Ralph George Macchio was born on November 4, 1961 in Huntington, Long
Island, New York. He started out in various TV commercials in the late
1970s before appearing in the puerile comedy movie
Die Kadeppen Akademie (1980), then a
regular role in 1980 on the television series
Eight Is Enough (1977)
followed by a decent performance as teenager Johhny Cade in the
Outsider: Rebellen ohne Grund (1983) based on the
popular S.E. Hinton novel about troubled
youth.
In 1984, Macchio scored the lead role in
Karate Kid (1984) directed by
John G. Avildsen. The film was a
phenomenal success, being highly popular with adults and children
alike. The movie spawned two equally popular sequels
Karate Kid II: Entscheidung in Okinawa (1986)
and
Karate Kid III: Die letzte Entscheidung (1989),
both again starring Macchio and Pat Morita,
and both directed by Avildsen.
Macchio also starred in the blues road movie
Crossroads - Pakt mit dem Teufel (1986), featured alongside
Joe Pesci in
Mein Vetter Winnie (1992) and,
looking to toughen up his image, Macchio played a hit man in
Eine gute Nacht zum Sterben (2003).
Arguably, movie audiences still identify Macchio very strongly with his
Karate Kid role, but as his features have gained a more weathered,
adult edge, he has found opportunities and positive reviews from
appearances in stage productions showcasing his acting talent. It would
be great to see this versatile actor score some broader and more
challenging film roles.
