Anecdotes

During Pat Morita's (his former Karate Kid (1984) co-star) funeral procession, Macchio gave a brief eulogy and ended it as quoted, "Forever, my Sensei" to the mourners.

Once saved a baby porpoise that was beached on the shores of Malibu, California. When reporters tried to cover the story, he asked to remain anonymous.

His father has half-Greek and half-Italian ancestry. His mother has Italian ancestry.

Acting protégé of Pat Morita.

On 12/23/2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, at the game between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders, the Islanders (Macchio's beloved hockey team) honored the actor with "Ralph Macchio Bobblehead Night", which gave the first 10,000 fans arriving at the game a bobblehead figurine of Macchio dressed in an Islanders uniform in the pose of a "crane kick" (besides the "bobblehead" the raised leg was also built to "bobble", or be flexible). His daughter Julia Macchio sang the national anthem before the game.

When Joel Siegel first did a review for Karate Kid (1984), he pronounced his name "MA-Key-O" instead of "Ma-chee-o". The latter pronunciation was the way Macchio himself pronounced his name, but the former is the proper Italian pronunciation. Siegel was called in at 4:00 am the day of his review's airing to correct the pronunciation. He later expressed annoyance at being called in at 4:00 am in the morning because Macchio "didn't know how to pronounce his own name".

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6633 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 20, 2024. Fellow actors Tamlyn Tomita and William Zabka were guest speakers at the ceremony. His Walk of Fame star is located in front of The Escape Hotel.

Some moviegoers who sat through the ending credits for the Marvel comics features Thor and The Avengers noticed a "thank you" credit for a Ralph Macchio. However, this was not meant for the Karate Kid actor, but rather for a man with the same name who was a Marvel writer during the 1980s.

Was #80 in VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.

In Crossroads (1986), he has a final "cutting-heads" guitar showdown with a demonic rock guitarist, played by real-life guitar hero Steve Vai. Both Macchio and Vai were born and raised on Long Island.

A huge fan of the hockey team New York Islanders.

Auditioned for a role in E.T., l'extra-terrestre (1982).

Listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1984" in "John Willis' Screen World", Vol. 36.

A huge fan of singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.

Attended and graduated from Half Hollow Hills West High School (1979).

Shares the same name with a retired Marvel Comics editor, 11 years his senior.

Born in the same Long Island (NY) town as Mariah Carey.

He is best known as Daniel LaRusso in: Karate Kid (1984), Karate Kid II (1986) and Karate Kid III (1989).