It's difficult to believe that the first Karate Kid movie came out over 30 years ago. Ralph Macchio was only 23 when he got the role that would change his life forever and that has been a defining part of his identity. Even to this day, he likes it when people refer to him as The Karate Kid.
Now that he's reprising his glorious role as Daniel LaRusso in the Cobra Kai series, it seems like a good time to remember some of the most amazing projects he's been a part of when he wasn't busy being the Karate Kid.
10 He Starred In 'Crossroads'
In 1986, two years after his stellar performance in the original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio got the lead in the musical drama Crossroads. In this movie, Ralph portrayed music student Eugene Martone, a kid who is studying in Juilliard to be a classical guitar player but becomes fascinated with blues. The movie features, among many talented actors and artists, the legendary virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, who is famous for his work with some of the greatest musicians of all times, such as Ozzy Osbourne and Frank Zappa.
9 He Starred On Broadway With Robert De Niro
The play Cuba and His Teddy Bear was great for many reasons, but its lead were the main one. In 1986, Ralph had the incredible opportunity to star in Broadway alongside the one and only Robert De Niro. He played De Niro's son, and the reviews have been nothing but brilliant.
"Macchio, best known as the star of the movie, The Karate Kid, gives a touching performance that captures the teen-ager’s love for his father as well as his attempt to break away from his father’s iron rule."
8 He Worked In The Movie 'My Cousin Vinny'
My Cousin Vinny was a comedy from 1992 about two New Yorkers on a road trip who get wrongfully accused of murder while passing Alabama. They are defended by the cousin of one of them, Vincent, who is a lawyer, but his skills leave much to be desired. Ralph plays one of the New Yorkers, Vincent's cousin Bill Gambini.
The success of this movie surpassed everyone's expectations, both financially and critically, and the performances of the actors have been widely praised.
7 He Blew Everyone Away In A Musical
Ralph Macchio was the lead in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a revival of a successful musical from the '60s, which in turn was based on a book by the same name. Everyone was shocked by his breathtaking abilities, but he explained that they were nothing new. In fact, he'd done the same play in highschool.
"I was known as the 'Dancing Kid,' not that I was all that great. But I had been dancing since the age of three, taking lessons at the June Claire School of Dance in Babylon, Long Island."
6 His Work On 'Entourage'
An actor knows they made it when they get to play themselves in a project. This was Ralph's case with Entourage. This HBO series that aired from 2004 to 2011 follows the life of an up-and-coming actor who recently moved to LA and his adventures with his friends, and Ralph appears in one episode of 2005, as a very over-the-top version of himself. He gets into a lot of drama in the episode and ends up in an iconic fight in the Playboy mansion. Surely a peak for the already amazing series.
5 He Appeared In A Music Video
Ralph Macchio appeared in the 2007 music video for the song Sweep the Leg by Los Angeles duo No More Kings. In the video, he was featured as a caricature of himself and Daniel from The Karate Kid, and his appearance did wonders for No More Kings.
Having him on their video gave the musicians a lot more exposure and became one of the most viewed videos at the time. Without a doubt, Ralph is a success guarantee.
4 He Competed On 'Dancing With The Stars'
In 2011, Ralph announced he would be a contestant on Dancing With The Stars season 12. He did a very good job and made his way to the semifinals, where he was eliminated. Overall, he ended up in the fourth place that season. There were aspects of the show that Ralph wasn't fully comfortable with, but even so, he has good memories of his time there.
"I have mixed feelings about the competition element of the show and how the machine works, quote-unquote. But the performance element and the creating, I loved it. I ran there every Monday night because the audience and the crowd, even on the street, was such a huge groundswell of support from the moment we came out in the first episode."
3 His Work In The Movie 'Hitchcock'
Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is a 1990 book written by Stephen Rebello that tells the story of the legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and how he created what is now considered to be one of the greatest horror movies of all times. In 2012, there was a movie adaptation titled Hitchcock, and it featured movie stars like Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, and the one and only Anthony Hopkins. Of course, with such a prestigious cast, Ralph Macchio was an obvious choice. He got to play the Psycho screenwriter, Joseph Stefano.
2 He Was A Guest Star On 'How I Met Your Mother'
How I Met Your Mother has become, undoubtedly, one of the most successful sit-coms of its generation. So, of course, getting amazing guests is not a problem. For an episode called The Bro Mitzvah, Ralph made a special appearance in which he portrayed himself. In the episode, Ralph is invited to Barney's bachelor party as a surprise, but it turns out Barney hates him and says he wants to see the "real karate kid," who in his opinion is William Zabka. Furious, he has the nerve to kick him out of the party.
1 A Room Of My Own
The play A Room of My Own is semiautobiographical, and it was written and directed by Charles Messina. It tells the story of a boy growing up in an eccentric Italian-American family in Greenwich Village, and Ralph Macchio co-stars in it in 2016, alongside Sex and the City star Mario Cantone. It was an Off-Broadway production that Ralph was very excited to be a part of, since he had read the play some time ago and had loved it very much.
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