Ralph George Macchio (born November 4, 1961) is an American actor with Italian ancestry. He is best remembered for his role as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series. Macchio and his family currently reside in Miller Place, New York.
Born in Huntington, Long Island, New York, Macchio attended Half Hollow Hills High School West.
Career
Macchio began his acting career during the mid 1970s, as star of television commercials for products like Bubble Yum and Dr Pepper. His first big role was playing Jeremy in the television series Eight Is Enough. In 1983, he starred alongside many young actors who had yet to become major stars such as C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze and Matt Dillon in The Outsiders. It was not until 1984, however, that he became an international teen idol, after the release of the first Karate Kid movie, where he starred alongside Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue. 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 participated in the first three Karate Kid movies, which came out in 1984, 1986 and 1989.
In 1992, he starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, playing the part of a big city boy wrongly accused of murder while passing through a small southern town. Also of note is his appearance in the 1986 film Crossroads. He played 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 (2003) and Beer League (2006).
In 2005, Macchio played himself in HBO’s Entourage.
On May 1, 2007 Macchio played himself in an episode of the Starz series Head Case with Alexandra Wentworth and Liz Phair.
Personal life
On April 5, 1987, he married Phyllis Fierro, with whom he has a son (Daniel, 1996) and a daughter (Julia, 1992). He has one brother, Steven. His parents, Ralph and Rosalie Macchio, own the Wild West Ranch and Western Town in Lake George, New York.
