The Biography of
TONY DANZA
as Tony Micelli
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Birthday: April 21, 1951
Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York
~Real last name is Iadanza; but there has been argument whether his real first name is Antonio or Anthony.
Perhaps best known for his loveable sitcom personas, Tony Danza is indisputably one of America’s most popular performers. Having starred on some of television’s most beloved and long-running series, Danza has also established himself as a veritable stage and screen star, as well as a respected producer.

Realizing a dream, Danza will release his debut
Biography from www.tonydanza.com
album, “The House I Live In,” to stores nationwide this fall. Riding the success and critical praise of his re-recording of Sinatra’s famed song of the same name, Danza’s CD features many of the classics he grew up with and some surprises too.

Recently, Danza had the opportunity to perform “The House I Live In,” which was Billboard Magazine’s pick of the week when it was released in May, on the PBS Broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C. Following the concert, he embarked on a new song and dance show tour making stops at major venues across the country, including New York’s prestigious Feinstein's at the Regency as well as the Westbury Music Fair.

On television, Danza most recently starred as attorney Joe Celano in the CBS dramatic series, "Family Law," opposite a stellar ensemble cast that included Kathleen Quinlan, Chris McDonald and Dixie Carter.

Danza also received an Emmy-nomination for his performance on David E. Kelley’s award-winning series “The Practice,” in which he portrayed ‘Tommy Silva,’ a shrewd, charismatic and street-smart attorney who fashioned himself a “man of the people.”

On stage, Danza received critical acclaim for his portrayal of ‘Rocky the bartender’ in the Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” opposite Kevin Spacey in its much anticipated return to Broadway at the Brook Atkinson Theater. Prior to that, Danza made his Broadway debut in Arthur Miller’s Tony award winning play “A View From The Bridge."

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Danza received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in History Education. Following college, he was discovered by producer Stu Sheslow at a boxing gymnasium in New York. Sheslow’s discovery led producer James Brooks to cast Danza in the critically acclaimed series “Taxi,” earning him a place in television history.

Following his five-year run on “Taxi,” Danza starred in the ABC comedy series “Who’s the Boss?” for eight seasons and also directed multiple episodes.

On the small screen, Danza’s other television credits include a critically applauded performance opposite George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon in Showtime’s remake of the film classic “12 Angry Men” directed by William Friedkin. Danza also starred in the ABC comedy series “Hudson Street” and NBC’s “The Tony Danza Show,” both for which he also served as executive producer.

Danza also starred in the Disney/ABC television movies “The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon” and “Noah” as well as the HBO feature-film, “The Girl Gets Moe,” Showtime’s “Northshore Fish,” and the CBS television movie “Deadly Whispers” opposite Pamela Reed.

On the big screen, Danza starred in Walt Disney’s “Angels in the Outfield” with Danny Glover; “She’s Out Of Control;” Frank Rainore’s action-drama “A Brooklyn State of Mind” with Vincent Spano, Danny Aiello and Maria Grazia Cucinotta; an independent film for Josh Evans entitled “Gangster Glam” which co-starred William McNamara, Frank Whaley and Natasha Wagner; and Nick Gomez’s “Illtown” with Michael Rapaport and Lili Taylor.

Danza also wrote, directed and starred in the short film inspired by personal events entitled “Mama Mia.” For his theatrical debut in “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” Danza earned an Outer Critic’s Circle Award nomination.

Danza continues to garner accolades performing his song and dance stage show, which he debuted in Atlantic City to sold-out audiences in 1995. He has since played engagements on the legendary Las Vegas strip, at New York’s famed Rainbow and Stars, as well as many other major venues across the country.

In 1998, Danza had the honor of headlining with the national symphony orchestra at “A Capital Fourth,” a national Fourth of July concert broadcast live on PBS from the west lawn of the U.S. Capital in front of 400,000 people. The thespian also recently made a stop at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall to perform for Skitch Henderson’s 80th birthday. Last year, he was seen hosting the 2001 “Miss America Pageant” in Atlantic City.