Ralph Macchio

Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( MAH-chee-oh; Italian: [ˈmakkjo]; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Daniel LaRusso in four Karate Kid films (1984–2025) and in Cobra Kai (2018–2025), a sequel television series. For his work in the latter, Macchio was nominated for two Critics' Choice Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. He is also known for portraying Johnny Cade in Francis Ford Coppola's ensemble 1983 film, The Outsiders, and Bill Gambini in Joe Pesci's 1992 film My Cousin Vinny. Additional notable performances were in Eight Is Enough (1980–1981), Crossroads (1986), Ugly Betty (2008–2009), and The Deuce (2017–2019). He has also worked as a director and has produced two short films. Macchio received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024.

Early life

Macchio was born in Huntington, New York, a suburb of New York City, on November 4, 1961. He is the son of Rosalie (née DeSantis) and Ralph George Macchio Sr., who owned a few laundromats and a wastewater disposal company. Macchio has a younger brother named Steven. 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. He also learned a small amount of karate and jiujitsu in elementary school.