Danny Aiello ✝

Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. (/aɪˈɛloʊ/; born June 20, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather Part II (1974), The Front (1976), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Moonstruck (1987), Harlem Nights (1989), Hudson Hawk (1991), Ruby (1992), Léon: The Professional (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Dinner Rush (2000), and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). He had a pivotal role in the Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing (1989) as Salvatore "Sal" Frangione, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries The Last Don (1997).\n', ' Aiello, the fifth of six children, was born on West 68th Street, Manhattan, the son of parents, Frances (née Pietrocova), a seamstress, and Daniel Louis Aiello, a laborer, who deserted his children and wife, who had lost her eyesight and become legally blind. For many years, Aiello publicly condemned his father but the two reconciled in 1993, although Aiello harbors a resentment of his father\'s conduct. He moved to the South Bronx when he was seven, and later attended James Monroe High School.\n', ' At the age of 16, Aiello lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Army. After serving for three years, he returned to New York City and did various jobs in order to support himself and later his family. Aiello served as a union representative for Greyhound Bus workers and was a night club bouncer at the legendary New York comedy club, The Improv.[citation needed]\n', '