American actor Ralph Macchio began acting in 1980, and four years later he made his breakthrough into the mainstream with the role of Daniel LaRusso in the martial arts film The Karate Kid, which became a huge commercial and critical success. Although Macchio has also worked on other projects, none seems to have become as famous as his work on Karate Kid. In 2018, fans of the film had a nostalgic experience when Macchio returned to revive his role in the 2018 series Cobra Kai, which debuted on YouTube Red.
Ralph Macchio Bio (Age)
Macchio was born on November 4, 1961, the son of Ralph George Macchio jr. as the son of Ralph Macchio sen. and Rosalie (née DeSantis). He grew up alongside his two younger brothers. Ralph Macchio is of Italian and Greek descent. As a child at the age of 3 years, Macchio was interested in tap dancing. He continued dancing as a hobby until he was discovered at the age of 16 by an agent who later introduced him to acting.
Macchio was initially indifferent to the idea of acting but nevertheless continued to audition for roles. His early roles were in commercials. He became a teenage favorite for his role as Jeremy Andretti, Betty Buckley’s cousin in the television series “Eight is Enough”. After the end of the series, Macchio became one of the then-emerging actors, including Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe, who was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film The Outsiders.
Ralph Macchio gained international recognition for the role of high school student Daniel LaRusso in Karate Kid (1984). Although Macchio was 22 years old when the film was shot, his young appearance made him a perfect fit for the role.
With the success of Karate Kid, Ralph became a favorite of many teenagers, but his career struggled thereafter as his subsequent films were hardly successful. He starred in the two following sequels of Karate Kid. Macchio tried his hand at film and tried his hand at the theater, where he had only moderate success.
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Where Is He Now?
After the last Karate Kid movie was released in 1989, Ralph Macchio could not compare the success of his role as Daniel LaRusso with any other role. He mainly acted in TV movies and short films that had little appeal.
On the small screen, Ralph Macchio appeared as a guest on numerous television shows, appearing in only one episode of the programs. However, his career received the much-needed boost in 2011 when he appeared in the twelfth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. He was eliminated in the semi-finals and finished fourth overall.
After the dance show, Macchio appeared in a handful of major films, including He is much more famous than you, Hitchcock, A Little Game, and Lost Cat Corona. He also added a producer to his repertoire who had an appearance with National Geographic.
His greatest performance in recent years was undoubtedly his return to the Karate Kid story with Cobra Kai. Besides acting, Macchio is the co-producer of the show along with William Zabka. Cobra Kai’s goal is to document the events 34 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament.
Ralph Macchio Net Worth
The main source of income for Ralph Macchio is his acting career. Over the years he has played the lead role in a number of projects which have earned him an estimated net worth of $3 million.
Wife and Kids
Ralph Macchio is married to Phyllis Fierro, who is a nurse. The couple married on April 5, 1987, when Macchio was 26 years old. Macchio already knew Phyllis at the age of 15 when he was introduced to her by his grandmother. The couple now has two children together, including daughter Julia and son Daniel, who were born in 1992 and 1996 respectively.
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Macchio’s daughter Julia is already following in his footsteps. She played a small part in the role of a clubgoer in the 2013 film “Girl Most Likely”. During the screening of the film at Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema, Macchio accompanied her daughter to the red carpet event hosted by The Cinema Society and Brooks Brothers.
At the premiere, Macchio revealed that Julia had cast the role in the film all by herself and without the help of her famous father.
Height and Other Body Facts
Height: 5 feet 8.5 inches.
Weight: 72 kg
Shoe Size: 10
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Brown
