Ralph George Macchio Jr. is an American actor best known for his role as Daniel LaRusso in the The Karate Kid film franchise. Macchio was born in Huntington, New York, in 1961. He began his acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in television shows such as Eight Is Enough and The Outsiders. In 1984, Macchio was cast as Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid. The film was a critical and commercial success, and Macchio's performance was praised by critics. He reprised his role in the sequels The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III. A fanart The Karate Kid progress bar for YouTube with Daniel Ralph Macchio.