Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello of Do The Right Thing fame has passed away at the age of 86.
Born on June 20, 1933, Aiello decided to pursue his acting career at the age of 35. A New York native, he started in Broadway before transitioning to film. His credits include The Godfather: Part II (1974), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and Moonstruck (1987).
One of his breakthrough roles was in the Spike Lee directed Do The Right Thing, a film about racism rearing its ugly head on a hot day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The 1989 film, in which he played the pizza restaurant owner Sal, received two Oscar nominations earning Aiello a nod for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Aiello was also nominated by the Golden Globes, 20/20 Awards, and several critic awards.
Aiello also played Phil Cantone in Eddie Murphy’s Harlem Nights about the criminal underworld of New York City during the 1930s. The film had an all-star cast with Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Della Reese, Jasmine Guy, Lela Rochon and Arsenio Hall.
Before Aiello went into acting, he served in the military and then worked for Greyhound. He credits his mother for inspiring him to pursue acting at the age of 35.
“I knew I could do it, I knew it was within me,” Aiello said in an interview. “My mother told me, Danny you can do anything… My mother was legally blind. My mom was my hero in my life. I didn’t have a father home, so my mother brought seven of us up. My mother always instilled in me that confidence, that apparently I needed as an actor, especially as a beginning actor.”
Before his death, he was working on three films One Moment, The Italy Boys, and a musical short Hereafter Musical.
Credits: Getty Images for Photo / Bill Boggs for Video
