It might be said Tony Danza has led a charmed life, with a career spanning more than four decades, but fans may have forgotten he nearly lost his life in a horrific accident 29 years ago.
Best known for his appearances in two back-to-back hit series, Taxi and Who’s The Boss (though not entirely without scandal), Tony Danza is a survivor. He's a man of many talents, which he’s put to good use during a career which has lasted more than four decades.
Tony Grew Up Tough
Anthony Salvatore Iadanza was born in Brooklyn into a family of Italian immigrants. His grandfather led a grueling existence working as a tinner when he first arrived in the States.
Tony’s mother was a bookkeeper and his father was a garbage collector. The young boy grew up on the streets of Brooklyn where he learned to stand up for himself in the many street fights that took place in the area.
Not a great academic, Tony made it into university on a wrestling scholarship.
He graduated in 1972 with a degree in history. His plan to go into teaching was put on hold when he didn’t immediately get a teaching post. And so he became a professional boxer instead.
He certainly had promise; he lost only three of his twelve fights and had aspirations of becoming a world champion.
Tony Danza Was Discovered At A Training Session
It was during a boxing training session that Tony's acting career began. He was discovered by two producers who were looking for an actor who could also box. Tony got the role on the pilot they were casting for, along with an agent who got him an audition for the role of Tony Banta in a new sitcom called Taxi.
Of course, Tony wasn't the only Taxi cast member with a prior career; Danny DeVito was a funeral stylist before becoming famous as an actor.
Initially, Tony thought acting would just be a part-time job while he trained for his world championship attempt, but when he didn’t get a chance to secure a title shot, he retired from the boxing world and focused on his acting career.
The success of Taxi made Tony a household name. The young actor got to work with some comedy greats, including Danny De Vito, who took him under his wing. The series has been named as one of the top '90s sitcoms that would stand up today. The series ran from 1978, and when it ended in 1983, Tony was signed up for an even longer-running show, Who’s The Boss.
Tony Almost Missed The First Day Of Shooting
Tony was worried that he wouldn’t make the first shoot dates of Who’s The Boss. That’s because he almost ended up in jail two days before filming began. After getting into a fight with a bouncer, he faced jail time. The actor was relieved when he was given a sentence of 250 community service hours instead, which meant he could stick to the filming schedule.
Just as well: Who’s The Boss ran for an incredible eight seasons, and broke all syndication records. The cast included Judith Light, Danny Pintauro, and a young Alyssa Milano, who has gone on to a great career.
A Horrible Accident Nearly Killed Tony
The year after Who’s The Boss ended, Tony faced a devastating loss. In June 1993, his beloved mother passed away. The actor struggled to come to terms with her death, especially as it came closer to the first Christmas without her.
Speaking on The Dr. Oz Show in 2015, an emotional Tony told viewers about how his frame of mind at the time led him to lose concentration while he was skiing in the Deer Valley, Utah. Plummeting down a slope at high speed, the actor hit a rock and careened into a tree. He was left with a punctured lung, two broken vertebrae, and eight broken ribs.
Tony was lucky to survive the accident, which left him in a critical condition for almost a month. His scrape with death left him with the realization that you only have one life to live, so you have to make the most of it.
Tony said his mother’s strength kept him determined to survive. Just over a year after his accident, the iconic actor was back at work, shooting Deadly Whispers.
Tony Loves Reinventing Himself
And he’s still working today. His resume is impressive, with movie roles, TV shows, and hosting his own talk show.
He loves reinventing himself. Considering the actor’s sporting background, audiences were initially surprised by his live performances on Broadway. Tony learned to tap after filming a fantasy sequence in Taxi. The actors were put through a few paces by a choreographer ahead of the shoot, and Tony was smitten with the dance style.
He also learned to play the Ukelele as a form of stress relief, and has incorporated the instrument into the shows he performs with his four-piece band, with which he still tours countrywide. Tony impresses audiences with his song and tap dancing skills.
He’s A Best-Selling Author
Never one to stay idle, in 2002 Tony returned to his original career path and spent a year teaching English at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. His time at school was filmed and released as a seven-part documentary series, to rave reviews.
The memoir he wrote about his experience, “I’d Like To Apologize To Every Teacher I Had” made it onto the New York Times Best Sellers List.
There Was A Rumor Tony Had Died
In 2011 Danza was featured on a Facebook page called R.I.P Tony Danza. The false post attracted nearly one million likes
The good news is, that although today his hair is silver, Tony is still very much alive. He’s gone on to star in the Netflix series The Good Cop with Josh Groban, Blue Bloods on CBS, and his performance in Don Jon has had excellent reviews.
Perhaps that answers the question: Who’s The Boss?