Danny Aiello Movies
An Italian-American character actor with a beefy physique, no-nonsense expression, and intimidating presence, Danny Aiello came to acting late in life, having been a bus driver, a transport labor official, a night-club bouncer, and (he claims) an occasional thief. He began performing at an improvisational night spot. As he was approaching middle age, he appeared in a regional theater production of Jason Miller's That Championship Season, for which he won a Most Outstanding Newcomer award. Aiello made his screen debut in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), and he went on over the next 15 years to play a succession of tough guys, cops, brutes, slobs, and "ordinary guys" in a wide variety of movies, but broke out of that mold when he portrayed Cher's fiancée in Moonstruck (1987). For his portrayal of a pizza parlor owner in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing two years later, Aiello received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He went on to become one Hollywood's more prolific character actors; between 1989 and 1996, he appeared in 26 feature films. The actor's first lead role came in the title part of Ruby (1992). In addition to his screen work, Aiello has also appeared frequently on Broadway, and in 1976, he won a Theater World Award for his Broadway debut in Lampost Reunion. His work in TV movies includes the acclaimed A Family of Strangers (1980). ~ All Movie Guide- 2007
Six people become three couples in the wake of the emotional chaos of 9/11 in this three-part drama adapted from the off-Broadway play by Susan Charlotte. Hilary (Judith Light) is a fiftysomething movie buff who teaches film studies. On the afternoon of September 11, she discovers there's a hole in her shoe, and she turns to a cobbler (Danny Aiello) with a passion for opera for an emergency repair; while they don't get along at first, they bond over a shared love of the classic Italian film The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. Elsewhere, Nan (Margaret Colin) is a would-be actress who supports herself working at a travel agency who is trying to make sense of her on-again, off-again relationship with filmmaker Bob (John Shea). And a real-estate woman with a bad case of nerves (Laila Robins) has her expectations up-ended by a chatty taxi driver (Bob Dishy). A Broken Sole was the first feature film from director Antony Marsellis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Judith Light, (more)
- 2006
Filmmaking duo Frank and Joe Ciota follow up 1997's The North End and 2001's Ciao America with this black comedy about an Italian-American funeral home struggling to remain afloat as an influx of young, healthy bodies into the neighborhood finds business slowing. Ragucci's the nation's oldest Italian-American funeral home, and owner Felix Ragucci (Joe Sicari) is determined to stay in business. At the heart of Frank's business is Frank Tramontana (Danny Aiello), a former public relations executive who now drives a hearse for a living. Frank is a handsome man who prides himself on both his spotless reputation and his remarkable ability to seduce young women like statuesque beauty Lauren (Heather Tom). Ragussi's holds a special place in Frank's heart, not only because so many people he knows received their final farewells there but also because it serves as a community center for the close-knit family that works there. When Frank learns that Ragucci's may finally be closing their doors, he recruits fellow employees John "The Prince" Monaco (Jon Polito) and Nino Degeneroso (Louis Vanaria) in concocting a scheme to keep the funeral home afloat. But Frank is about to find out that it isn't easy to save the day while attempting to keep up with a much younger girlfriend and negotiate your son's tuition with your demanding ex-wife, and when the gang's shady scheme draws the attention of local gossip writer Sid Buford (Frank Bongiorno), all three will be begging to bury the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Jon Polito, (more)
On the eve of his fifty-sixth birthday, a lifelong football fan suffering from Down Syndrome roots for his favorite team to make their first playoff championship match in twenty-six years. The average life expectancy of a person suffering from Down Syndrome is 55, but Walter "Shorty" Simms is far from average. An essential part of the Hampden-Sydney College community for twenty-eight years, Simms as managed to become a community icon while inspiring the students of the prestigious all-male university to pursue their dreams at any cost. Now, in the same semester that Shorty is about to be introduced into the Hampden-Sydney College Athletic Hall of Fame, the Hampton-Sydney Tigers are poised to make the playoffs for the first time in over a quarter of a century. On the day of the big game against the formidable Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets, 107 years of rivalry burn up the gridiron as Shorty celebrates his birthday while praying for the only present he really wants - a Tigers victory and a shot at the championship title. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Three famous vocalists find their lives don't harmonize well off-stage in this farcical comedy. Armand Dupres (George Hamilton), Ricardo Palacios (Joe Mantegna), and Fabrizio Bernini (Danny Aiello) are three well-respected opera singers who have risen to superstardom thanks to a successful series of recordings and performances as a trio. However, after a disastrous concert in Mexico City, the three singers (all possessing king-sized egos) split up the act and refuse to talk to one another. A few years later, Palacios' career has taken a nosedive, and he's willing to set aside his differences and put the group back together. However, that's before he discovers that Dupres is engaged to marry his rebellious daughter Carmen (Ariadna Gil), and that his ex-wife has married Bernini. Can Palacios stop the wedding between Dupres and Carmen, win back his wife from Bernini, and still get the trio back on the road? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Known for his sex-charged erotic dramas and thrillers, British director Adrian Lyne made a name for himself with such racy fare as 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, and Lolita. This video profile highlights his career, featuring interviews with Jeremy Irons, Anne Archer, and Tim Robbins. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Produced for the A&E cable network, this third installment in their four-part "Rat Pack" series looks at the informal partnership between legendary entertainers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop as it came to its peak in 1960. That year, Sinatra and Martin were confirmed as two of the biggest names in show business, while Davis, with Sinatra's help, gained well-deserved success as a top headliner in Las Vegas and the nightclub circuit, and Lawford found a new market for his talents performing as a song and dance man in Las Vegas. The four began dropping in on each other's shows, culminating in a fabled month-long engagement for the quartet at the Sands Hotel, where a fifth member was added to the group, comedian Joey Bishop. The group also made the definitive film document of the Rat Pack's zenith, Ocean's Eleven, not knowing that their greatest moment was soon to draw to a close. Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, and Pat Cooper share their memories of the Rat Pack in exclusive interviews; actor Danny Aiello narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The second documentary in a four-part series produced by the A&E cable network, The Rat Pack: True Stories of the Original Kings of Cool, Vol. 2 - The Road to Vegas examines how the careers of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis Jr., would come together as members of the legendary "Rat Pack." Sinatra's career takes a nosedive after a number of unsuccessful movies and records, as well as public scrutiny of his stormy marriage to Ava Gardner, while Martin's future looks questionable following the dissolution of his partnership with comic Jerry Lewis. Lawford's acting career goes flat after a promising start, and Davis has to deal with institutional racism -- he often was not allowed to stay in hotels where he appeared as an entertainer -- as well as the loss of an eye in an auto accident. However, as Las Vegas emerges as America's new entertainment Mecca in the 1950s, all four men find their careers rising to new heights, and their personal friendship would grow into a professional partnership that would capture the public's imagination. Includes remarkable footage of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performing with legendary rhythm and blues act The Treniers, as well as interviews with Lewis, Milton Berle, Janet Leigh, and Tony Curtis. Danny Aiello narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
This documentary, the first of a four-part series produced for the A&E cable network, explores the dawning days of the careers of the men who would make up one of the greatest entertainment phenomena of the 1950s and '60s, "The Rat Pack." Frank Sinatra rises from a Hoboken saloon singer to be the idol of bobby-soxers across America, Dean Martin goes from being just another crooner to finding major stardom with comic Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford is discovered while pumping gas and becomes a matinee idol, and Sammy Davis Jr., a child of vaudeville, begins his rise to fame, which is hampered by the racism of the entertainment industry. Includes interviews with Jerry Lewis, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, and Pat Cooper; narrated by Danny Aiello. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The finale to the A&E four-part documentary series The Rat Pack, this video explores how the partnership of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop came to an end. In 1960, Sinatra actively supported the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy as a spokesman and fund-raiser; it's also widely believed that he used his connections with organized crime figures to help bring out the vote for Kennedy. However, while helping to crown the King of Camelot should have been Sinatra's greatest triumph, it also helped bring an end to the era of the Rat Pack. Sinatra believed that Kennedy never adequately expressed his gratitude for his pivotal role in getting him elected (especially after Kennedy's Attorney General and brother, Robert Kennedy, began aggressively pursuing several of Sinatra's friends), and it drove a wedge into his relationship with Lawford, who was Kennedy's brother-in-law. While Martin and Davis joined Sinatra to make the movie Robin and the Seven Hoods in 1964, they increasingly went their separate ways in the future. Danny Aiello contributes narration, while Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, and Milton Berle share their memories. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this comedy, Nydia (Thalia) was born in New York City to a family of Puerto Rican immigrants who run a restaurant. Nydia is on summer vacation after her freshman year at Boston University, and comes home to discover things are not well with the family business; customers have not been coming around, and unless they start coming back, the family will be in serious trouble. Word in the neighborhood has it that Fat Tony (Robert Costanzo), a local Mob boss, is on the outs with his superiors and is expected to be the victim of a Mob hit. Nydia's brother Ricky (Rick Gonzalez) gets an idea -- if Fat Tony gets whacked in their restaurant, the publicity would be invaluable, so he invites Fat Tony to dine there every day on the house. Fat Tony takes Ricky up on the offer, and sure enough, Fat Tony becomes the victim of a Mob hit, with curious crime devotees packing the restaurant from then on. However, since Fat Tony had been hanging out at the restaurant, some of his former associates get the idea that Ricky had a hand in the double dealings that helped get Fat Tony killed, and soon Ricky gets a visit from some very ill-tempered gangsters. Meanwhile, Nydia has convinced her college boyfriend Chris (Richard Hillman), who studies at Harvard, that she's actually the daughter of a wealthy family from Argentina -- which leaves her with a lot of explaining to do when Chris shows up. Mambo Café also stars Paul Rodriguez, Danny Aiello, and Rosana De Soto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Paul Rodriguez, (more)
During her valedictorian address at her high school graduation, Renata Devereaux (Shanee Edwards) makes a startling confession: She's killed a fellow student. In flashbacks, she tells the story of how she came to accidentally drown a student (Charles Newmark) who taunted her. After that drowning, Renata, who can't keep out of trouble, helps her friend Jodi (Cherilyn Hayres) get an abortion, but the citizens of her small town, seeing Renata on television during an abortion protest, think Renata was the one that was pregnant. Consequently, Renata and Jodi have a lesbian fling. Life with her ex-sheriff father (Danny Aiello) and Zen-obsessed mother (Sally Kirkland) takes a dramatic turn during all of this, but somehow Renata is still the class valedictorian. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Vincent (Danny Aiello), aging, war-weary hit man for the Mob, becomes the target of Tommy (William Forsythe), the hot-headed son of the new family boss. While Vincent considers his options (retirement, of course, is not one of them) and reflects on his violent life, Tommy tries to find the wherewithal to slay the man he considers a lifelong father figure. Still, a contract's a contract. Can religion, loyalty, or money save Vincent from his apparent fate?
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
This four-hour miniseries is a sequel to 1997's top-rated miniseries, The Last Don,based on the novel by Mario Puzo of The Godfather fame, but several critics noted that The Last Don II is unintentionally funny. After Don Clericuzio (Danny Aiello, the pivotal figure in the first series) dies from old age, Clericuzio's enemies come out of the woodwork with bullets and bombs. Clericuzio's nephew Cross De Lena (Jason Gedrick) is peacefully enjoying life in Paris with his attractive wife and his autistic stepdaughter; when the wife has a mail bomb go off in her face, it marks the unleashing of a new wave of violence. Rose Marie Clericuzio (Kirstie Alley), who still bemoans the killing of her son (during the first series), encounters romantic problems with Father Luca Tonarini (Jason Isaacs). With teacher and nanny Josie Cirolia (Patsy Kensit) caring for Cross' autistic stepdaughter, it's not long before the widower and the nanny take an interest in each other. But when will he figure out that she's an FBI agent? Cross's sister is Hollywood studio exec Claudia (Michelle Rene Thomas); she's married to muscular, Austrian-accented actor Dirk (Andrew Jackson), star of an action movie titled The Fumigator. Premiered May 3, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Gedrick, Patsy Kensit, (more)
- 1997
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In 1972, investigative reporter Geraldo Rivera used a stolen key to secretly enter the now infamous Staten Island's Willowbrook State School, where he documented how disabled children were left living in conditions of deplorable neglect, all of them filthy, unhealthy, and infected with hepatitis. Now, 25 years after the shocking investigation, host Danny Aiello revisits the incident, remembering the over 5,000 children who were living in the facility at the time and focusing on three former residents, to see how the effects of the institution have been felt by families and friends of patients as well. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
This crime drama, based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, follows 20 years in the long reign of powerful Mafia kingpin Don Domenico Clericuzio (Danny Aiello). For years, the Clericuzios have been warring with a rival crime family, the Santadios, which is not helped when Domenico's daughter Rose Marie (Kirstie Alley) decides to marry the son of the head of the Santadio clan. On the night of Rose Marie's wedding, Domenico orders the execution of the entire Santadio family, including his new son-in-law. Rose Marie is pregnant as a result of her brief honeymoon, and her son Dante (Rory Cochrane) grows up to become a hired killer with a bitter hatred of his grandfather. Meanwhile, Pippi De Lena (Joe Mantegna), Domenico's key enforcer who carried out the slaughter of the Santadinos, has been grooming his son Croccifixio (Jason Gedrick) to take over as the Clericuzio's new trigger man. However, after he muffs a crucial execution, Croccifixio is sent to work with the family's operations in Las Vegas, where he becomes involved with starlet Athena Aquitane (Daryl Hannah). Soon Dante makes a risky bid to seize control of the Santadio family's crime empire. Originally produced as a television miniseries, the home video release of The Last Don is 262-min. long and it includes material not used for television broadcast. The video version features adult language and nudity and received an R rating. The Last Don co-stars Robert Wuhl, Penelope Ann Miller, Seymour Cassel, Burt Young, and k.d. lang. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Joe Mantegna, (more)
- 1997
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John Henderson directed this British comedy, taking a peek inside the British music industry. Record-company owner Marty Starr (Rik Mayall) concludes that Marla Dorland, aka Mavis Davis (Jane Horrocks) is fading. Meanwhile, he has to meet alimony payments to his ex (Jaclyn Mendoza), while he's forced to promote the untalented son of a mobster, Rathbone (Danny Aiello). To get out from under, Marty decides that the death of Marla/Mavis could jolt record sales by turning her into a legend. He hires hitman Clint (Philip Martin-Brown), but eliminating Mavis turns out to be more difficult than they thought. Jane Horrocks does her own singing in the musical production numbers. Shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rik Mayall, Jane Horrocks, (more)
- 1996
This 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Danny Aiello and features musical guest Coolio. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Coolio, (more)
A hybrid cross-pollination of a Martin Scorsese and Frank Capra film, this feel-good comic fantasy is loosely based on the real-life story of a New York lottery winner. Anthony LaPaglia stars as Frank Pesce Jr., a New Yorker with a good-luck streak that is unmatched in his Little Italy neighborhood. When Frank throws a pair of dice in a game of chance, he doesn't just toss a winning hand, the dice land on top of each other. When he's stabbed in the chest by a girlfriend's brother, his doctors find a pre-cancerous tumor. Although he tries again and again to get rid of a vehicle he no longer wants, it is retrieved every single time by the authorities. So when New York announces its first statewide lottery in 1976, Frank buys one ticket and immediately becomes everybody's best friend. Unfortunately, Frank's good luck is matched by the equally bad luck of his hard-working father, Frank Sr. (Danny Aiello), who has run up a gambling debt to a local mobster. The wise guy is willing to forgive the note if Frank Jr. will just hand over his sure-to-be lucky ticket, leaving the city's luckiest Italian-American in a bit of a moral quandary. The real Frank Pesce Jr. executive produces and co-stars in 29th Street as his own police officer brother, Vito. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Anthony LaPaglia, (more)
- 1989
Spike Lee's 1989 movie Do The Right Thing was a bombshell when it came out, particularly because of its honest and unapologetic treatment of interracial prejudices in Bedford Stuyvesant. This documentary not only explores the director's filmmaking exploits, but explores the neighborhood and its residents, to discover what effect (if any) the film is having on their lives. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, (more)
- 1989
Based on a true story, The Preppie Murder begins on August 26, 1986. This was the day that 18-year-old Jennifer Levin (Lara-Flynn Boyle) was strangled to death in Central Park. The prime suspect, Jennifer's 19-year-old boyfriend Robert Chambers (William Baldwin), confesses to the crime. The well-to-do young man insists that the killing was accidental; he claims that it occurred during a "rough sex" session that Jennifer had inaugurated. The ensuing media frenzy forces the old "she asked for it" defense to rear its ugly head. The Preppie Murder's attempts at fairness caused a great deal of critical turmoil when the film first aired on September 24, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
