Ralph Macchio
 |
Ralph Macchio | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ralph George Macchio November 4, 1961 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | Phyllis Fierro (1987–present) |
Ralph George Macchio (pronounced /ˈmɑːtʃi.oʊ/; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, William "Billy" Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, and Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. He is also known to American television audiences for his 1980–1981 recurring role as Jeremy Andretti on the comedy-drama Eight is Enough.
Early life
Macchio, an Italian-American, was born on November 4, 1961 in Huntington, Long Island.[1]
Career
Macchio first appeared on American television commercials for products such as Bubble Yum and Dr Pepper. His on-screen debut was in the 1980 film Up the Academy and his first major role was playing Jeremy Welsh in the television series Eight Is Enough. In 1983, he appeared as Johnny Cade in The Outsiders alongside many young actors who had yet to become major stars, such as C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, and Matt Dillon.
In 1984, Macchio became known internationally following the release of the first Karate Kid movie. Playing high school senior Daniel LaRusso, Macchio was actually in his early twenties when the film was made. 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.
Macchio appeared in the 1986 film Crossroads, portraying music student Eugene Martone. In 1992 he starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, playing 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.
In 1993, Macchio portrayed Chris, the sexually confused best friend of Eric Stoltz's character, in the indie film Naked in New York, along with such notable actors as Mary Louise Parker, Jill Clayburgh, Kathleen Turner, and Tony Curtis.
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.[2]
In June 2010, Macchio appeared in Funny or Die's online short, "Wax on, F*ck off", in which his loved ones stage an intervention to turn the former child star from a well-adjusted family man into an addict besieged with tabloid scandal to help his career. During the video, Macchio reacts to seeing a poster for the 2010 Karate Kid remake.[3] The short was lauded by TV Guide's Bruce Fretts, who referred to the video as "sidesplitting" and "comic gold".[4]
Personal life
Macchio met his wife, Phyllis Fierro, a nurse practitioner, through his grandmother when he was 15. They married in 1987 and have two children, Julia (born 1992) and Daniel (born 1996).[5][6]
In popular 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".
The Bat for Lashes' song "Daniel" is inspired by Macchio's character in the Karate Kid movies.[7] The front cover of the single shows Natasha Khan with Daniel LaRusso's face painted on her back.
In the Family Guy episode "Lethal Weapons", Peter responds to Lois's sensei in taijitsu, who wants to move her up instead of letting her quit, "Now hold on, Ralph Macchio!"
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Up the Academy | Chooch Bambalazi | ||
| Eight is Enough | Jeremy Andretti | TV Series | ||
| 1982 | Dangerous Company | Denny Brody | TV movie | |
| High Powder | Eddie | TV movie | ||
| 1983 | The Outsiders | Johnny Cade | ||
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | Daniel LaRusso | ||
| Teachers | Eddie Pilikian | |||
| The Three Wishes of Billy Grier | Billy Grier | TV movie | ||
| 1986 | Crossroads | Eugene Martone | ||
| The Karate Kid, Part II | Daniel LaRusso | |||
| 1988 | Distant Thunder | Jack Lambert | ||
| 1989 | The Karate Kid, Part III | Daniel LaRusso | ||
| 1991 | Too Much Sun | Frank Jr. | ||
| The Last P.O.W.? The Bobby Garwood Story | Robert Garwood | |||
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny | Billy Gambini | ||
| 1993 | Naked in New York | Chris | ||
| 1998 | The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue | Tim | Video (voice) | |
| Dizzyland | ||||
| 1999 | The Other Side (The Outer Limits) | Dr. Eberhardt | TV series | |
| 1999 | Can't Be Heaven, (Forever Together) | Hubbie Darling | TV Movie | |
| The Office Party | Sean | |||
| 2001 | JAWS | cop | ||
| 2003 | A Good Night to Die | Donnie | ||
| 2005 | Entourage | Himself | TV series | |
| 2006 | Beer League | Maz | ||
| 2007 | Head Case | Himself | TV series, episode five | |
| 2008–2009 | Ugly Betty | Archie Rodriguez | TV series | |
| 2009 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead[8] | Bobby Bianchi | ||
| 2010 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Louis Marciano | Episode "Inhumane Society" | |
| 2010 | Psych | Officer Conforth | Episode "We'd Like to Thank the Academy" |
References
- ^ "Ralph Macchio Biography". movies.yahoo.com. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
- ^ "100 Greatest Teen Stars #'s 80-61". vh1devas2000live.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
- ^ "Wax On, F*ck Off with Ralph Macchio" Funny or Die; 2010
- ^ Fretts, Bruce. "Cheers & Jeers"; TV Guide; July 5, 2010; Page 92
- ^ Jocelyn Valle (June 25, 2010). "Whatever happened to Ralph Macchio?". Inquirer.net. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Paul Chi. "The Karate Kid All Grown Up". People. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ 89.3 The Current Presents, "The Great Girl Grossout", aired 31 January 2010 on The Current (Minnesota Public Radio) and archived here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/current-presents/
- ^ 'The Outsiders' Cast : Where Are They Now?