Aiellos nephew was ESPN radio personality Michael Kays uncle. ", Recognizable, if not famous, for his burly build and husky voice, he was an ex-union president who broke into acting in his 30s and remained a dependable player for decades, whether vicious or cuddly or some of each. 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. Mini Bio (1) Danny Aiello was an American actor of Italian descent, and enjoyed a lengthy career in film. 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. You got me making pizzas, flipping them in the air, thats a very ginzo thing, he told the writer-director. A fourth son, stuntman and stunt coordinator Danny Aiello III, died in May 2010 of pancreatic cancer. 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). 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. Me . Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. (/alo/) (June 20, 1933[1] December 12, 2019) was an American actor. Danny Aiello, a prolific actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," has died, a family representative confirmed Friday to CNN. In 1990 he was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in Do The Right Thing. The pizzeria is set on fire during a riot, but in the end, he and Mr. Lees character, an employee, cautiously reconcile. Singing had been his first love, and hed just recorded an album. The film and TV star, known for starring in Do The Right Thing and The Soporanos, passed away at . His mother worked as a seamstress, an envelope stuffer and a toy-factory supervisor. He was 86. . Gazzo). Its not only what I do to earn a living, but its a distraction that takes me away from things that trouble me terribly, like the loss of my son, he said. Im not happy doing that, so I turned it down. Published on December 13, 2019 12:11 PM. His breakthrough, ironically, was as the hapless lover dumped by Cher in "Moonstruck. Born on June 20, 1933, Danny was the fifth of six children to a seamstress mum and labourer dad. Danny also appeared in Madonna's music video for Papa Don't Preach. Sandy Cohen and three children. TMZ has the report that Danny Aiello died at a medical facility in New Jersey sometime yesterday evening. Ive become, well, not an expert, but I know about movies. Date of Death: December 12, 2019. 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 . "During the early times in my acting career, I would fight at the drop of a hat," he said in 1985. He played Tony in the movie Leon and also starred alongside Cher in Moonstruck. Danny Aiello's early life. And theyre not. May You Rest In PARADISE, Lee said in one of a number of tribute posts Friday morning. The whole shape. He started with a role in the 1970 play Lamppost Reunion, which he later reprised on Broadway, and did the 1973 film Bang the Drum Slowly, which starred Robert De Niro. Veteran actor Danny Aiello -- known for his scene-stealing supporting roles in many acclaimed movies since the '70s -- died Thursday night TMZ has learned. One of his first films was in Robert De Niro's movie Bang The Drum Slowly. Danny, known as Junior until adulthood, grew up on West 68th Street, before gentrification, and then in the South Bronx. He played Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries The Last Don (1997). Their father, Danny Aiello, passed away in 2019 at the age of 86 after a short illness. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr., a familiar face if not a brand name to many audiences, was also known for his roles in Moonstruck and The Godfather: Part II. He often played the part of the Italian tough guy, criminal or father and was famous for turning bit parts into larger-than-life character studies. See you in Heaven, Danny. His first film role was in the baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), with the young Robert De Niro. [4][5] He was of Italian descent. Mr. Aiellos performance in that movie earned him an Oscar nomination. He was 65. I dont just see it from the actors point of view, he told The Times in 1993. Danny was born in the Bronx, NY on January 27, 1957 to Danny and Sandra Aiello. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I am sad. [5], At the age of 16, Aiello lied about his age to enlist in the United States Army. He is survived by his three children, and wife Sandy, whom he has stayed with since 1955. He also is survived by three children, Rick, Jamie and Stacy, and 10 grandchildren. . 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. Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images. 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. His performance brought him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. 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He worked on stage and screen. His rep Tracey Miller told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died Thursday night after a brief illness in a medical facility close to his home in New Jersey. His film career took off in the early 1970s. Aiello died at a New Jersey medical facility while undergoing treatment for a sudden illness, TMZ reports. me . Danny Aiello, a veteran stage and film actor remembered for his roles in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and dozens of other movies, died at age 86, his . Kay said that Aiello sang at his wedding. A son, stuntman Danny Aiello III, died of pancreatic cancer at age 53 in 2010. Family Members. Prior to Aiello taking the role, director Spike Lee had wanted Robert DeNiro for the part. Rick, who appeared in Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever and Clockers passed away 10 years after his brother Danny III died from the same disease. Their fourth, son Danny Aiello III, died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer. He released several albums with a big band sound including "Live from Atlantic City" in 2008. 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 . AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Actor Danny Aiello has died at the age of 86. [7][8], In the 1960s, Aiello served as president of New York Local 1202 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing Greyhound Bus workers. Lee stated, "We recognized our differences, political or whatever else you want to talk about it, but we truly loved each other."[35]. (Aiello said he pulled some strings to help Kay get a job with theNew York Postyears ago.). He was 63. 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. If there were obstacles, I tried to remove them." Sheehan formed the band with frontman Danny O'Donoghue and drummer Glen Power in 2001. [21], He played the father for the video of Madonna's song, "Papa Don't Preach" (1986), and recorded his own answer song, "Papa Wants the Best for You", written by Artie Schroeck. 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. 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Times photojournalist, dies, Mexican singer-actor Julin Figueroas death sparks outpouring of grief, Al Jaffee, iconoclastic cartooning legend of Mad Magazine fame, dies at 102, Sudden loss of pastry chef Joshua Ulmer reverberates through L.A.s dining scene and beyond, Ben Ferencz, last living prosecutor of Nazis at Nuremberg trials, dies at 103, Lasse Wellander, guitarist who played integral role in the ABBA story, dies at 70. He served for three years before returning to New York to work as a nightclub bouncer. But at age 52 . Once he got arrested for stealing a chocolate bar from Woolworths and was taken to the 41st Precinct police station (that would be Fort Apache). But what I say to you is Im hearing them saying things like for the little man, and for the unions. Then, of course, you see movies being sent from Hollywood and everywhere else to places like Canada and right-to-work states, like North Carolina, where there is no union intervention, and they can get a movie done for half the price. When the play finally made it to Broadway, in 1975, he was back in the role. Danny Aiello and His Two Sons died back to back adding to the pattern of Three as in Three Fates. Kay paid tribute to Aiello on Twitter saying in part, He was a terrific man, self-made, coming from nothing to be an Academy Award-nominated actor., RIP, Uncle Danny. The actor Danny Aiello in 2001. And for that I'm adored by the police in New York City.". The father of four had family visitors on Thursday night, and he passed away not long after they left for the evening. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Danny Aiello, a veteran stage and film actor remembered for his roles in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing and Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, has died at a New Jersey medical center at age 86. He was 86. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 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. 0:00. TMZ reported on July 27, that Rick had died at the age of 65 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Goodbye Johnny Cammareri. Danny was married to his . 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. 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