Danny Aiello Movies and Career Information

Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. (pronounced /aɪˈɛloʊ/; born June 20, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush. He had a pivotal role in the 1989 Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing, earning a nomination for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Salvatore 'Sal' Frangione, the pizzeria owner, and also as Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries Mario Puzo's The Last Don. Aiello, the second youngest of six children, was born in Manhattan, the son of Italian American parents Frances (née Pietrocova), a seamstress who was a native of Naples, Italy, and Daniel Louis Aiello, Sr., a laborer. Aiello's father deserted the family even though his wife had gone blind. For many years, Aiello had publicly condemned his father's desertion of his children and his blind wife. Aiello reconciled with his father in 1993, but to this day harbors a resentment of his father's conduct. He moved to the South Bronx when he was age 7 and later attended James Monroe High School. At 16-years-old,