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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 14 december 2019

Blue-collar character actor Danny Aiello has died at age 86

By MARK KENNEDY “The Last Don,” “A Woman
Associated Press Named Jackie” and in the
NEW YORK (AP) — Dan- 1985-86 police series “Lady
ny Aiello, the blue-collar Blue.” It was Aiello who
character actor whose played Madonna’s father
long career playing tough in the pop icon’s “Papa
guys included roles in Don’t Preach” video.
“Fort Apache, the Bronx,” A child of New York’s Hell’s
“Moonstruck” and “Once Kitchen neighborhood, Ai-
Upon a Time in America” ello retained the pugnacity
and his Oscar-nominated he learned on city streets.
performance as a pizza “During the early times in
man in Spike Lee’s “Do the my acting career, I would
Right Thing,” has died. He fight at the drop of a hat,”
was 86. he said in 1985. “I was very
Aiello (pronounced eye- hungry. If there were ob-
YEL-o) died Thursday night stacles, I tried to remove
after a brief illness, said his them.” He added that
publicist, Tracey Miller, who sometimes he engaged in
runs Tracey Miller & Associ- fistfights with actors after
ates. “The family asks for work because of incidents
privacy at this time,” she during filming or rehearsals.
said in a statement. Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. was
In a tweet, Cher mourned born June 20, 1933, to Ital-
the man she called “a ge- ian parents. His father, a
nius comedic actor.” The laborer, left the family of
two had starred in “Moon- seven children, and Daniel
struck” and she called it started working at age 9
“one of the happiest times In this Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, file photo, actor Danny Aiello smiles while being photographed in New selling newspapers, work-
in my life.” Actor Michael York. ing in a grocery store and
Rapaport tweeted that Associated Press bowling alley, shining shoes
Aiello was a “huge inspira- and loading trucks. In his
tion” and actor Kirk Acev- laughter, and although most of my work has been of Brooklyn, the movie cli- teenage years, he joined
edo mourned: “We lost a he wasn’t nominated for in the police area. And for maxing with a riot that a street gang and, he
great actor today.” a supporting-role Oscar that I’m adored by the po- destroys his eatery. “This is claimed, engaged in bur-
Recognizable, if not fa- (Cher and Olympia Duka- lice in New York City.” my pizzeria!” he cried. Lee glary and safe-cracking.
mous, for his burly build kis won in their categories), The ebullient Aiello be- had first offered the role to He dropped out of high
and husky voice, he was Aiello was inundated with came a favorite of several Robert De Niro, but Aiello’s school before graduating,
an ex-union president who movie offers. directors, among them performance brought him got married in 1955 and
broke into acting in his 30s “Living in New York City Woody Allen, who used an Oscar nomination for joined the Army.
and remained a depend- gave me training for any him in the Broadway play supporting actor. After three years in the ser-
able player for decades, role,” he said in a 1997 in- “The Floating Light Globe” Among his other movies: vice, he worked at several
whether vicious or cuddly terview. “I’ve seen people and the movies “Broad- “Fort Apache, the Bronx” factory jobs, landing as a
or some of each. killed, knifed. I’ve got scars way Danny Rose,” “The (as a cop who threw a boy baggage man at Grey-
His breakthrough, ironi- on my face. I have emo- Purple Rose of Cairo” and from a building), “Once hound. The ambitious Ai-
cally, was as the hapless tional recall when I work; “Radio Days.”Lee was an- Upon a Time in America,” ello rose to become presi-
lover dumped by Cher in the idea is simply to recre- other admirer and for “Do “Harlem Nights,” “Jack dent of the transit union.
Norman Jewison’s hit com- ate it. I’ve seen it and ex- the Right Thing” cast Ai- Ruby” (as Ruby) and”City “I wanted to become a
edy “Moonstruck.” His disil- perienced it. I’ve played ello as a pizzeria operator Hall.” He also appeared politician,” he told a re-
lusion contributed to the gangsters, teachers but in a black neighborhood in TV miniseries, including porter in 1995. q

Grammy-winner Anderson .Paak supports hometown arts center

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Rapper ate a space where people could
and singer Anderson .Paak is record music, rehearse plays and
lending his support to an arts cen- have boxing matches.
ter facing closure in his Southern “I want this to be a hub for cre-
California hometown of Oxnard. ativity,” .Paak said. “The city de-
The Grammy-winner visited the serves it.”
Oxnard Performing Arts and Con- Paak, an eclectic musician who
vention Center and urged his blends funk, hip-hop and R&B,
fans to donate to keep the city- named his 2018 album “Oxnard.”
owned facility open, the Ventura The performing arts center used
County Star reported Wednes- to receive an annual $1 million
day. His Brandon Anderson Foun- subsidy from the city before of-
dation said donated money ficials announced it would shut
would be set aside for the center, down at the end of this year. Cen- In this Dec. 4, 2019 file photo, Anderson .Paak arrives at the world premiere of
but .Paak himself made no finan- ter board members said they are “Spies in Disguise” at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.
cial commitments. The 33-year- meeting with the city manager Associated Press
old said he wants to house his about the future, but the facility
foundation at the center to cre- is not on the Tuesday agenda for the final City Council meeting of the year, the newspaper said.q