Danny Aiello

Born in the Bronx, N.Y., on June 20, 1933, Danny Aiello went on to make a career of playing gangsters and heavies from his home borough. With a varied background as a nightclub bouncer, announcer at the Improv Comedy Club and youngest-ever president of the Greyhound workers union, Aiello eventually landed onstage, winning critics' awards in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

A seasoned veteran of the theater, he made his film debut at age 39 in 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly, after which he appeared in The Godfather: Part II, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Moonstruck. His career-defining performance as Sal the pizzeria owner in 1989's Do the Right Thing brought him an Oscar nod.

Aiello has appeared in, among other films, Ruby (1992, in the title role), Harlem Nights, Once Around, 2 Days in the Valley, the 1997 miniseries The Last Don and 2006's Lucky Number Slevin.

The Godfather: Part II

1974 R

The Corleone family roots are explored, tracing Don Vito's journey from Sicily to a life of organized crime in New York. In a parallel story, his grown son Michael extends operations to Cuba and contends with more betrayal and murder.