What was Danny Aiello's Net Worth and Salary?
Danny Aiello is an American actor who had a net worth of $6 million at the time of his death in 2019. Danny died on December 12, 2019 at the age of 86. Danny Aiello was known for his performances in such films as "Once Upon a Time in America," "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Moonstruck," "Ruby," and "Do the Right Thing," the lattermost of which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. On television, he had starring roles in the miniseries "The Last Don" and on the crime series "Dellaventura." Aiello also appeared in many stage productions, including such Broadway shows as "Wheelbarrow Closers," "Gemini," and "Hurlyburly."
Early Life
Danny Aiello was born on June 20, 1933 in the Manhattan borough of New York City as the fifth of six children of Daniel Sr. and Frances. His father was a laborer, while his mother was a seamstress originally from Naples, Italy. After Aiello's mother lost her eyesight, his father deserted the family. When he was seven, he moved to the South Bronx, where he later went to James Monroe High School.
Career Beginnings
When he was 16, Aiello lied about his age to join the US Army. He served for three years, after which time he returned to New York to take on a number of odd jobs. As a young adult, Aiello became the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union's New York Local 1202, through which he represented Greyhound Bus workers. Among his other jobs, he served as a bouncer at the Improv comedy club in New York City.
Film Career, Part 1
In 1973, Aiello made his film acting debut as a ballplayer named Horse in the baseball drama "Bang the Drum Slowly," starring Robert De Niro. The following year, he appeared in a brief role in another De Niro film, "The Godfather: Part II." Throughout the remainder of the 70s, Aiello was in "The Front," "Fingers," and "Bloodbrothers." In 1980, he appeared alongside Jan-Michael Vincent and Art Carney in the crime film "Defiance," and also had a role in the drama "Hide in Plain Sight," starring James Caan. Aiello subsequently garnered praise for his role as a racist New York City cop in the 1981 crime film "Fort Apache, The Bronx." He was next in the comedy "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash" and the drama "Old Enough." In 1984, Aiello appeared in his third film alongside Robert De Niro, "Once Upon a Time in America"; in the Sergio Leone crime epic, he played a police chief also named Aiello.
In 1985, Aiello had a memorable role as Monk, the brutish husband of Mia Farrow's main character in Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo." The same year, he appeared in "The Stuff," "The Protector," and "Key Exchange." In 1987, Aiello reunited with Woody Allen to play Rocco in the director's "Radio Days"; he also had notable roles in "Man on Fire," "The Pick-up Artist," and "Moonstruck" that same year. Aiello was subsequently in "The Third Solution," "The January Man," and "Harlem Nights." He went on to earn the best reviews of his career for his performance in Spike Lee's 1989 racial drama "Do the Right Thing." Playing racist pizzeria owner Sal, Aiello received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
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Film Career, Part 2
Aiello kicked off the 90s with a memorable role as a chiropractor in the psychological horror film "Jacob's Ladder." He next appeared in "Once Around," "Hudson Hawk," and "29th Street," and starred as Jack Ruby, the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, in "Ruby." Aiello continued to be prolific on the big screen throughout the rest of the 90s, starring in such films as "Mistress"; "The Cemetery Club"; "The Pickle"; "Me and the Kid"; "City Hall"; "2 Days in the Valley"; "Mojave Moon"; "Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis"; and "A Brooklyn State of Mind." He also starred in the Academy Award-winning short film "Lieberman in Love," and had supporting roles in films including "Léon: The Professional" and "Prêt-à-Porter."
In the early 2000s, Aiello had leading roles in "Dinner Rush," "Prince of Central Park," and "Off Key." Later, he starred in "Brooklyn Lobster" and was part of the ensemble cast of the crime thriller "Lucky Number Slevin." Aiello's later credits include the ensemble drama "Reach Me," from 2014; the 2017 Canadian film "The Neighborhood," costarring Franco Nero; and the 2018 romcom "Little Italy," which was Aiello's final film role before his passing.
Television Career
On the small screen, Aiello earned acclaim for his starring role as Don Domenico Clericuzio in the 1997 CBS miniseries "The Last Don," based on the eponymous Mario Puzo novel. The same year, he began playing the main role of private detective Anthony Dellaventura on the CBS crime series "Dellaventura," which aired for a single season through 1998. Among his other credits, Aiello was in numerous television films throughout his career, including "The Last Tenant," "A Question of Honor," "Daddy," and "The Preppie Murder." He also appeared in the ABC Afterschool Special "A Family of Strangers," winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 1981.
Stage Career
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Aiello performed in many Broadway productions. Notably, he was in three plays by Louis La Russo II in the former decade: "Lamppost Reunion," "Wheelbarrow Closers," and "Knockout." During this time, he originated the titular role in the Albert Innaurato play "Gemini." In 1981, Aiello appeared in Woody Allen's play "The Floating Light Bulb." He returned to Broadway four years later to star in a replacement cast version of David Rabe's "Hurlyburly." Aiello subsequently starred as Billy Einhorn in "The House of Blue Leaves." Following a 16-year hiatus from the stage, he starred in Elaine May's 2002 comedy "Adult Entertainment." Aiello's final two stage credits were 2011's "The Shoemaker" and 2017's "Home for the Holidays," both off-Broadway.
Personal Life and Death
In 1955, Aiello married Sandy Cohen; together, they had four children named Danny III, Rick, Jaime, and Stacey. Danny III, a stuntman and actor, passed away from cancer in 2010. Rick, also an actor, passed from cancer in 2021. Aiello himself passed away in December of 2019 at the age of 86.
