Antony “Tony” Salvatore Danza was born on April 21, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. Danza grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island where he graduated from Malverne High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history education from the University of Dubuque, which he attended on a wrestling scholarship, graduating in 1973. He got his trademark “Keep on Truckin’” tattoo while in college. Also while in college, Danza met and married his first wife, Rhonda Yeoman-Danza, and they have two children together. In 1986 he married second wife, Tracy Robinson. They also had two children and were divorced in 2007.
Danza was a boxer from 1976 to 1979, with a 9-3 record, with all of his winning fights ending by knockout. He was working out in a gym in1978 when he was approached about trying out for Taxi. Danza had never acted before, but the producers wanted an authentic New York, Boxer for the role. The character had a different name and the writers changed the character to Tony Banta to accommodate Danza.
Danza’s first taste of stardom came with his role on Taxi.
He played a wisecracking taxi driver and part-time boxer. When the show ended in 1983, he went looking for something knew. He found it with the hit Who’s The Boss? Danza again played another tony who was a single father/ housekeeper. Who’s The Boss?, was on the air until 1992.
He also tried a couple of other shows that never quite took flight. In 1998, Danza hit it big again with his TV talk show, The Tony Danza Show. He has also started performing on Broadway, in such shows as The Producers. During his down time he has also appeared in a variety of movies including; The Hollywood Knights.
Danza has also written a Cookbook with his son Marc and released a vocal album with his band The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. Through the years Danza has been nominated for four Golden Globes and an Emmy. He won an Emmy for his talk show.
For a boxer with no acting training, Tony Danza has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Just think what we would be missing if he wasn’t in the gym that day. However, he was in the gym that day, and so we are blessed with Tony Banta and Toni Mecilli, the roles that made his career.
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