Tony Danza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Danza
Danza in 2003
Born	Anthony Salvatore Iadanza (1951-04-21) April 21, 1951 (age 74) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Dubuque (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Spouse(s)	Rhonda Yeoman ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1974)​ Tracy Robinson ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 2013)​
Children	4

Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza on April 21, 1951) is an American actor and former professional boxer. He is famous for his roles in popular TV shows like Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992). For these roles, he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Tony Danza won a People's Choice Award for his work on The Tony Danza Show. He has also appeared in many movies, including Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Don Jon (2013).

Tony Danza's Early Life

Tony Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 21, 1951. His parents were Anna Mary and Matthew Anthony Iadanza. His mother was a bookkeeper, and his father worked as a waste collector. Tony's grandparents came from Italy. He has a younger brother named Matty Jr.

Tony lived in East New York, Brooklyn, until he was 14. Then, his family moved to Malverne, New York, on Long Island. He graduated from Malverne Senior High School in 1968. Tony has said he was not a great student in high school.

He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1972 from the University of Dubuque. He went to college on a wrestling scholarship. In 1975, his friends jokingly entered him in a boxing tournament. Tony knocked out his first six opponents but lost in the finals.

During his first year of college, Tony got a tattoo on his arm. He also has a "Keep Punching" tattoo and his former wife's name, Tracy, on his chest.

Tony Danza's Career

Tony Danza has had an interesting career, from boxing to acting and even teaching!

Boxing Career

Before becoming an actor, Tony Danza was a professional boxer. He had a record of 8 wins and 3 losses. All 8 of his wins were by knockout, with 6 of them happening in the first round. He boxed from 1976 to 1979 in the middleweight division.

Acting and Show Business

Danza in 1995

Danza in 2012

Tony Danza was discovered by a TV producer at a boxing gym in New York. Soon after, he got a role on the TV show Taxi (1978-1983). He played Tony Banta, a cab driver and part-time boxer. Later, he starred in Who's the Boss? (1984–1992). In this show, he played Tony Micelli, a former baseball player who worked as a housekeeper and was a single dad.

In 1988, Tony Danza received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This honor recognized his important contributions to television.

Tony's first movie was the comedy The Hollywood Knights (1980). He also appeared in films like Going Ape! (1981) and She's Out of Control (1989). He played Mel Clark, a baseball player, in Angels in the Outfield (1994). He was also in the TV movie 12 Angry Men (1997) and the movie Crash (2004).

He also starred in TV shows like Hudson Street (1995) and The Tony Danza Show (1997). From 2000 to 2002, he had a role in the TV drama Family Law.

Tony Danza was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1998 for his guest role in the TV series The Practice. In 2002, he released his first music album, The House I Live In.

From 2004 to 2006, Tony hosted his own TV talk show, The Tony Danza Show. It was filmed in New York City. In 2005, he had a small accident during a go-kart race on his show but was not hurt.

Tony Danza also performed on Broadway. He played Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers from 2006 to 2007. He later played the role again in Las Vegas. In 2008, he hosted the 4th season of The Contender.

In 2013, he played Jon Martello Sr. in the movie Don Jon. More recently, he starred as Tony Caruso Sr. in the 2018 Netflix series The Good Cop. In this show, he played a former police officer who didn't always follow the rules.

Teaching Experience

During the 2009–2010 school year, Tony Danza filmed a reality show called Teach: Tony Danza for A&E. In the show, he co-taught a 10th-grade English class at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. The show premiered on October 1, 2010. He also wrote a book about his teaching experience, titled I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High, which came out in 2012.

Tony Danza's Personal Life

Tony Danza has been married twice. His first marriage was to Rhonda Yeoman in 1970. They had a son named Marc Anthony in 1971 and divorced in 1974. They later had a daughter named Gina in 1983. His son Marc even appeared on Taxi with him.

In 1986, Tony married Tracy Robinson. They separated in 2006 and their divorce was finalized in 2013. They have two daughters, Katie and Emily.

In 2008, Tony Danza and his son Marc wrote a cookbook together called Don't Fill Up on the Antipasto: Tony Danza's Father-Son Cookbook.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

Tony Danza has received several awards and nominations throughout his career:

• Nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Taxi (1979).
• Nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy for Who's the Boss? (1986, 1987, 1989).
• Won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a Television Series for The Tony Danza Show (1997).
• Nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for The Practice (1998).

See also

In Spanish: Tony Danza para niños