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 choic ...

'' (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. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award 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'' (1980), '' Going Ape!'' (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 ...

'' (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 wi ...

'', February 8, 2022 His mother was a bookkeeper and his father worked as a waste collector in Brooklyn. Danza's paternal grandparents were from Pietrelcina, Benevento,

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

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 ...

, and his mother was an immigrant from the town of Campobello di Mazara in the Sicilian province of Trapani. He has a younger brother, Matty Jr. (born 1954), a Los Angeles restaurant owner. He lived in East New York, Brooklyn until he was 14, and his family relocated to Malverne, New York, on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

. 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 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 founding in 1852. Early years T ...

, 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 " 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 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 strikin ...

, 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 and His Orchestra. It reached #3 on the Easy Listening chart, #21 on the '' Cashbox'' chart, and #23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in ...

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 at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. 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'' 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 ...

''. His movie debut was in the comedy '' The Hollywood Knights'' (1980), which was followed by '' Going Ape!'' (1981). He received critical acclaim for his performance in the 1999 Broadway 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, earli ...

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 perf ...

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

star Rusty Wallace, 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 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 Broadway as Max Bialystock in '' The Producers'', from December 19, 2006, to March 11, 2007, and reprised his role at the Paris Las Vegas 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'' 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, 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. Since ...

. 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 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, 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 Madis ...

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

Nanuet Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west o ...

, 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, 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 Maids ...

, New Jersey, USA , , , - align=center , 2 , , Loss , , 1–1 , , align=left, , , KO , , 1 , , , , , , Sunnyside Gardens, 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 for '' She's Out of Control'' (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 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