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December 14, 2019
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December 14, 2019
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Danny Aiello Did Much More Than the Right Thing

Aiello was not just a “character actor”, he excelled in film roles that had to do with family and with Italian Americana; I had the privilege of interviewing him

Anthony Julian TamburribyAnthony Julian Tamburri
Danny Aiello Did Much More Than the Right Thing

Danny Aiello (New York, June 20, 1933 - New Jersey, December 12, 2019) Photo by Joeyjojo86/Wikimedia Commons (for the original https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorenzo_Tartamella_and_Danny_Aiello.jpg)

Time: 2 mins read

The New York Times opens its obituary of Danny Aiello as follows (December 13, 2019): “A memorable character actor on both stage and screen, Mr. Aiello won an Academy Award nomination for his role in Spike Lee’s 1989 film.” A “memorable” actor worthy of “an Academy Award nomination,” for sure. That he was only a “character actor”, on the other hand, is debatable. Like many, he began in small roles, not like many he debuted as an actor on stage at age 37 and in films at 40. So, he began a bit late, to say the least.

Danny Aiello with John Turturro in “Do the Right Thing”, by Spike Lee

Danny Aiello was, once he passed through what we might call an “internship” of “character-actor” roles, a leading and co-leading actor as well. He excelled especially in those roles in films that had to do with family and, not as ironic as it might seem, with Italian Americana in some manner or another. Hence, I am reminded of his lead role in the TV program Dellavantura (1997-1998) or, one of his favorite films, Once Around (1991), not to forget other great performances such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and 2 Days in the Valley (1996; I know, I know, he is not an Italian-American family man here ☺). Two of my favorite films of his are 29th Street (1991) and Dinner Rush (2000), this last film having gotten lost in its initial distribution period but by now what is for many a classic.

I had the privilege of interviewing Danny Aiello back in 2013 for one of our Italics specials we did for October of that year to celebrate Italian Heritage and Culture Month, which aired on CUNY TV. He visited with us again one evening after we screened Dinner Rush a couple of years ago. Danny and the film’s director, Bob Giraldi, graciously engaged the audience afterwards for a most delightful Q&A.

We have already seen a series of articles / obituaries on Danny Aiello since he passed away Thursday last. We at Italics and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute want to share with you our conversation with Danny back in 2013.

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Anthony Julian Tamburri

Anthony Julian Tamburri

Raised in Stamford, CT (of Settefratese and Faetana origin), I grew up in its Italian working-class neighborhood, where I was one of the very few to go on for a doctorate (PhD in Italian Studies, UC Berkeley). As Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, I have worked to expand on its mission and create a think tank and service-oriented entity, which has now become one of the premier institutes in the world dedicated to the Italian diaspora, thanks to our dedicated staff. When I am not having fun on Italics TV, my scholarly work is based in semiotics, cinema, literature, and cultural studies. My latest book is Re-reading Italian Americana: Generalities and Specificities on Literature and Criticism (2014).

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