Post by petrolino on Oct 30, 2017 2:42:56 GMT
Danny Aiello was born in Manhattan, New York on June 20th, 1933. Aiello was one of six children born to Italian American parents. His mother Frances (née Pietrocova) was a seamstress who became blind and his errant father Daniel Louis Aiello Sr. was a laborer. The family moved to the South Bronx when Aiello was seven years old. He later attended James Monroe High School before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Following his years of service, Aiello returned to New York City and took on various jobs, including a gig as a night club bouncer at the comedy club, The Improv.
There was no shortage of interesting work in the 1980s as Aiello turned to independent filmmakers for choice parts. He played a key role opposite an Oscar-winning Cher in Norman Jewison's much-loved romantic comedy 'Moonstruck' (1987) and was unforgettable as aggressive pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's controversial crime drama 'Do the Right Thing' (1989), earning an Academy Award nomination in the process. Aiello closed the decade in fine style, appearing in Madonna Ciccone's music video for 'Papa Don't Preach'.
In the 1990s, Danny Aiello started to appear more comfortable in his own skin as directors kept calling. He featured in Christine Lahti's Oscar-winning short subject film 'Lieberman In Love' (1995), one of many shorts he's made in his career. He became a sought-after character actor by the major studios, with some prominent critics claiming he deserved to join the pantheon of Italian American crime cinema legends alongside trending New Jersey bad boy Joe Pesci. He also shared his talent for singing with the world, just as Charlie Durning had once channeled his light-footed dance steps into the cinematic lexicon. Aiello has recorded several popular albums and he's remained a fixture in the theatre world since the 1970s. All these things contributed to his great friend and fellow New Yorker Barry Primus famously declaring, "Danny's here to stay"; indeed, his bestselling autobiography was published in 2014 and Mr. Aiello is still active in cinema at the age of 84.
"Though mastering the art of acting has been an ongoing process for him, a watershed moment occurred when critic Harold Clurman said Aiello had the makings of a Shakespearean actor. "When I saw that in print I flipped out," Aiello recalls. "Shakespeare would have been very appealing to me. I would have loved to do Richard III. But I was a man in a hurry, learning as I went, and doing Shakespeare at that time would not have paid enough for me to support my family." Still, the compliment and its source made Aiello see himself in a new light. "In the beginning of my career I did not think of myself as an actor," he says. "I thought of myself as an energetic person who was able to get an audience to say, 'Wow, wow,' on the basis of my energy." Thanks to Clurman and other critics' vote of confidence, however, he believed he might be a bona fide actor, and his approach to acting deepened. He says he became more determined than ever to reveal the unexpected element in a character, making the despicable figure just slightly likable and the virtuous a tad nasty. Nevertheless, he's uncomfortable about describing what he does as a method. "What method?" he asks rhetorically. "I talk to myself and I say, 'Mama, don't let me make a fool of myself.' When I'm acting I'm me. The only thing that changes is the rhythm of my speech. I walk around, I look in the mirror, I speak softly, I shout. And then the character comes out. It's instinctive." He pauses. "The word 'indistinctive' doesn't bother me. But for the longest time, I felt if someone said I was 'instinctive,' they were insulting me. They were saying I was not learned, not trained."
- Simi Horwitz, Backstage
Aiello was turning 40 when he finally got his break into films, taking a similarly long path into entertainment as that of New York military veteran Charles Durning who was touching 40 when he picked up his first movie role. Aiello's career began to gain pace as directors realised his talent for playing believable, blue collar street toughs. His roles were usually small but he always delivered force and laid down intensity. His knack for comedy was picked up on by Woody Allen in the 1970s which led to several roles for the writer-director in the following decade.
Sean Penn, Robert De Niro & Danny Aiello
There was no shortage of interesting work in the 1980s as Aiello turned to independent filmmakers for choice parts. He played a key role opposite an Oscar-winning Cher in Norman Jewison's much-loved romantic comedy 'Moonstruck' (1987) and was unforgettable as aggressive pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's controversial crime drama 'Do the Right Thing' (1989), earning an Academy Award nomination in the process. Aiello closed the decade in fine style, appearing in Madonna Ciccone's music video for 'Papa Don't Preach'.
'Papa Don't Preach' - Madonna
In the 1990s, Danny Aiello started to appear more comfortable in his own skin as directors kept calling. He featured in Christine Lahti's Oscar-winning short subject film 'Lieberman In Love' (1995), one of many shorts he's made in his career. He became a sought-after character actor by the major studios, with some prominent critics claiming he deserved to join the pantheon of Italian American crime cinema legends alongside trending New Jersey bad boy Joe Pesci. He also shared his talent for singing with the world, just as Charlie Durning had once channeled his light-footed dance steps into the cinematic lexicon. Aiello has recorded several popular albums and he's remained a fixture in the theatre world since the 1970s. All these things contributed to his great friend and fellow New Yorker Barry Primus famously declaring, "Danny's here to stay"; indeed, his bestselling autobiography was published in 2014 and Mr. Aiello is still active in cinema at the age of 84.
1970s :
Bang The Drum Slowly (1973 - John D. Hancock) as Horse
The Godfather Part II (1974 - Francis Coppola) as Tony Rosato
The Godmothers (1975 - William Grefe)
The Front (1976 - Martin Ritt) as Danny LaGattuta
Hooch (1977 - Ed Mann)
Fingers (1978 - James Toback) as Butch
Bloodbrothers (1978 - Robert Mulligan) as Artie
1980s :
Defiance (1980 - John Flynn) as Carmine
Hide In Plain Sight (1980 - James Caan) as Sal Carvello
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981 - Daniel Petrie) as Morgan
Chu Chu And The Philly Flash (1981 - David Lowell Rich) as Johnson
Once Upon A Time In America (1984 - Sergio Leone) as Police Chief Vincent Aiello
Old Enough (1984 - Marisa Silver) as Mr. Bruckner
Deathmask (1984 - Richard Friedman) as Capt. Mike Grasso
Broadway Danny Rose (1984 - Woody Allen)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985 - Woody Allen) as Monk
The Stuff (1985 - Larry Cohen) as Vickers
The Protector (1985 - James Glickenhaus) as Danny Garoni
Key Exchange (1985 - Barnet Kellman) as Carabello
Radio Days (1987 - Woody Allen) as Rocco
Man On Fire (1987 - Elle Chouraqui) as Conti
The Pick-Up Artist (1987 - James Toback) as Phil Harper
Moonstruck (1987 - Norman Jewison) as Mr. Johnny Cammareri
The Third Solution (1988 - Pasquale Squitieri) as George Sherman
The January Man (1989 - Pat O'Connor) as Captain Vincent Alcoa
White Hot (1989 - Robby Benson) as Charlie Buick
Do The Right Thing (1989 - Spike Lee) as Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione
Shocktroop (1989 - J. Christian Ingvordsen) as John Cunningham
Harlem Nights (1989 - Eddie Murphy) as Phil Cantone
Bang The Drum Slowly (1973 - John D. Hancock) as Horse
The Godfather Part II (1974 - Francis Coppola) as Tony Rosato
The Godmothers (1975 - William Grefe)
The Front (1976 - Martin Ritt) as Danny LaGattuta
Hooch (1977 - Ed Mann)
Fingers (1978 - James Toback) as Butch
Bloodbrothers (1978 - Robert Mulligan) as Artie
1980s :
Defiance (1980 - John Flynn) as Carmine
Hide In Plain Sight (1980 - James Caan) as Sal Carvello
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981 - Daniel Petrie) as Morgan
Chu Chu And The Philly Flash (1981 - David Lowell Rich) as Johnson
Once Upon A Time In America (1984 - Sergio Leone) as Police Chief Vincent Aiello
Old Enough (1984 - Marisa Silver) as Mr. Bruckner
Deathmask (1984 - Richard Friedman) as Capt. Mike Grasso
Broadway Danny Rose (1984 - Woody Allen)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985 - Woody Allen) as Monk
The Stuff (1985 - Larry Cohen) as Vickers
The Protector (1985 - James Glickenhaus) as Danny Garoni
Key Exchange (1985 - Barnet Kellman) as Carabello
Radio Days (1987 - Woody Allen) as Rocco
Man On Fire (1987 - Elle Chouraqui) as Conti
The Pick-Up Artist (1987 - James Toback) as Phil Harper
Moonstruck (1987 - Norman Jewison) as Mr. Johnny Cammareri
The Third Solution (1988 - Pasquale Squitieri) as George Sherman
The January Man (1989 - Pat O'Connor) as Captain Vincent Alcoa
White Hot (1989 - Robby Benson) as Charlie Buick
Do The Right Thing (1989 - Spike Lee) as Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione
Shocktroop (1989 - J. Christian Ingvordsen) as John Cunningham
Harlem Nights (1989 - Eddie Murphy) as Phil Cantone
Spike Lee, Danny Aiello & John Turturro
'Living In The City' - Stevie Wonder
Danny Aiello joins his son Rick Aiello, Rosie Perez, director Spike Lee & the late great Bill Nunn at a 25th Anniversary screening of 'Do The Right Thing'
1990s :
Jacob's Ladder (1990 - Adrian Lyne) as Louis
The Closer (1990 - Dimitri Logothetis) as Chester Grant
Once Around (1991 - Lasse Hallstrom) as Joe Bella
Hudson Hawk (1991 - Michael Lehmann) as Tommy Five-Tone
29th Street (1991 - George Gallo) as Frank Pesce, Sr.
Ruby (1992 - John Mackenzie) as Jack Ruby
Mistress (1992 - Barry Primus) as Carmine Rasso
The Cemetery Club (1993 - Bill Duke) as Ben Katz
The Pickle (1993 - Paul Mazursky) as Harry Stone
Me And The Kid (1993 - Dan Curtis) as Harry
Léon: The Professional (1994 - Luc Besson) as Tony
Prêt-à-Porter (1994 - Robert Altman) as Major Hamilton
Two Much (1995 - Fernando Trueba) as Gene
City Hall (1996 - Harold Becker) as Frank Anselmo
2 Days In The Valley (1996 - John Herzfeld) Dosmo Pizzo
Mojave Moon (1996 - Kevin Dowling) as Al
Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis (1997 - John Henderson) as Mr. Rathbone
A Brooklyn State of Mind (1997 - Frank Rainone) as Danny Parente
Wilbur Falls (1998 - Juliane Glantz) as Phillip Devereaux
2000s :
Mambo Café (2000 - Reuben Gonzalez) as Joey
Dinner Rush (2000 - Bob Giraldi) as Louis Cropa
Prince Of Central Park (2000 - John Leekley) as Noah Cairn
18 Shades Of Dust (2001 - Danny Aiello III) as Vincent Dianni
Off Key (2001 - Manuel Gomez Pereira) as Fabrizio Bernini
Mail Order Bride (2003 - Robert Capelli Jr. & Jeffrey Wolf ) as Tony Santini
Zeyda And The Hitman (2004 - Melanie Mayron) as Nathan
Brooklyn Lobster (2005 - Kevin Jordan) as Frank Giorgio
Lucky Number Slevin (2006 - Paul McGuigan) as Roth
Last Request (2006 - John DeBellis) as Pop
2010s :
Stiffs (2010 - Frank Ciota) as Frank Tramontana
Reach Me (2014 - John Herzfeld) as Father Paul
The Neighborhood (2017 - Frank D'Angelo) as Joseph Donatello
Currently filming ...
Little Italy (2018 - Donald Petrie) as Carlo
Jacob's Ladder (1990 - Adrian Lyne) as Louis
The Closer (1990 - Dimitri Logothetis) as Chester Grant
Once Around (1991 - Lasse Hallstrom) as Joe Bella
Hudson Hawk (1991 - Michael Lehmann) as Tommy Five-Tone
29th Street (1991 - George Gallo) as Frank Pesce, Sr.
Ruby (1992 - John Mackenzie) as Jack Ruby
Mistress (1992 - Barry Primus) as Carmine Rasso
The Cemetery Club (1993 - Bill Duke) as Ben Katz
The Pickle (1993 - Paul Mazursky) as Harry Stone
Me And The Kid (1993 - Dan Curtis) as Harry
Léon: The Professional (1994 - Luc Besson) as Tony
Prêt-à-Porter (1994 - Robert Altman) as Major Hamilton
Two Much (1995 - Fernando Trueba) as Gene
City Hall (1996 - Harold Becker) as Frank Anselmo
2 Days In The Valley (1996 - John Herzfeld) Dosmo Pizzo
Mojave Moon (1996 - Kevin Dowling) as Al
Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis (1997 - John Henderson) as Mr. Rathbone
A Brooklyn State of Mind (1997 - Frank Rainone) as Danny Parente
Wilbur Falls (1998 - Juliane Glantz) as Phillip Devereaux
2000s :
Mambo Café (2000 - Reuben Gonzalez) as Joey
Dinner Rush (2000 - Bob Giraldi) as Louis Cropa
Prince Of Central Park (2000 - John Leekley) as Noah Cairn
18 Shades Of Dust (2001 - Danny Aiello III) as Vincent Dianni
Off Key (2001 - Manuel Gomez Pereira) as Fabrizio Bernini
Mail Order Bride (2003 - Robert Capelli Jr. & Jeffrey Wolf ) as Tony Santini
Zeyda And The Hitman (2004 - Melanie Mayron) as Nathan
Brooklyn Lobster (2005 - Kevin Jordan) as Frank Giorgio
Lucky Number Slevin (2006 - Paul McGuigan) as Roth
Last Request (2006 - John DeBellis) as Pop
2010s :
Stiffs (2010 - Frank Ciota) as Frank Tramontana
Reach Me (2014 - John Herzfeld) as Father Paul
The Neighborhood (2017 - Frank D'Angelo) as Joseph Donatello
Currently filming ...
Little Italy (2018 - Donald Petrie) as Carlo
'Living In The City' - Hurray For The Riff Raff