Danny Aiello, the burly New York-born film and stage actor who was 40 when he made his movie debut and 16 years later earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as a pizzeria owner in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” died on Thursday. He was 86.
Mr. Aiello also acted in films, including “Moonstruck” (1987), in which he played Cher’s kind but clueless fiancé; “Fort Apache: The Bronx” (1981), as a ruthless police officer who throws a young man off a rooftop; Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America” (1984), also as a police officer; and three films involving Woody Allen.
