Ralph Macchio

Born: 4 November 1961
Where: Long Island, New York, USA

Macchio is best known for his role as 'Daniel Son' in the three Karate Kid films.

He began his career as a child in TV adverts, and by 1980, he made his feature debut in Up the Academy based on MAD Magazine. Following its release, he joined the US TV series Eight Is Enough.

In 1983, Macchio was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in The Outsiders, based on S.E.

Hinton's classic novel. The film boasted a cast packed with the up-and-coming young leads of the day including Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise.

Macchio became a leading man in 1984, playing an east coast kid who moves with his mum to California, and finds meaning in his life through the martial arts taught to him by Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita in The Karate Kid. He later starred in two sequels.

His other starring roles included playing a troubled student in Teachers; a blues-loving kid who offers to take a forgotten blues legend back to Mississippi in return for some songs in Crossroads; and a man abandoned by his Vietnam veteran father (John Lithgow), but determined to find him in Distant Thunder.

Macchio called for help from uncle Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, then it was two years before he was back on the big screen, this time in the independent Naked in New York.

In 2002, he made a short film, Love Thy Brother, which screened at Sundance. He also appeared in the features A Good Night To Die, and Popcorn Shrimp.