Ralph Macchio (born November 4, 1961, Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.) is an American actor best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in "The Karate Kid (1984)" and its sequel films "The Karate Kid Part II (1986)" and "The Karate Kid Part III (1989)" as well as the follow-up television series Cobra Kai (2018–23). He also played prominent roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders (1983), as well as in the crime comedy My Cousin Vinny (1992).

In full: Ralph George Macchio, Jr.

Born: November 4, 1961, Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S. (age 62)

Macchio started taking tap dance lessons as a young child and by his teens had been noticed by an agent at a dance recital. He landed several commercial spots, including a few for Bubble Yum chewing gum, and made his screen debut in the 1980 Mad magazine film Up the Academy, an R-rated comedy about boys at a military academy. That same year he also landed a recurring role on the popular family comedy-drama television series Eight Is Enough. After a few more assorted TV and TV-movie appearances, he had his big break in The Outsiders, a film based on American writer S.E. Hinton’s novel of the same name. The film centres on a rivalry between two gangs of teenage boys; it was an important early film for other young actors, including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez, all of whom would go on to successful careers.

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