Tony Danza

Infobox actor
name = Tony Danza


imagesize =
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birthname = Antonio Salvatore Iadanza
birthdate = birth date and age|1951|04|21
birthplace = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
occupation = Actor/Television Personality
spouse = Tracy Robinson (1986-?)

Tony Danza (born Antonio Salvatore Iadanza [ [http://www.mooviees.com/2219-Tony-Danza/celebrity Tony Danza celebrity ] ] on April 21, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American actor best known for starring on the TV series, "Taxi" and "Who's the Boss?", as well as appearing in the motion picture, "Crash". He also hosted his own talk show, "The Tony Danza Show".

Acting career

From 1976 to 1979, Danza was a professional boxer with a 9-3 record, all 9 wins coming by way of knockout."Id." Danza earned a bachelor's degree in history education from the University of Dubuque, which he attended on a wrestling scholarship. Shortly after graduation, he was discovered by a producer at a boxing gymnasium in New York, and "Taxi" (1978) rolled into his life.

Danza is best known for his roles in "Taxi" (1978-1983), in which he played cab driver and part-time boxer Tony Banta, and "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992), portraying housekeeper and single father Tony Micelli.

Danza also starred in the short-lived sitcoms "Hudson Street" (1995) and "The Tony Danza Show" (1997), not be confused with his talk show of the same name. He had a role in the TV drama "Family Law" from 2000 until 2002.

He was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest-starring 1998 role in the TV series "The Practice". His movie debut was in the comedy "The Hollywood Knights" (1980), which was followed by "Going Ape!" (1981). He received critical acclaim for his performance in the 1999 Broadway revival of the Eugene O'Neill play "The Iceman Cometh".

In 2002, Danza released his debut album "The House I Live In" [ [{http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-2053673/Tony-Danza-Records-Debut-Album.html}] as a 50s-styled crooner.

Danza hosted his own TV talk show, "The Tony Danza Show", a nationally syndicated program produced each weekday morning in his hometown of New York (where it aired live). On May 9, 2005, during a go-kart race with NASCAR star Rusty Wallace, who was a guest on the show, Danza's kart flipped after Wallace accidentally bumped him. Neither he nor Wallace was wearing a helmet at the time. Danza returned to go-kart racing on October 20, 2005, to challenge IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, but his brakes malfunctioned and he skidded into a wall, unharmed. His daytime talk show ended in May 2006; the last live episode aired on May 26, 2006. The last episode was celebrated with performers from the Ringling Brothers Traveling Circus.

He starred on Broadway as Max Bialystock in "The Producers" from December 19, 2006, to March 11, 2007. [http://www.producersonbroadway.com/]

As of August 2007, he is continuing his starring role in "The Producers" at the Paris Las Vegas. [ [http://www.harrahs.com/EventsDetail.do?locationCode=PLV&detailName=the-producers-detail&eventTitle=The%20Producers Paris Las Vegas Events/Entertainment - The Producers ] ]

He reprised his role as Max Bialystock in "The Producers" at the Paris Las Vegas from August 13, 2007 [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/108942.html Playbill News: Tony Danza to "Flaunt It" in Las Vegas Producers This Summer ] ] to February 9, 2008. [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114948.html Playbill News: Vegas Production of The Producers Ends Feb. 9 ] ]

In May 2008, Danza released "Don't Fill Up On the Antipasto: Tony Danza's Father-Son Cookbook", [ [http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=616778&er=9781416544876 Simon & Schuster: Don't Fill Up on the Antipasto: Tony Danza's Father-Son Cookbook (Hardcover) ] ] a cookbook written by him and his son Marc, a chef.

Filmography

* "The Hollywood Knights" (1980) ... Duke
* "Going Ape!" (1981) ... Foster
* "Cannonball Run II" (1984) ... Terry
* "Mr. Thompson and His Bananas" (1988) ... Geraldo Thompson
* "She's Out of Control" (1989) ... Doug Simpson
* "I'm From Hollywood" (1992) ... Cameo
* "Angels in the Outfield" (1994) (Disney) ... Mel Clark
* "Illtown" (1996) ... D'Avalon
* "Dear God" (1996) ... Himself
* "12 Angry Men (1997 film)" (1997) ...Juror #7
* "Glam" (1997) ... Sid
* "The Girl Gets Moe" (1997) (on video) ... Moe
* "A Brooklyn State of Mind" (1997) ... Louie Crisci
* "Meet Wally Sparks" (1997) ... New York Cab Driver
* "Crash" (2005) ... Fred

TV appearances

* "Taxi" (1978) (series) ... Tony Banta
* "Murder Can Hurt You" (1980) ... Pony Lambretta
* "Single Bars, Single Women" (1984) ... Dennis
* "Who's the Boss?" (1984) (series) ... Anthony Morton "Tony" Micelli
* "Doing Life" (1986) ... Jerry Rosenberg
* "Freedom Fighter" (1988) ... Vic Ross
* "The Whereabouts of Jenny" (1991) ... Rowdy Patron
* "Baby Talk" (1991) (series) (voice) ... Baby Mickey Campbell
* "" (1991) ... Constible Farace
* "The Mighty Jungle" (1994) (series) (voice) ... Vinnie, the Alligator
* "Deadly Whispers" (1995) ... Tom Acton
* "Hudson Street" (1995) (series) ... Tony Canetti
* "" (1995) ... Cameo
* "Freakazoid!" (1996) ... Cameo Reference
* "" (1996) ... Co-host
* "North Shore Fish" (1996) ... Sal
* "12 Angry Men" (1997) ... Juror #7
* "The Tony Danza Show" (1997) (series) ... Tony DiMeo
* "The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon" (1998) ... Barney Gorman
* "Noah" (1998) ... Norman Waters
* "The Practice" (1999)
* "Family Law" (2000) ... Joe Celano
* "Miss America Pageant" (2001) ... Host
* "Stealing Christmas" (2003) ... Jack Clayton [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380728/ Stealing Christmas (2003) (TV) ] ]
* "The Tony Danza Show" (2004 – 2006) (talk show) ... Host
* "All My Children" (2005) (guest) ... Hotel Mgr.

References

reflisthttp://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3615214

External links

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* [http://www.thetonydanzashow.com "The Tony Danza Show" Website]
* [http://boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=28927 Professional Boxing Record]
* [http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/tony_danza.htm Interview with Tony Danza]
* [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=543433 Q&A: Tony Danza] at [http://www.broadway.com Broadway.com]