American actor Ralph Macchio gained recognition for his portrayal of Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 film The Karate Kid and its two sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989). He also reprised his role in the Netflix sequel series, Cobra Kai.
Early Life
Hailing from Huntington, New York, Ralph George Macchio Jr. was born on November 4, 1961, to Rosalie and Ralph George Macchio Sr. His father, who is of mixed Italian and Greek heritage, owned several laundromats and a wastewater disposal company.
Macchio’s younger brother, Steven, is also part of the family. During a screen test in 1980, Macchio mentioned that his family originated from Naples.
Macchio completed his studies at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, New York in 1979. He started taking tap dancing classes when he was only three years old and was scouted by a talent agent when he turned 16.
Ralph Macchio’s Career
At the age of sixteen, Ralph Macchio was noticed and chosen to play the recurring role of Jeremy Andretti in the TV series “Eight Is Enough” (1980-1981). He then went on to make his first appearance in a feature film with the comedy “Up the Academy” (1980) and later starred in “The Outsiders” (1983).
His portrayal in the latter movie played a significant role in his being cast as Daniel LaRusso in “Karate Kid” (1984). This character is widely recognized as his breakthrough role, which propelled him to become a popular figure in Hollywood. The film’s success was so great that it spawned not just one, but two sequels: “The Karate Kid Part II” (1986) and “The Karate Kid Part III” (1989).
Some of his other movie credits include his role as music student Eugene Martone in the 1986 film “Crossroads,” playing the son of John Lithgow’s character in the 1988 drama “Distant Thunder,” and appearing in the 1990 comedy “Too Much Sun,” directed by Robert Downey Sr. and starring Robert Downey Jr.
Ralph Macchio also starred in the 1992 comedy “My Cousin Vinny” alongside Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, was part of the ensemble cast in the romantic comedy “Naked in New York” (1993), and appeared in the comedy-drama “Can’t Be Heaven” (1999).
In 2003, he acted in the thriller “A Good Night to Die” with other notable actors such as Michael Rapaport, Gary Stretch, and Ally Sheedy. He also had roles in “Hitchcock” (2012), “A Little Game” (2014), and “Psych: The Movie” (2017), among other projects.
Ralph Macchio has made guest appearances on several TV shows, including the self-titled role in the HBO series “Entourage” (2005), as well as playing Archie Rodriguez, the love interest of Hilda, on ABC’s “Ugly Betty” (2008). He also appeared as himself on “How I Met Your Mother” (2013), alongside William Zabka, in the episode “The Bro Mitzvah”.
In 2011, he also became a participant in the 12th season of the popular reality TV show “Dancing with the Stars”. He was paired with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff and managed to reach the semi-finals, but was eventually voted off and ended up in fourth place overall.
In 2018, Ralph Macchio made his comeback to the dojo by taking on the lead role in the YouTube-produced revival of Karate Kid, known as “Cobra Kai“. The second installment of Cobra Kai debuted in April 2019.
For their work on the first two seasons, both Ralph and William Zabka, who reprises his iconic character Johnny, received a reported $100,000 for each episode, totaling approximately $1 million per person per season. They also hold the position of co-executive producers for the show.
Personal Life
Ralph Macchio is married to Phyllis Fierro, a nurse practitioner. They have two children together. They were first introduced by Macchio’s grandmother when he was only 15 years old, and they tied the knot in 1987. Additionally, Macchio is the proud owner of the 1947 yellow Ford seen in the movie Karate Kid, which he waxes.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $8 million, Ralph Macchio is a renowned American actor in both television and film. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Daniel La Russo in the popular “Karate Kid” movies and the subsequent television series “Cobra Kai”.
