Ralph Macchio Biography

Fast Facts

• Parents enrolled him in dance classes at age 3; he continued taking lessons until he was 18
• Was discovered by an agent while doing an Al Jolson dance routine
• Appeared in the last season of Eight Is Enough before landing his breakout role in The Karate Kid (1984)
• Made his Broadway debut in 1986 in Cuba & His Teddy Bear opposite Robert De Niro
• Wrote and directed the 2002 short film Love Thy Brother, based on his own sibling rivalry with brother Steven as a child
• Had a recurring role on Ugly Betty as Hilda's love interest, councilman Archie Rodriguez