Tony Danza

I was just watching a clip from Taxi with Tony Danza. It was the episode where Reverend Jim takes his driving test. “What does a yellow light mean?” Do you remember that episode? So funny. That scene featured pretty much everyone from the cast of Taxi, but this blog will be dedicated to just Tony Danza.

Mr. Tony Danza was born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza on April 21, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York. He went to college on a wrestling scholarship and ended up earning a bachelor’s degree in history. I hate history. It’s boring. It already happened. Who cares? Stupid. I do like jazz history though, but that’s about it. Well, I guess I like math history too. Anyway……

Tony Danza didn’t plan on becoming an actor. He was a boxer and was actually discovered by a producer in a boxing gym. He then went on to do a little show called Taxi. After that ended, he was in another hit show called Who’s the Boss. With over 50 acting credits and numerous other credits (producer, director, Broadway, etc.), Tony Danza has had a full and busy life.

Teacher Tony

When Tony Danza said he could “smell” 60 approaching, he was wondering if this was all there was. He bravely decided to do what he had always wanted to do. He chose one of the most noble yet most underappreciated careers. Tony became a teacher. He chose to become a teacher so that he could help others and make a difference. That makes him a hero in my book.

P.S. I’m a middle school teacher. Send wine…..or buy pinups from my eBay store so that I can afford to keep teaching.

In 2010, Tony starred in “Teach” which was a reality show where Danza teaches 10th grade English in a Philadelphia high school. He said teaching was the biggest challenge of his life. He also said in regards to the show that teaching came first and the cameras second. I watched an episode of Teach and was very impressed. I don’t know how much was scripted and how much was real, but I gained new respect and admiration for Tony Danza.

Trivia

• Tony is actually behind the wheel of the cab that’s driving across the bridge in the opening of Taxi.
• Tony Banta was originally named Phil Banta but the producers changed it to Tony since Danza was an inexperienced actor.
• He broke his back skiing in 1993 and has plates, rods, and screws in his spine.
• Tony lost his house in the Northridge earthquake in 1994.
• He became a grandpa for the first time in 2005 when his son had a baby boy. He’s a pretty hot grandpa.

 

Tony Danza has done a whole lot in his almost 70 years. He’s been on several successful TV shows, been in the movies, had his own talk show, recorded an album, been nominated for an Emmy, been on Broadway, written a book with his son, and became a teacher. He most recently starred in the Netflix original series, The Good Cop. Sadly, it was canceled after only one season.

Who knows what’s up next for Tony Danza. He seems like the kind of guy who can do most anything. I wish him the best.