Ralph Macchio

Macchio was born in Huntington, New York, a suburb of New York City, on November 4, 1961. Ralph Sr. is of half Italian and half Greek descent while Rosalie is of Italian ancestry. In a 1980 screen test, Macchio said that his family was from Naples. In 1979, Macchio graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, New York. Macchio began tap dancing lessons at age three and was discovered by a talent agent at age 16. ==Career==

Macchio is known for appearing to be younger than he actually is and for portraying characters who are younger than he is. At age 20, he played a 16-year-old Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. At age 22, he played the 17-year-old Daniel LaRusso for the first time in The Karate Kid. Eight Is Enough and The Outsiders Macchio's first role came in a 1980 Bubble Yum commercial. That same year, Macchio was cast as Jeremy Andretti in the final season of Eight Is Enough. Daniel LaRusso Original Karate Kid films Macchio's work on The Outsiders helped him win the role of Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 blockbuster film The Karate Kid. Macchio continued to portray the character in two of its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989). In The Karate Kid, he portrayed a "high school weakling turned bullybuster" who learns karate from his friend and mentor, Mr. Miyagi (portrayed by Pat Morita). Macchio's work in the Karate Kid series made him "stratospherically famous." In June 2010, Macchio appeared in Funny or Die's online short, "Wax On, F*ck Off", where his loved ones stage an intervention to turn the former child star from a well-adjusted family man into an addict besieged with tabloid scandal in order to help his career, with frequent references to The Karate Kid. A recurring joke in the sketch is that Macchio is confused for an adolescent. The short was lauded by TV Guide's Bruce Fretts, who referred to the video as "sidesplitting" and "comic gold." In 2013, Macchio appeared in How I Met Your Mother. One of the main characters, Barney Stinson, asserts that Macchio's character, Daniel LaRusso, in The Karate Kid is not the real karate kid; instead, it is Johnny Lawrence, Daniel's nemesis in the film. That same year, he also voiced Daniel LaRusso along with a few other characters in an episode of Robot Chicken. During a celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Karate Kid at the Japanese American National Museum in 2014, Macchio said that the yellow 1947 Ford Super Deluxe convertible that his character Daniel receives from Mr. Miyagi in the first film was sitting in his garage. Cobra Kai in 2016 From 2018 to 2025, Macchio reprised the role of Daniel LaRusso for the martial arts comedy drama television series Cobra Kai created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Cobra Kai premiered on May 2, 2018, and concluded on February 13, 2025, after six seasons consisting of 65 episodes. Originally released on YouTube Red / YouTube Premium for its first two seasons, the series later moved to Netflix. Cobra Kai re-examines The Karate Kid films as Johnny Lawrence's "redemption story" that questions his role as a villain and also introduces the struggles that both Daniel and Johnny face with their respective father figures. In 2022, Macchio published his memoir Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me, where he reflects upon the legacy of the Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai. The book went on to become a New York Times best seller. Karate Kid: Legends In 2025, Macchio teamed up with Jackie Chan to again reprise the role of Daniel LaRusso in Karate Kid: Legends. Other roles In 1986, Macchio appeared in the 1986 film Crossroads, portraying music student Eugene Martone. That same year, Macchio starred in Cuba and His Teddy Bear on Broadway, alongside Robert De Niro. In 1992, Macchio starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy film My Cousin Vinny, playing Billy Gambini, who was wrongfully accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town. In 2005, Macchio played himself in the HBO series Entourage. On September 20, 2010, Macchio played the adult Carl Morelli in a staged reading of the Charles Messina play A Room of My Own presented by The Bleecker Street Theatre Company. His Funny or Die video entitled Wax On, F*ck Off, became a viral sensation in 2010. In February 2011, it was announced that Macchio would compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. He was eliminated during the semi-finals, placing fourth in the overall competition. Macchio appeared in Canadian band Danko Jones' music videos for "Had Enough" and "I Think Bad Thoughts." In April 2012, Macchio was cast in the film Hitchcock, based on the non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. He portrayed Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano. Some of his other film credits include Distant Thunder, Naked in New York, A Good Night to Die, Beer League and both Too Much Sun and Up the Academy with Robert Downey Jr. From 2017 to 2019, Macchio had a reucuring role as Officer Haddix on The Deuce. 2024–present Macchio was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2024. In October 2024, he was featured prominently in the music video of the Coldplay song "The Karate Kid". Macchio later joined the band on stage to perform the song during a show in Melbourne, Australia. ==Personal life==

Macchio was introduced to his future wife, Phyllis Fierro, by his grandmother when he was 15. They got married on April 5, 1987, and have two children together: Julia (b. 1992) and Daniel (b. 1996). Fierro is a nurse practitioner. A 2016 bobblehead promotion saw his likeness in the team's uniform donning the iconic 'crane kick' pose from The Karate Kid. On March 18, 2018, Macchio threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Mets game with William Zabka serving as the catcher. Macchio earned his black belt in karate in April 2025, a little more than 40 years after portraying Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid. In 2023, Macchio said that before the filming, he was trained in the Okinawan Gōjū-ryū defensive style of karate used by Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi character. In May 2025, Macchio and his Karate Kid: Legends co-star Jackie Chan were awarded an honorary black belt by the World Karate Federation during the film's New York premiere. Macchio still trains regularly as of 2025 and has credited the sport for helping him stay in shape. In 2022, Macchio was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, and was honored as a special recognition inductee "for his contribution to martial arts and sporting culture in America and beyond." Macchio is involved with multiple charities that support medical research and children's causes, such as the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and the Maurer Foundation. In 2016, he took part in a benefit featuring a screening of The Karate Kid to raise funds for a local wildlife rescue center. Macchio is also a strong advocate of breast health education and prevention due to his wife having a breast cancer scare in the past. ==Filmography==