Senator John McCain and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the University of Southern California in 2013.
Senator John McCain and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the University of Southern California in 2013.
Younger
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In 2014 actor Danny Aiello (June 20, 1933-December 12, 2019) made a confession in the title of his memoir, "I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else." "I have no idea who I am," he told "Sunday Morning" correspondent Tracy Smith. "Now, when I'm playing a character, I know exactly what I'm going to say, who I am, where I came from. And life is lot easier like that." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/just-who-is-danny-aiello/ As to life's hardships: beginning at age 9 Aiello sold newspapers, shined shoes, worked in a grocery store and bowling alley, and loaded trucks after his father left the family (which included six siblings). He was a pool hustler and high school dropout who married and joined the Army (where he played baseball to entertain the troops), then worked factory jobs. He spent 10 years with Greyhound; during one labor dispute he was forced to quit his job, and his post as president of the transit union. He turned to crime, cracking safes (by throwing them out a window), but was never caught. Working as a bouncer at a New York comedy club, he filled in as emcee, introducing acts, and found he had a knack for performing. That led to small roles in the films "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "The Godfather Part II" (playing a hitman who fails to silence Frank Pentangeli). The roles got bigger, as in "Fort Apache, The Bronx" (as a cop who throws a kid off a rooftop); "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (as Mia Farrow's loutish husband); and "Once Upon a Time in America" (as a camera-loving police chief). In "Moonstruck," he played the paramour of Cher, hesitantly getting down on one knee to propose (worried it might ruin his new suit). And for Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," Aiello earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Sal, owner of a Brooklyn pizzeria that becomes Ground Zero of a racially-charged riot. His other credits include "Bloodbrothers," "Radio Days," "Jacob's Ladder," "Hudson Hawk," "Ruby," "Mistress," "The Pickle," "Once Around," "Leon: The Professional," "City Hall," "2 Days in the Valley," the TV series "The Last Don," and Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" music video. On stage he appeared in "Lamppost Reunion," "That Championship Season," "Gemini" (for which he won an Obie Award), "Knockout," "The Floating Light Bulb," "Hurlyburly," "The House of Blue Leaves" and "Home for the Holidays." He told Tracy Smith he'd lived life with few regrets, except maybe one: He never got to work with director Martin Scorsese. "Now, I'm the only Italian American in the United States that's not in one of his movies. Does he think I suck? Does he think I'm the worst actor in the world? Maybe he does. That's fine. But I've seen some of the actors in some of his pictures. And they do suck. You know what I mean? But they were still in his movies. "Anyway. I don't want you to think I resent Marty Scorsese because of that. But I do!" he laughed. 
In 2014 actor Danny Aiello (June 20, 1933-December 12, 2019) made a confession in the title of his memoir, "I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else." "I have no idea who I am," he told "Sunday Morning" correspondent Tracy Smith. "Now, when I'm playing a character, I know exactly what I'm going to say, who I am, where I came from. And life is lot easier like that." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/just-who-is-danny-aiello/ As to life's hardships: beginning at age 9 Aiello sold newspapers, shined shoes, worked in a grocery store and bowling alley, and loaded trucks after his father left the family (which included six siblings). He was a pool hustler and high school dropout who married and joined the Army (where he played baseball to entertain the troops), then worked factory jobs. He spent 10 years with Greyhound; during one labor dispute he was forced to quit his job, and his post as president of the transit union. He turned to crime, cracking safes (by throwing them out a window), but was never caught. Working as a bouncer at a New York comedy club, he filled in as emcee, introducing acts, and found he had a knack for performing. That led to small roles in the films "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "The Godfather Part II" (playing a hitman who fails to silence Frank Pentangeli). The roles got bigger, as in "Fort Apache, The Bronx" (as a cop who throws a kid off a rooftop); "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (as Mia Farrow's loutish husband); and "Once Upon a Time in America" (as a camera-loving police chief). In "Moonstruck," he played the paramour of Cher, hesitantly getting down on one knee to propose (worried it might ruin his new suit). And for Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," Aiello earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Sal, owner of a Brooklyn pizzeria that becomes Ground Zero of a racially-charged riot. His other credits include "Bloodbrothers," "Radio Days," "Jacob's Ladder," "Hudson Hawk," "Ruby," "Mistress," "The Pickle," "Once Around," "Leon: The Professional," "City Hall," "2 Days in the Valley," the TV series "The Last Don," and Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" music video. On stage he appeared in "Lamppost Reunion," "That Championship Season," "Gemini" (for which he won an Obie Award), "Knockout," "The Floating Light Bulb," "Hurlyburly," "The House of Blue Leaves" and "Home for the Holidays." He told Tracy Smith he'd lived life with few regrets, except maybe one: He never got to work with director Martin Scorsese. "Now, I'm the only Italian American in the United States that's not in one of his movies. Does he think I suck? Does he think I'm the worst actor in the world? Maybe he does. That's fine. But I've seen some of the actors in some of his pictures. And they do suck. You know what I mean? But they were still in his movies. "Anyway. I don't want you to think I resent Marty Scorsese because of that. But I do!" he laughed. 
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