergio Leone gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America,
as a police chief whose name was also "Aiello."
His many film appearances included three for director Woody Allen, who cast him in Broadway
Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Radio Days.
Although his characters have often been vulgar and violent, Aiello has also portrayed sensitive,
kindly men with an earthy sense of humor.
He gained recognition as the befuddled fiance of Cher opposite her Oscar-winning performance
in the romantic comedy Moonstruck, and the actor made a comic appearance in drag for
the Robert Altman fashion-industry film Prêt-à-Porter.
He also had sympathetic roles in the 1990 horror thriller Jacob's Ladder and the 1991
comedy-drama 29th Street.
In the The Professional, Aiello had a small cameo role as a nefarious cafe owner who assigns
jobs to a hitman, played by Jean Reno.
He played nightclub owner and Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby in the 1992 biopic Ruby
and a political bigshot with mob ties in City Hall, starring Al Pacino.
Aiello starred in the independent feature film Dolly Baby, written and directed by Kevin
Jordan; Aiello also starred in Jordan's Brooklyn Lobster, which premiered at The Toronto Film
Festival in 2005.
Music Aiello's singing has been on display in films
such as Hudson Hawk, Once Around, and Remedy that starred his son Ricky Aiello and Jonathan
Doscher.
He has released several albums featuring a big-band sound including I Just Wanted To
Hear The Words and Live From Atlantic City.
Aiello and EMI songwriter Hasan Johnson released an album in 2011 of standards fused with rap
entitled Bridges.
He played the title character 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.
Theater Aiello's Broadway theatre credits include
Gemini, The Floating Light Bulb, Hurlyburly, and The House of Blue Leaves.
He also was in the 1976 Broadway play Wheelbarrow Closers, directed by Paul Sorvino.
In July, 2011, opened 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.
Personal life
Aiello lived in Ramsey, New Jersey, for many years.
He later moved to Saddle River, New Jersey.
He is the father of stuntman and actor Danny Aiello III, who died May 1, 2010 of pancreatic
cancer, Rick Aiello., Jaime Aiello, and daughter Stacey Aiello.
Grandfather to Dawn and Allison Aiello, Brielle Aiello, Ricky Aiello, Tori Aiello, Sydney
and Gabrielle Fingerhut, Zac Aiello, Jake Aiello, and William Daniel Poppe.
His nephew is Michael Kay, announcer for the New York Yankees.
Filmography
References
External links Danny Aiello at the Internet Movie Database
Danny Aiello at the Internet Broadway Database Danny Aiello at AllMovie
Official website