Tony Danza heads to The American Theatre!
Tony Danza is most known for his roles in cherished television series such as Taxi and Who’s the Boss?, as well as the films She’s Out of Control and Angels In the Outfield, he’s a former professional boxer with all but one of his fights ending in a knockout, he’s a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in history education, and he’s a song and dance man who received rave reviews from his performance in the Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas. With such an extensive resume, it’s not surprising that people wonder if there’s anything Tony Danza can’t do.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Danza’s first role was that of a professional boxer. He was entered into New York City’s Golden Gloves as a joke by his buddies and knocked out his first six opponents all in the first round before being defeated in the finals. After earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Dubuque in Iowa, Danza began training in a boxing gym rather than finding a job teaching. It was while he was training in New York that he was discovered and cast in the ABC hit series Taxi as a cab driver and part time boxer. After its five seasons were up, Tony Danza moved on to star as the main lead in another ABC hit comedy series Who’s The Boss? where he played a retired baseball player and single father for eight seasons.
Danza also appeared in various sitcoms, hosted his own talk show, and acted in numerous films ranging from comedies to family dramas. Danza then went on to more theatrical roles appearing in Broadway musicals such as The Producers, Iceman Cometh, and Honeymoon in Vegas. During all this, Danza also found the time to release his debut album, The House I Live In in 2002.
In 2009, Danza returned to what you could say was his initial career path, that of a teacher. Danza taught tenth grade English at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. His experience was taped and aired as a seven-part documentary series named Teach on A&E. In 2012, Danza became a New York Times Best Selling author of his book on the teaching experience titled I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High.
In 2016, Danza hit the road to pay tribute to the legendary Great American Songbook. In this musical evening full of charm, Danza, accompanied by his four-piece band, performs some of his favorite songs while interweaving stories about his life and personal connection to music.
New York Times states “[Tony Danza] exudes the kind of charisma that can’t be taught!” and now that magic is coming to light up the stage at The American Theatre for Standards & Stories, a night that combines timeless music with wit, charm, storytelling, and a dash of soft shoe and ukulele performances.