Rick died Monday evening at a hospital in Warwick, New Jersey, she said, where he was surrounded by friends and family during his final hours. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. XXXtremely", "A Word With: Danny Aiello. 1. [28] He later moved to Saddle River, New Jersey. He called off the strike after one day. "I always thought that I could talk, that people liked me, that I can represent them." Anyone can read what you share. Starting in 1980 he averaged three films a year, plus appearances in theater and television. His memoir,I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else, was published in 2014. He also played a frustrated 1940s waiter and family man, opposite Bea Arthur, in Mr. Allens 1981 play, The Floating Light Bulb.. Danny Aiello III, Rick's brother, was a stuntman and died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at the age of 53. The actor continued to work steadily in more recent years, appearing not only in live-action films but also lending his voice to the occasional animated feature. Actor Michael Rapaport tweeted that Aiello was a "huge inspiration," and actor Kirk Acevedo said, "We lost a great actor today. It was a pure manifestation, instead, of his own rich persona, of the abundant life experience he brings to his art.. Age at Death: 86. Danny Aiello, the New York actor and former Greyhound bus employee best known for his Oscar-nominated turn as Sal the pizza-joint owner in 'Do the Right Thing' and for portraying Cher's lovelorn suitor in 'Moonstruck,' has died. Flipboard. He was raised on the West Side of Manhattan and then in the South Bronx by his legally blind mother, Frances. I have known him for almost 50 years. Just Found Out My Brother DANNY AIELLO Made His Transition Last Night. I said, Im not an actor,' Aiello recalled. Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser. In "Fort Apache, the Bronx," when you can't see Danny, it's his son throwing the punches. He was 63. He battled the disease for over a year and a half. 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. Danny Aiello was an American actor of Italian descent, and enjoyed a lengthy career in film. Danny Aiello and His Two Sons died back to back adding to the pattern of Three as in Three Fates. Aiellos first major role was as the gangster Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II. In a brief but key scene in the movie, Aiello attempts to kill Frank Pentangeli, an associate of Michael Corleones. His son, Danny Aiello III, died of . Aiello's . Thats how I used to do it. Education His son Daniel III, a stunt coordinator, died in 2010. [35] Director Spike Lee and actor John Turturro gave eulogies. The singer, 73, shared her condolences on Twitter Friday following the news that Aiello, who starred with her in the 1987 film Moonstruck, had died on Thursday. After serving for three years, he returned to New York City and did various jobs in order to support himself and, later, his family. It was one of the happiest times in my life & He was a part of that happy time. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. I dont think the public knows shit about anything. Lets see. He was 86. His mother worked as a seamstress, an envelope stuffer and a toy-factory supervisor. A memorial service that is open to the public will be held at New York Citys Riverside Memorial Chapel on Dec. 19. It marked one of the few times he didnt play the tough guy. Aiello never trained as an actor but learned on the job. 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Danny was a great actor, but a genius comedic actor. The two had starred in Norman Jewison's hit comedy "Moonstruck" and she called it "one of the happiest times in my life." He followed it up by playing Tony Rosato in "The Godfather: Part II" in which he delivered the famous line, "Michael Corleone says hello!". I've got scars on my face. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Aiello, who didnt start acting until he was 35, often played loathsome types, as in Woody AllensThe Purple Rose of Cairo(1985), where he starred as Mia Farrows gruff, drunken husband. Aiello was married to his wife, Sandy, for more than 60 years. A USC graduate, she joined the Los Angeles Times in 2003 and has 30 years of journalism experience in Southern California. The family asks for privacy at this time, Tracey Miller said in a statement. 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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. At the time of Dannys death, Lee, 64, shared a tribute to him on social media. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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. . Shortly after reports started to surface that "Do the Right Thing" actor Danny Aiello had died on Thursday at the age of 86, celebrities took to social . Aiello broke into show business in the early 1970s, first acting in the Robert De Niro film "Bang the Drum Slowly." [24], In the mid 1980s, Aiello starred in a replacement cast version of Hurlyburly (1984) alongside Christine Baranski, Frank Langella, Ron Silver, and Candice Bergen. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. (/alo/) (June 20, 1933[1] December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He was 86. Fingerhut remembers His surviving children are Jaime, and Stacey Aiello. (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.). He was 63. 0:00. He was 86. He is survived by his three children, and wife Sandy, whom he has stayed with since 1955. he cried. He also starred in The House of Blue Leaves (1986) alongside John Mahoney (who earned a Tony Award for his performance), Ben Stiller, Stockard Channing, and Julie Hagerty[25], In 2002, Aiello starred in Elaine May's comedic play, Adult Entertainment alongside May's daughter, Jeannie Berlin. Rick's brother, Danny Aiello III, also . [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. One minute before I go on, I look up at heaven and say, Mama, dont let me make a fool of myself.. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Danny Aiello, the actor from Spike Lee 's Do the Right Thing and Norman Jewison's Moonstruck, died on Thursday night after a reported sudden illness. After three years in the service, he worked at several factory jobs, landing as a baggage man at Greyhound. [15] He played a main role in the 1985-86 television series Lady Blue. . . A fourth son, stuntman and stunt coordinator Danny Aiello III, died in May 2010 of pancreatic cancer. In 2016, Newsmax named Aiello as one of the 50 most influential conservatives in Hollywood. Danny Aiello, the Oscar-nominated star of Do the Right Thing, has died at the age 86. If you change your mind, go to Notifications in the menu to enable browser notifications. In a documentary on the making of Do the Right Thing, Aiello said that he based his character of Sal on a candy shop owner he knew growing up along Arthur Avenue in The Bronx. Just Found Out My Brother DANNY AIELLO Made His Transition Last Night. One night, he was asked to act as an assistant emcee. Mr. Aiello was a blue-collar worker until his mid-30s. May You Rest In PARADISE.. ", 8:22 AM PT -- Cher just tweeted about Danny's death, saying, "Goodbye Dear Danny Aiello. I was married with a family to feed.. [12], Aiello broke into films in the early 1970s. "It was no big deal; it was just 'Danny, go up and announce the acts,'" he recalled in 1997. Mr. Aiello never claimed to have inspired the signature line in Taxi Driver (1976), but, according to his 2014 memoir, I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else, he could have. Aiellos death was confirmed by his publicist on Friday. Their father, Danny Aiello, passed away in 2019 at the age of 86 after a short illness. He appeared in three plays by Louis La Russo II: Lamppost Reunion (his Broadway debut - 1975), Wheelbarrow Closers (1976), and Knockout (1979). Sad loss: Do The Right Thing actor Rick Aiello has died at age 65 after a year-and-a-half battle with pancreatic cancer. Danny, who starred in Do The Right Thing and The Godfather III, is survived by four children and his wife Sandy, to whom he was married since 1955. Danny Aiello 1933 - 2019. Soon he was filling in as M.C. Danny also appeared in Madonna's music video for Papa Don't Preach. [29], 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 via Simon & Schuster. Aiello is survived by his wife, Sandy Cohen and their four children. 0:34. TMZ reported that he had been battling with the illness for over a year and a half. We were supporting ourselves with nickels and dimes and quarters. 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. Danny,We Made Cinema History Together With DO THE RIGHT THING. Aiello was Chers hapless dumped boyfriend in 1987s Moonstruck, worked extensively with Woody Allen in The Purple Rose of Cairo and the play The Floating Light Bulb and won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for his role as a coked-up TV actor in an L.A. production of Hurlyburly. Sergio Leone directed him in Once Upon a Time in America, where he played opposite De Niro. [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. 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). I suppose I could say acting is medicinal. A real charmer, Aiello also portrayed Lee Harvey Oswald killer Jack Ruby inRuby(1992), starred for Paul Mazursky as a flailing Hollywood director inThe Pickle(1993) and played it for laughs alongside Ellen Burstyn, Olympia Dukakis and Diane Ladd inThe Cemetery Club(1993). In addition, Aiello tries to frame Corleone for the crime. Mr. Aiello often told the story of his very brief appearance in The Godfather: Part II (1974), when he improvised a remark as his character strangled a rival mobster: Michael Corleone says hello. The director, Francis Ford Coppola, liked the line and left it in the movie. His first acting role. 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. [5], At the age of 16, Aiello lied about his age to enlist in the United States Army. He worked on stage and screen. 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