Veteran stunt man Danny Aiello III, a son of actor Danny Aiello, died May 1 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Hillsdale, N.J., according to his family.
Born in the Bronx, Aiello had numerous credits as a stunt coordinator, from the upcoming "Sex and the City 2" to FX’s firefighter drama "Rescue Me" to soap operas including "All My Children."
Films on which he did stunts span nearly 30 years, starting with "Fighting Back" and "Splash" in the early ’80s and including "Ghostbusters II," "Jacob’s Ladder," "Scent of a Woman," "Die Hard With a Vengeance," "In America" and "Shooter."
He was the body double for his father in Spike Lee’s "Do the Right Thing." The elder Aiello told Newsday in 1992 that he couldn’t watch when his son performed stunts. "He tells me, ‘Dad, this is what I do, and if you don’t let me have this job, it will go to someone else’s son.’"
In the same article, Danny Aiello III reflected on his line of work. "You’d better be one of the 10 best if you want to make a living at it," he said.
In addition to acting credits on films including "The Natural," "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Miller’s Crossing," the younger Aiello directed his father in 1999 feature film "18 Shades of Dust." He also directed episodes of the television series "Dellaventura" and "The Untouchables."
Aiello is survived by his wife of nine years, Cindy; daughters Dawn and Allison; his parents, Danny and Sandra; two brothers, Rick and Jaime; and a sister, Stacey Aiello.
