Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio
Born	Ralph George Macchio November 4, 1961 (1961-11-04) (age 48) Huntington, New York, USA
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Phyllis Fierro (1987–present), 2 children

Ralph George Macchio (born November 4, 1961)^[1] is an American actor of Italian ancestry.^[2] His most notable role was as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series.

Born in Huntington, Long Island, New York, Macchio attended Half Hollow Hills High School West.^[3]

Career

Early roles

Macchio first appeared on television in commercials for products such as Bubble Yum and Dr Pepper. His first major role was playing Jeremy in the television series Eight Is Enough. In 1983, he appeared alongside many young actors who had yet to become major stars, such as C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, and Matt Dillon in The Outsiders.

The Karate Kid series

It was not until 1984 that Macchio became known internationally following the release of the first Karate Kid movie. He continued this success with the film's sequels, Karate Kid Part II and III. With his boyish looks, Macchio became one of the most famous teen idols of the mid-1980s, his face appearing on the cover of many teen "bubble gum" magazines such as Tiger Beat, 16, and Teen Beat.

Later career

In 1992, Macchio starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy, My Cousin Vinny, playing the part of "Billy Gambini", who was wrongly accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town. It was the first significant adult role of his career. He appeared in the 1986 film, Crossroads, portraying music student "Eugene Martone", who battles "Jack Butler" (played by guitarist Steve Vai), a protégé of the Devil.

Since the mid-1990s, Macchio's film appearances have been occasional cameo- or supporting roles, notably and recently A Good Night to Die and Beer League. In 2005, Macchio played himself in the HBO series, Entourage.

On May 1, 2007, Macchio played himself in an episode of the Starz series, "Head Case". In 2008, he appeared in a VitaminWater commercial that featured NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. Macchio was depicted as Edwards' "spiritual advisor", and dressed in his "Karate Kid" clothes. Since October 2008, he has appeared in several episodes of the ABC Network television series, "Ugly Betty", as "Archie Rodriguez", a local politician, with a semi-regular role as Hilda's love interest on the show.

As of November 2008, Macchio was ranked #80 among VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.^[4]

Personal life

On April 5, 1987, Macchio married Phyllis Fierro, with whom he has a daughter (Julia, born 1992) and a son (Daniel, born 1996). Macchio has one brother, Steven. His parents, Ralph and Rosalie Macchio, own the Wild West Ranch and Western Town, in Lake George, New York.^[5]

Filmography

Pop culture

DJ Q-Ball of the Bloodhound Gang released a song on his MySpace called "The Ralph Macchio Memoirs." Poetry slam artist Big Poppa E references Ralph Macchio in his performance The Wussy Boy Manifesto. Nerdcore artist MC Frontalot mentions him in his song, "Braggadocio". Macchio was featured in a brief cameo at the end of the No More Kings video for Sweep the Leg.

Jimmy Urine of the band Mindless Self Indulgence refers to himself as Ralph Macchio in their DVD Our Pain, Your Gain during the song "Stupid MF".

On the Friends episode titled The One with Phoebe's Wedding, Italian character Joey Tribbiani mentions that he lost out on a part in a movie: "How could I not get that part? Stupid Ralph Macchio."

The Bat for Lashes' song "Daniel" is said to have been inspired by Macchio's character in the Karate Kid movies. The front cover of the single shows Natasha Khan with Daniel LaRusso's face painted on her back.

References

External links

• Ralph Macchio at the Internet Movie Database