Danny Aiello could make a tough man funny or sympathetic without making him harmless. We like him best when a part gives him room for both; too many settled for the familiar Italian-American heavy.
Fi1m perspective
In Jacob's Ladder (1990), Danny Aiello plays Louis, a sympathetic presence amid the hallucinations. We were relieved to have him there, because Adrian Lyne's film makes Tim Robbins's distress so hard to shake. Aiello's capacity for sympathy matters more here than the tough-guy casting that so often defined him. We rate the film highly despite its tangled explanations, and this is the side of Aiello worth seeking out: the supporting actor who can offer some comfort without needing to become the centre of the story.
His early screen work included Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II (1974), but the 1980s gave him parts that made more of his comic timing and sympathy. As Johnny Cammareri opposite Cher in Moonstruck (1987), he had room to be funny; as Sal, the pizzeria owner in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989), he found his breakthrough. Those parts suggest how much could be missed when he was hired simply to be threatening. Too many asked him to supply a familiar Italian-American tough guy and little else.
Léon: The Professional (1994) features him as Old Tony, though we would not start there when recommending Aiello. Luc Besson's crime thriller works chiefly through Jean Reno and Natalie Portman's bond, and our affection for it comes with serious reservations about the child placed inside its violence. Aiello is part of that film's supporting company, rather than the reason we recommend it. The distinction matters with an actor so regularly hired for tough men and authority figures: recognising him is not the same as being given something new to notice.
His reliance on natural timing and improvisation suits the way he could combine menace with comedy. The limitation was often the part: a heavy who needs only to look threatening gives an actor little room to surprise us. We prefer the work that lets sympathy complicate that first impression, rather than leaving him to repeat it. Start with Jacob's Ladder for the gentler supporting actor, provided its frightening hallucinations are an acceptable price for the introduction.
Biography
Danny Aiello was an American actor. Born in Manhattan, New York City, he began his career on the New York stage before making his film debut in the 1970s.
He appeared in numerous films, including The Godfather Part II (1974), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Moonstruck (1987), Do the Right Thing (1989) and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). For his performance as Sal in Do the Right Thing, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other credits include Jacob's Ladder (1990) as Louis and Léon: The Professional (1994) as Old Tony.
