"The Good Cop" star Tony Danza opens up about his Long Island roots
An Emmy Award-nominated actor and star of television, film and theater, Tony Danza has been working steadily on high-profile projects for over 40 years. He has also released several best-selling books, an album (2002's The House I Live In) and regularly worked the road with his Tony Danza: Standards & Stories tour. As if that weren't enough, the star of the upcoming Netflix series The Good Cop is also one of the owners of Alleva Dairy, North America's oldest Italian cheese shop. As a representative of Alleva, Danza was part of this year's Feast Of San Gennaro last month, judging the 2nd Annual Meatball Eating Contest.
In the midst of his San Gennaro duties, I had the pleasure of speaking to Danza -- who will appearing at the NYCB Theater at Westbury on December 21st -- for No Place Like Long Island. While Tony Danza is generally thought of as Brooklyn's own, Danza has Long Island roots, which he kindly answered a few questions about. More info on the former boxer can be found at www.tonydanza.com, or by reading my recent profiles on him for The Daily Meal and The Inquisitr.
I've read that you are from Malverne. You moved there when you were 14?
Tony Danza: Yeah, 15.
Do you still have family on Long Island?
Tony Danza: Oh yeah, in Lynbrook, in Suffolk County I've got family. All those people that fled Brooklyn. (laughs)
How often do you get back here? I know you often perform in Westbury and were live in Patchogue a few months back.
Tony Danza: Yeah, I think I am performing in Westbury in December. I get back there a lot because I have family there and I live in New York City. I don’t live in L.A., I live here, so I am on Long Island... I've got a 90-year old uncle out there.
Do you have any favorite restaurants on Long Island that you can recommend?
Tony Danza: There's a place called Pompei [Ristorante] in West Hempstead. There's a place called Ruffino's in Lynbrook. There's a place called... It's in Oceanside... My 90-year old uncle is sitting outside, he'll remember. (calls out to his uncle) It's called Mio Posto!
Growing up in Malverne, was Long Beach a town you spent much time in?
Tony Danza: Yeah... That was the beach we all hung out in, you know, down by the games and the rides. Then I actually lived in Long Beach for a while, I had an apartment over on Lafayette and the beach when I was in college and I was bartending and fighting, boxing. I lived there for a while.
