Danny Aiello, Oscar-Nominated Screen Star & Award-Winning Stage Alum, Dies at 86

Danny Aiello, a veteran actor of major motion pictures who made several notable appearances on the New York stage, died on December 12 at a New Jersey medical facility where he was receiving care for a sudden illness, according to People. He was 86.

Known in Hollywood for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated turn in Do the Right Thing (1989) and memorable appearances in Moonstruck (1987), Jacob's Ladder (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991), Aiello accrued eight Broadway credits throughout his career, beginning with a Theatre World Award win for his debut turn in Lamppost Reunion (1975).

He followed up that performance with roles in Broadway stagings of Wheelbarrow Closers (1976), Knockout (1979), The Floating Light Bulb (1981), Hurlyburly (1984) and The House of Blue Leaves (1986).

Off-Broadway, Aiello received an Obie Award for his performance in Gemini (1977), which he reprised on Broadway shortly after. Years later, he appeared off-Broadway in Adult Entertainment (2002) and The Shoemaker (2011).

Aiello's screen résumé also includes a Daytime Emmy Award win for his performance in the afterschool special A Family of Strangers (1981) and a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for his turn in Once Around (1991).

After a three-decade absence from Broadway, Aiello returned in 2017 as a cast member of the revue Home for the Holidays, marking his final main-stem credit.

Aiello is survived by his wife, Sandy Cohen, and three children. His son Danny Aiello III passed away of cancer in 2010.