Danny Aiello

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Danny Aiello (2011)

Daniel Louis Aiello, Jr. (born June 20, 1933 in Manhattan , New York City - † December 12, 2019 in New Jersey ) was an American actor and singer .

life and career

Aiello was the second youngest of six children and came from an Italian-American family. His father left the family even though the mother was blind from an illness .

Before Aiello became an actor, he had numerous other jobs. He was a soldier , president of the bus drivers' union in New York, worked as a bouncer and as an announcer. Eventually he got a role on Broadway . It wasn't until 1973, at the age of 40, that he had his first film role in The Last Game . In the 1980s he became known through various supporting roles in the cinema, including as police chief in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987) as the brother of Nicolas Cage's character. One of his best-known roles is that of pizzeria operator Sal in Spike Lee's 1989 drama Do the Right Thing , for which he received an Oscar nomination. His work for film and television includes more than 100 productions, where he repeatedly played characters with an Italian-American background - for example in a supporting role as the mafioso in the thriller Léon - The Professional (1994). Aiello stood in front of the camera until shortly before his death, and several film projects with him were announced posthumously.

Danny Aiello 18 October 2010 at the world premiere of the documentary The Soprano State in the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City

Aiello could also be heard as a singer in some of his films and he has released several albums on which he can be heard together with a big band . In 1986 he played the role of Madonna's father in the video clip for Madonna's song Papa Don't Preach . He later published an "answer song" to Madonna's hit under the title Papa Wants the Best for You .

He was married to Sandy Cohen since 1955 and had two daughters and two sons with her. The son Danny Aiello III (1957-2010), a stuntman , died on May 1, 2010 of pancreatic cancer . 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 . He died in December 2019 at the age of 86 in a New Jersey hospital after a brief illness.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

Discography

  • I Just Wanted To Hear The Words
  • Live From Atlantic City

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tim Golden: FILM; Danny Aiello Journeys Along The Blue-Collar Road to Stardom . In: The New York Times . February 10, 1991, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed February 4, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Danny Aiello III: Stunt Star Is Dead. November 22, 2011, accessed February 4, 2019 .
  3. ^ Danny Aiello, 'Do the Right Thing' and 'Moonstruck' Actor, Dies at 86. In: Variety. December 13, 2019, accessed December 13, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Aiello, Danny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aiello, Daniel Louis junior
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and singer
DATE OF BIRTH June 20, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City
DATE OF DEATH December 12, 2019
Place of death New Jersey