Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio | |
|---|---|
 Macchio at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2018 | |
| Born | Ralph George Macchio Jr. Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age[1] Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse |
Phyllis Fierro (m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
Ralph George Macchio Jr. (/ˈmɑːtʃioʊ/; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three Karate Kid films and in Cobra Kai, a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in The Outsiders, Jeremy Andretti in Eight Is Enough, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, Eugene Martone in Crossroads, and Archie Rodriguez in Ugly Betty, and had a recurring role as Officer Haddix in The Deuce.
Early life
Macchio was born in Huntington, New York.[1] He is the son of Rosalie (née DeSantis) and Ralph George Macchio Sr., who owned a few laundromats and a wastewater disposal company. Ralph has a younger brother Steven.[2] His father is of half Italian and half Greek[3] descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry.[4] In a 1980 screen test, Macchio said his family was from Naples.[5] In 1979, Macchio graduated from Half Hollow Hills Central School District in New York.[6]
Career
Macchio began tap dancing lessons at the age of three and was discovered by a talent agent when he was 16 years old.[1] He was then cast as Jeremy Andretti in the television series Eight Is Enough.[1] After Eight is Enough ended, he won the role of Johnny Cade in the 1983 film The Outsiders.[1] It was this role that led him to be cast as Daniel LaRusso in the blockbuster 1984 film The Karate Kid and two of its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III.[1][7] In The Karate Kid, Macchio portrayed a "high school weakling turned bullybuster"[8] who learns karate from his friend and mentor, Mr. Miyagi (portrayed by Pat Morita).[9] Macchio's work in the Karate Kid series made him "stratospherically famous".[7]
Macchio appeared in the 1986 film Crossroads, portraying music student Eugene Martone. Also in 1986, Macchio starred in Cuba and His Teddy Bear on Broadway, alongside Robert DeNiro.[1][10] In 1992, he starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, playing Billy Gambini, who was wrongfully accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town.[1] In 1996, Macchio performed the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the U.S. tour revival of the 1962 Tony Award-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and received positive reviews. Referring to his performance as a chorister in a high school production of the same musical, Macchio said, "I was known as the 'Dancing Kid,' not that I was all that great. But I had been dancing since the age of three, taking lessons at the June Claire School of Dance in Babylon, Long Island."[11][12]
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In 2005, Macchio played himself in the HBO series Entourage.[1] He appeared in the 2007 music video for the song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings as a caricature of himself and Daniel from The Karate Kid.[13][14] Beginning in October 2008, he appeared in several episodes of the ABC Network television series Ugly Betty as Archie Rodriguez, a local politician who is Hilda's love interest.[15] As of November 2008, Macchio was ranked No. 80 among VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.[16]
In June 2010, Macchio appeared in Funny or Die's online short, "Wax On, F*ck Off", in which his loved ones stage an intervention to turn the former child star from a well-adjusted family man into an addict besieged with tabloid scandal in order to help his career.[17] A recurring joke in the sketch is that Macchio is confused for an adolescent. The short was lauded by TV Guide's Bruce Fretts, who referred to the video as "sidesplitting" and "comic gold".[18] On September 20, 2010, 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.[19] In February 2011, it was announced that Macchio would compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. He was eliminated during the semi-finals, placing fourth in the overall competition.[20] Macchio appeared in Canadian band Danko Jones' music videos for "Had Enough" and "I Think Bad Thoughts".[21]
In April 2012, Macchio was cast in the film Hitchcock, based on the non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. Macchio portrayed Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano.[22] In 2013, he appeared in How I Met Your Mother. One of the main characters, Barney Stinson, asserts that Macchio's character, Daniel LaRusso, in The Karate Kid is not the real karate kid; instead, it's Johnny Lawrence, Daniel's nemesis in the film.[23] From February to March 2016, Macchio co-starred with Mario Cantone in the Off-Broadway production A Room of My Own,[24] after having read the play in 2010[19] and 2014.[25]
Macchio reprised his role as Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai, an action comedy-drama Netflix series presented in an episodic storytelling format that began in 2018 on YouTube . Along with William Zabka, he is also a co-executive producer of the series.[1][26]
Personal life
Macchio was introduced to his future wife, Phyllis Fierro, by his grandmother when he was 15.[27] They married on April 5, 1987, and have two children, Julia (born 1992) and Daniel (born 1996). Fierro is a nurse practitioner.[27][28][29]
At a celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Karate Kid at the Japanese American National Museum in 2014, Macchio said that the yellow 1947 Ford convertible his character Daniel receives from Miyagi in the first film was sitting in his garage.[29]
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.[30] A 2016 bobblehead promotion saw his likeness in the team's uniform donning the iconic 'crane kick' pose from The Karate Kid.[31]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Up the Academy | Chooch Bambalazi | |
| 1982 | High Powder | Eddie | Television film |
| 1982 | Dangerous Company | Denny Brody | Television film |
| 1983 | The Outsiders | Johnny Cade | |
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | Daniel LaRusso | |
| 1984 | Teachers | Eddie Pilikian | |
| 1984 | The Three Wishes of Billy Grier | Billy Grier | Television film |
| 1986 | Crossroads | Eugene Martone | |
| 1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | Daniel LaRusso | |
| 1988 | Distant Thunder | Jack Lambert | |
| 1989 | The Karate Kid Part III | Daniel LaRusso | |
| 1990 | Too Much Sun | Frank Jr. | |
| 1992 | The Last P.O.W.: The Bobby Garwood Story | Robert Garwood | Television film |
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny | Bill Gambini | |
| 1993 | Naked in New York | Chris | |
| 1998 | Dizzyland | N/A | Short film |
| 1998 | The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue | Timmy Brisby (voice) | Direct-to-video film |
| 1999 | Can't Be Heaven | Hubbie Darling | |
| 2000 | The Office Party | Sean | Short film |
| 2001 | Popcorn Shrimp | Cop #2 | Short film |
| 2003 | A Good Night to Die | Donnie | |
| 2006 | Beer League | Maz | |
| 2009 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead | Bobby Bianchi | |
| 2010 | Wax On, F*ck Off[32] | Himself, concept writer | Short film |
| 2012 | Hitchcock | Joseph Stefano | |
| 2012 | Holiday Spin | Ruben | Television film |
| 2013 | He's Way More Famous Than You | Himself | |
| 2014 | A Little Game | Tom | |
| 2015 | Lost Cat Corona | Dominic | |
| 2017 | Psych: The Movie | Nick Conforth | Television film |
| TBA | A Dog and Pony Show | Aaron | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1981 | Eight Is Enough | Jeremy Andretti | Recurring role (19 episodes) |
| 1982 | CBS Afternoon Playhouse | Tony Barnett | Episode: "Journey to Survival" |
| 1999 | The Outer Limits | Dr. Neal Eberhardt | Episode: "The Other Side" |
| 2000 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Max | Episode: "Letters to Suzie" |
| 2000 | Twice in a Lifetime | Officer Dan Payello/Phillip Barbosa | Episode: "My Blue Heaven" |
| 2005 | Entourage | Himself | Episode: "Aquamansion" |
| 2007 | Head Case | Himself | Episode: "Ralph Macchio and Liz Phair" |
| 2008–2009 | Ugly Betty | Archie Rodriguez | Recurring role (11 episodes) |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Louis Marciano | Episode: "Inhumane Society" |
| 2010 | Psych | Nick Conforth | Episode: "We'd Like to Thank the Academy" |
| 2011 | The Whole Truth | Frankie Berlito | Episode: "Lost in Translation" |
| 2011 | Dancing with the Stars | Himself (contestant) | Placed in fourth (17 episodes) |
| 2012 | Happily Divorced | Frankie | Episodes: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" (Parts 1 & 2) |
| 2013 | Robot Chicken | Daniel LaRusso, Colonel Steven Shay, Janitor (voice) | Episode: "Caffeine-Induced Aneurysm" |
| 2013 | How I Met Your Mother | Himself | Episode: "The Bro Mitzvah" |
| 2014 | Psych | Logan Phelps | Episode: "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement" |
| 2016 | Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe | Himself/roaster | Television special |
| 2017–2019 | The Deuce | Officer Haddix | Recurring role (17 episodes) |
| 2017 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | Special Guest (Season 13, Episode 8) |
| 2018 | Kevin Can Wait | Alviti[33] | 2 episodes: "The Smoking Bun" and "Phat Monkey" |
| 2018 | Conan | Himself | Episode: "Conan Without Borders: Japan"; pre-recorded video clip[34] |
| 2018–present | Cobra Kai | Daniel LaRusso | Main role Continuation of The Karate Kid film series |
Theatre
| Year | Production | Role | Theater |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Cuba and his Teddy Bear | Teddy | The Public Theater |
| 1996–1997 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch | US national tour[35][36] |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sweep the Leg | No More Kings | Himself |
| 2010 | "Had Enough" | Danko Jones | Dr. Lee Dorian |
| 2011 | "I Think Bad Thoughts" | Danko Jones | Dr. Lee Dorian |
| 2012 | "The Ballad of Danko Jones" | Danko Jones | Dr. Lee Dorian |
Video game
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues | Daniel LaRusso (voice) |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ralph Macchio". Biography (TV program). August 16, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "Open Legislation: Resolution J3158-2009: Congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Macchio upon the occasion of their 50th Anniversary". NY State Senate. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.
- ^ "American Gypsies: Q&A With Executive Producer Ralph Macchio". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
Actually, I have a little Greek in the bloodstream as well (my Dad is half Greek).
- ^ Q&A With Executive Producer Ralph Macchio Archived August 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. National Geographic Channel.
- ^ "Ralph Macchio and Phil Hartman screen test". Youtube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- ^ Welsh, James M.; Phillips, Gene D.; Hill, Rodney F. (2010). The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia. Scarecrow Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780810876514.
- ^ a b Freeman, Hadley (August 25, 2020). "Karate Kid Ralph Macchio: 'I'm at peace with the choices I made'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ Cerone, Daniel (July 1, 1989). "Macchio at 27: The Man Who Lives Inside the 'Kid'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ Rosen, J.J. (November 22, 2019). "Mr. Miyagi and the quest for the perfect mentor". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (May 19, 1986). "Theater: 'Cuba and His Teddy Bear'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ "How Ralph Macchio Succeeds". Playbill. April 24, 1996. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ Rousuck, J. Wynn (May 31, 1996). "A cheery revival for 'How to Succeed' Review: Grown-up Ralph Macchio charms as this updated '61 Pulitzer Prize musical opens a national tour here". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ Frye, Cory (March 10, 2018). "Of Being and Johnny Lawrence (Sweep the Leg)". Albany Democrat-Herald. Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ Strauss, Chris (October 9, 2014). "'Karate Kid' villain Billy Zabka is still best friends with the Cobra Kais". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ DiNunno, Gina (March 12, 2009). "Ugly Betty's Ralph Macchio Returns for Some Romance". TV Guide. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ "100 Greatest Teen Stars #'s 80-61". vh1devas2000live.com. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
- ^ "Wax On, F*ck Off with Ralph Macchio" Funny or Die; 2010
- ^ Fretts, Bruce. "Cheers & Jeers"; TV Guide; July 5, 2010; Page 92
- ^ a b Lenzi, Linda (September 21, 2010). "Photo Coverage: Cantone, Macchio et al. in A ROOM OF MY OWN". Broadway World.
- ^ Chen, Joyce (May 18, 2011). "'Dancing with the Stars' semi-finals recap: Ralph Macchio, Karina Smirnoff knocked out of the running". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
- ^ Kenneally, Tim (March 28, 2011). "Ralph Macchio, Elijah Wood Think Bad Thoughts in Indie Music Clip". The Wrap. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (April 17, 2012). "Ralph Macchio Plays 'Psycho' Scribe Joe Stefano In 'Hitchcock'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (April 29, 2013). "'How I Met Your Mother' recap: The Barney". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ Piepenburg, Erik (February 12, 2016). "It's O.K. With Ralph Macchio if You Call Him the Karate Kid". Theater. The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (March 7, 2014). "Ralph Macchio and Mario Cantone Will Take Part in Reading of New Comedy A Room of My Own". Playbill. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 4, 2017). "'Karate Kid' TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ a b "Ralph Macchio's 50th Birthday: From Karate Kid To Dancing Star". Huffington Post. January 4, 2012. slide 6. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ Valle, Jocelyn (June 25, 2010). "Whatever happened to Ralph Macchio?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ a b Chi, Paul (June 1, 2009). "'The Karate Kid' All Grown Up". People. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Barry, Sal (November 4, 2016). "Ralph Macchio: Celebrity Hockey Captain". Puck Junk. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Ralph Macchio gets kicking Islanders bobblehead". NHL.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Bierly, Mandi (June 11, 2010). "Ralph Macchio Q&A: The story behind 'Wax On, F*ck Off'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ Bubbeo, Daniel (February 9, 2018). "Ralph Macchio to guest star on 'Kevin Can Wait'". Newsday. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
Macchio will guest star on two episodes ... Macchio will play 'Alviti,' the head of a company turning Long Island properties into parking lots
- ^ Maglio, Tony (November 30, 2018). "Watch 'Conan' Producer Jordan Schlansky Get Totally Owned by Childhood Hero Ralph Macchio (Video)". The Wrap. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ Rousuck, J. Wynn (May 31, 1996). "A cheery revival for 'How to Succeed' Review: Grown-up Ralph Macchio charms as this updated '61 Pulitzer Prize musical opens a national tour here'". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Berson, Misha (October 10, 1996). "'How To Succeed' In Show Business... – Since His 'Karate Kid' Days, Ralph Macchio Has Matured – In Age And Talent". The Seattle Times.
