Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'' (1978–1983) and '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and four

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

. In 1998, Danza won the

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom '' The Tony Danza Show'' (not to be confused with his 2004–2006 daytime variety talk show of the same name). He has also appeared in films such as ''

The Hollywood Knights ''The Hollywood Knights'' is a 1980 American teen comedy film written and directed by Floyd Mutrux depicting the crass and mischievous antics and practical jokes of the remaining members of a 1950s-era car club turned social fraternity in and aro ...

'' (1980), ''

Going Ape! ''Going Ape!'' is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Jeremy Joe Kronsberg and produced by Paramount Pictures. The original music score was composed by Elmer Bernstein (who would later compose music for a later similarly ape-themed comedy ''B ...

'' (1981), '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1994), ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' (2004), and ''

Don Jon ''Don Jon'' is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore, with Rob Brown, Glenne Headly, Bri ...

'' (2013).

Early life

Danza was born on April 21, 1951, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, to parents Anna Mary (née Camisa; 1925–1993) and Matthew Anthony "Matty" Iadanza (1920–1983).Stated on ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is a documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is compiled with ...

'', February 8, 2022 His mother was a bookkeeper and his father worked as a

waste collector A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and r ...

in Brooklyn. Danza's paternal grandparents were from

Pietrelcina Pietrelcina ( nap, Pretapucìna) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Benevento in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is the birthplace of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). Geography Benevento, Paduli, Pago Veiano and Pesco Sann ...

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and his mother was an immigrant from the town of

Campobello di Mazara Campobello di Mazara ( scn, Campubbeddu) is a town in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. Its inhabitants are scattered in the town center and the minor seaside ''frazioni'' of Tre Fontane and Torretta Granitola, populated mostly ...

in the Sicilian

province of Trapani Trapani ( it, Provincia di Trapani, scn, Pruvincia di Tràpani; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it ...

. He has a younger brother, Matty Jr. (born 1954), a Los Angeles restaurant owner. He lived in

East New York, Brooklyn East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough lin ...

until he was 14, and his family relocated to

Malverne, New York Malverne is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total are ...

, on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Danza attended Malverne Senior High School, graduating in 1969. In the first episode of his show ''Teach: Tony Danza'', Danza describes himself as a "bad student" in high school. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1972 from the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its foundi ...

, which he attended on a wrestling scholarship. In 1975, as a joke, Danza's friends entered him in the New York City Golden Gloves. After knocking out his first six opponents all in the first round, Danza was knocked out in the finals. During his first year of college, he had the

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

" Keep on Truckin'" character tattooed on his upper right arm. In a 1985 interview in ''

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...

'' magazine, Danza remarked, "I was playing pool with a guy who had all these tattoos, and I wanted to be friends." Danza also sports a "Keep Punching" boxing gloves tattoo on his right shoulder as well as "Tracy", his (former) wife's name, on his chest. In college, Danza met and married his first wife.

Career

Boxer

Danza was a professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses (9 knockouts, 7 in the first round), with all but one of his fights ending in a

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

, including three technical knockouts.

Acting and show business

Shortly after his college graduation from the University of Dubuque, Danza was discovered by a producer at a boxing gymnasium in New York. He then earned a spot on the television show ''

'', playing a

cab driver "Cab Driver" is a song written by Carson Parks and performed by The Mills Brothers featuring Sy Oliver, Sy Oliver and His Orchestra. It reached #3 on the Adult Contemporary (chart), Easy Listening chart, #21 on the ''Cashbox (magazine), Cashbo ...

and part-time boxer Tony Banta, and later starred on '' Who's the Boss?'', in which he portrayed Tony Micelli, a former baseball player, housekeeper, and single father. For his contribution to the television industry, in 1988, Danza was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 7000

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

. Danza also plays the role of Mel Clark, a baseball player, in '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1994). Danza also starred in the short-lived sitcoms '' Hudson Street'' (1995) and '' The Tony Danza Show'' (1997), not to be confused with his 2004–2006 talk show, '' The Tony Danza Show''. He had a role in the TV drama ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

'' from 2000 until 2002. He was nominated for an

for a guest-starring 1998 role in the TV series ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1 ...

''. His movie debut was in the comedy ''

'' (1980), which was followed by ''

'' (1981). He received critical acclaim for his performance in the 1999

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

revival of the

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

play ''

The Iceman Cometh ''The Iceman Cometh'' is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 perfo ...

''. In 2002, Danza released his debut album ''The House I Live In'' as a 1950s-style

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

. Danza hosted his own TV talk show, '' The Tony Danza Show'', that was produced each weekday morning in his hometown of New York and was syndicated across the US. On May 9, 2005, during a

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance Kart rac ...

race with

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

star

Rusty Wallace Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the course of his successful care ...

, who was a guest on the show, Danza's kart flipped after Wallace accidentally bumped him. Neither he nor Wallace was wearing a helmet at the time, and both were uninjured. Danza returned to go-kart racing on October 20, 2005, to challenge

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

driver Danica Patrick, but his brakes malfunctioned and he skidded into a wall, unharmed. His daytime talk show ended in May 2006; the last live episode aired on May 26, 2006. He starred on

Max Bialystock The following are fictional characters from the 1967 film '' The Producers'', the Broadway musical based on it, and the 2005 film adaptation of the musical. Max Bialystock Max Bialystock is described as selfish, arrogant, fiery, impatient, s ...

in '' The Producers'', from December 19, 2006, to March 11, 2007, and reprised his role at the

Paris Las Vegas Paris Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment and has a 95,263 square-foot casino with over 1,700 slot machines. The theme is the city of Paris; it includes a hal ...

from August 13, 2007, to February 9, 2008. Danza hosted the 4th season of '' The Contender'' in 2008. A Broadway adaptation of the 1992 film ''

Honeymoon in Vegas ''Honeymoon in Vegas'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. Plot Private Detective ("Private eye") Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) swore to hi ...

'' opened on a pre-Broadway run at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse on September 26, 2013, co-starring Danza and Tony nominee

Rob McClure Rob McClure (born June 15, 1982) is an American actor and singer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage. McClure made his Broadway debut in 2002 as an understudy in '' I'm Not Rappaport''. From 2006 to 2009, he went on to play several ...

, with Gary Griffin directing. Danza was inducted into the

Ride of Fame The Ride of Fame is a continuing series of mobile monuments in New York City honoring public figures for being exemplary “New Yorkers” and representing the city in a positive light over the course of their lives. Ride of Fame alumni have also ...

in December 2014, and the double-decker sightseeing bus commemorated his role in the Broadway musical. Danza starred as Tony Caruso Sr. in the 2018 Netflix series, '' The Good Cop'' as "a disgraced, former NYPD officer who never followed the rules." It was cancelled after one season.

Teaching

During the 2009–2010 school year Danza filmed A&E reality show '' Teach: Tony Danza'', in which he co-instructed a 10th grade English class at Northeast High School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. It premiered on October 1, 2010. The book ''I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High'' (), which was released in 2012, was based on his year of teaching.

Personal life

Danza's first marriage was to Rhonda Yeoman. They wed in 1970 and divorced in 1974. Their son Marc appeared with Tony on ''Taxi'' in two episodes as Brian Sims. In 1986, Danza married Tracy Robinson. The couple separated in 2006 and filed for divorce on March 10, 2011; the divorce was finalized on February 6, 2013. They have two daughters. In 2008, Danza and his son Marc co-authored a cookbook, ''Don't Fill Up on the Antipasto: Tony Danza's Father-Son Cookbook''. At one point Danza was a partner in Alleva Dairy, promoted as America's oldest cheese shop, on Grand Street in the

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...

section of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Boxing record

Source: , - align=center , 12 , , Win , , 9–3 , , align=left, , , KO , , 3 , , , , , ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, Arizona, US , , , - align=center , 11 , , Win , , 8–3 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , ,

Felt Forum The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600, and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is located beneath the main Madiso ...

, New York City, New York City , , , - align=center , 10 , , Win , , 7–3 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , ,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City , , , - align=center , 9 , , Win , , 6–3 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , , Brooklyn, New York City , , , - align=center , 8 , , Win , , 5–3 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , , Roll-a-Rama, Brooklyn, New York City , , , - align=center , 7 , , Loss , , 4–3 , , align=left, , , TKO , , 1 , , , , , ,

Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a m ...

, White Plains, New York City , , , - align=center , 6 , , Win , , 4–2 , , align=left, , , TKO , , 1 , , , , , ,

Nanuet Nanuet is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is ...

, New York City , , , - align=center , 5 , , Win , , 3–2 , , align=left, , , TKO , , 1 , , , , , , Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York City , , , - align=center , 4 , , Win , , 2–2 , , align=left, , , KO , , 3 , , , , , ,

Long Island Arena Long Island Arena (also commonly known as the Commack Arena and the Suffolk Forum) was a 4,000-seat indoor arena in Commack, New York from 1959 until 1996. The Long Island Ducks of the Eastern Hockey League, a popular team in the small community ...

Commack Commack ( ) is a hamlet and census designated place (CDP) that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The CDP's population was 36,124 at the 20 ...

, New York City , , , - align=center , 3 , , Loss , , 1–2 , , align=left, , , Points , , 4 , , , , , ,

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, New Jersey, USA , , , - align=center , 2 , , Loss , , 1–1 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , ,

Sunnyside Gardens Sunnyside Gardens is a community within Sunnyside, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The area was the first development in the United States patterned after the ideas of the garden city movement initiated in England in the f ...

, Queens, New York City , , , - align=center , 1 , , Win , , 1–0 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , , New York City , ,

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

*Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film for ''

'' (1979) *Nominated for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

for '' Who's the Boss?'' (1986) *Nominated for the

for '' Who's the Boss?'' (1987) *Nominated for the

for '' Who's the Boss?'' (1989) *Nominated -

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor The Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film(s) for which they were nomi ...

for ''

She's Out of Control ''She's Out of Control'' is a 1989 American independent coming of age comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti. Starring Tony Danza, Ami Dolenz and Catherine Hicks. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri. The film was marketed wit ...

'' (1989) *Nominated - TV Land Award for Single Dad of the Year for '' Who's the Boss?'' *Won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a Television Series for '' The Tony Danza Show'' (1997) *Nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest st ...

for ''

'' (1998)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Danza, Tony 1951 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American boxers of Italian descent American male boxers American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Italian descent American tap dancers American television talk show hosts Beauty pageant hosts Male actors from New York City Malverne High School alumni Musicians from Brooklyn People from East New York, Brooklyn People from Malverne, New York University of Dubuque alumni