Trivia

Once was a bus driver and the president of the Greyhound Bus union in his 30s before he pursued acting.

His son, actor/stuntman/stunt coordinator Danny Aiello III died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at age 53.

A former bouncer at New York's comedy club, The Improvisation, he broke into the business when he started filling in there as an emcee.

The 70-year-old Aiello released his first single, "All of Me," in March of 2004, and followed it a month later with an album of standards. Continues to sing on tour with an eight-piece jazz band.

He ad-libbed the line, "Michael Corleone says 'hello,'" while strangling someone in The Godfather: Part II. Director Francis Ford Coppola liked it and kept it in.

Among his various charitable interests include Covenant House (a mobile unit that provides food, shelter health care, counseling, education and job training to homeless teens,) the United Way, the Salvation Army, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and the Frances Aiello Day Treatment Center in Brooklyn (named after his late mother) that treats young blind and deaf adults and children.

Served a three-year stint in the Army, and was at one time stationed in Germany.

A lifelong resident of New York City, Danny and his six siblings were raised almost single-handedly by their mother.

Was in Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" music video, playing her father.

Sold newspapers and shined shoes at Grand Central Station in his youth.

Uncle of New York Yankees sportscaster (radio/play by play) Michael Kay.

In his memoir, entitled "I Only Know Who I Am When I'm Somebody Else", Aiello revealed that he was so poor growing up in New York that he worked as a numbers runner and burglar, specializing in robbing cigarette machines. He was also a street fighter, and bouncer.

He was nominated for a 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role for his performance in "That Championship Season", at the Arlington Park Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Played Police Chief Vincent Aiello in Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

He was nominated for the 2018 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts category.

Father of Danny Aiello III, Rick Aiello, Jamie Aiello, and Stacy Aiello.

Has ten grandchildren.

He says that the one thing that annoys him more than anything is if a man is rubbing a girl's back (or vice versa) on a movie set, or even if people of the same sex are rubbing each others' backs.

Is Italian-American.

June 2004 will appear on Dinner for Five (2001) with host Jon Favreau and guests include John Waters, Delroy Lindo. (June 2004)

Appeared in both of the films for which Vincent Gardenia was Oscar-nominated: Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Moonstruck (1987).

March starts filming Brooklyn Lobster (2005) in New York. (March 2004)

Upon his death, he was cremated and his ashes returned to his family.

He will be releasing his first album of standards titled "I Just Wanted To Hear The Words" under the IN2N lable in late March or early April 2004. (February 2004)

He was nominated for the 2019-2020 Class of New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Arts and Entertainment category.

He completed work on film to be released in 2004 - _Zeyda and the Hit Man (2004)_ (working title), directed by Melanie Mayron, and starring himself & Judd Hirsch. (August 2003)