Tony Danza

Tony Danza, born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza on April 21, 1951, is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is best known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992). Over his career, he has worked across television, film, stage, and music, earning multiple award nominations and major industry recognitions.

Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Anna Mary, a bookkeeper, and Matthew Anthony "Matty" Iadanza, a waste collector. He was raised in East New York until moving with his family to Malverne, New York, where he graduated from Malverne Senior High School in 1968. He attended the University of Dubuque on a wrestling scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1972. In 1975, he participated in the New York City Golden Gloves Tournament, reaching the finals after knocking out his first six opponents in the first round.

From 1976 to 1979, Danza competed as a professional middleweight boxer, recording eight wins and three losses, with all eight wins coming by knockout. Shortly after finishing college, he was discovered by a producer at a New York boxing gym. He subsequently landed his breakout television role playing cab driver and part-time boxer Tony Banta on Taxi. He followed this with his role as Tony Micelli, a former baseball player and housekeeper, on Who's the Boss?. During this era, he made his feature film debut in The Hollywood Knights (1980) and appeared in films including Going Ape!, Cannonball Run II, and She's Out of Control.

In subsequent decades, Danza starred in sitcoms such as Hudson Street and the 1997 series The Tony Danza Show, as well as the drama series Family Law. His film credits expanded to include Angels in the Outfield, 12 Angry Men, Crash, and Don Jon. In 2002, he ventured into music by releasing his debut album, The House I Live In, as a 1950s-style crooner. From 2004 to 2006, he hosted a daily syndicated daytime talk show, also titled The Tony Danza Show. He later starred as Tony Caruso Sr. in the 2018 Netflix series The Good Cop.

Danza's stage career includes critical acclaim for his performance in the 1999 Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh. He went on to star as Max Bialystock in The Producers on Broadway and in Las Vegas, and co-starred in the Broadway musical adaptation of Honeymoon in Vegas. In addition to acting, Danza co-instructed a 10th-grade English class for the 2010 reality series Teach: Tony Danza, which inspired his 2012 book on teaching. He also founded The Stars of Tomorrow Project to introduce young adults to Manhattan and careers in the arts.

For his television work, Danza earned nominations for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards for Taxi and Who's the Boss?, an Emmy nomination for a guest role on The Practice, and a People's Choice Award in 1998. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1988 and was inducted into the Ride of Fame in 2014. Danza has been married twice, first to Rhonda Yeoman and later to Tracy Robinson, and has three children.