Ralph Macchio’s Son And Daughter Are All Grown Up And Their Dad’s Biggest Fans

Mar 28, 2023 by apost team

Ralph Macchio carved out huge success for himself because of his popular movies like "The Karate Kid" and "The Outsiders" in the 1980s. But alongside his fans, his biggest supporters are actually his children, Julia and Daniel Macchio, whom he had with his wife of nearly four decades, Phyllis Fierro. 

Best known for his role as Daniel LaRusso in three installments of "The Karate Kid," Ralph became a teen sensation alongside contemporaries like Tom Cruise and Matt Dillon. While his star power was rising, Ralph, then in his mid-20s, married Fierro in 1987. The marriage produced Julia, born in 1992, and Daniel, born in 1996. 

By the time Julia and Daniel were going to school, Ralph chose to focus on staying in Long Island with his family instead of grabbing more acting opportunities in Hollywood. Speaking with The Long Island Press in 2019, Ralph said that Long Island will always be home to him and Fierro because that's where their extended families live as well.  

After doing "My Cousin Vinny" in 1992, Ralph decided to leave show business and focus on raising his kids. Choosing a more low-key life, Ralph drove Julia and Daniel to school, as well as their tennis and guitar lessons. Despite the missed opportunities to become a bigger star, Ralph had no regrets because his family was his "biggest accomplishment." 

Though he's starred in only a handful of projects since choosing the stability of family over a lucrative career, the actor's association with "The Karate Kid" never wavered. He loved the association too as Ralph named his son, in part, after his famous character. 

But he also opened doors for "Cobra Kai," the Netflix series spinoff that revived the actor's career and also gave his daughter the chance to work next to him on set. 

Julia tracked the same path as her father and starred in a few TV and movie projects before landing the role of Vanessa LaRusso in "Cobra Kai" in season four. Though it was a guest-starring role, Julia said she was grateful to play Cousin Vanessa in her father's series. As expected, Ralph raved about his daughter's performance.

"I was the proud father on set that day," the actor told People. "As soon as she ran our first take, everybody was like, ‘Holy crap, she’s got this character.'" 

Daniel also dabbled in acting as a young man but eventually carved his niche and got into composing songs and working behind the scenes. Ralph revealed that Daniel used to get a lot of teasing in Little League because they know where his name came from. 

"There was a chunk of time when my son was like: 'Did you have to?" Ralph told The Guardian. "But now he's proud of it." 

The actor's children did not realize that their father was a big star until they discovered old "Tiger Beat" magazines with their dad on the covers. But in his chat with Kelly Clarkson on her TV talk show, Ralph revealed that his kids have fully embraced his rejuvenated success as a star. Julia and Daniel are the first to tell their friends on social media about the latest on "Cobra Kai." They share a lot of stuff from their father's show, including his appearances at fan conferences and TV interviews to show how much they support him.

Julia explained in an exclusive interview in 2016 with News@Hofstra why she looks up to her father so much. "I’m inspired by how he carries himself as a human being: always professional, always kind, always well-spoken, always putting family first,” she said.

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Ralph Macchio gave up stardom to raise his daughter and son and look at how great they turned out! What do you think of his relationship with his children?  Were you a fan of "The Karate Kid" and the actor or know someone who loves him? Tell them about this story!