Tony Danza

While in the midst of a burgeoning, albeit struggling boxing career, actor Tony Danza became a true overnight celebrity thanks to his portrayal of the dimwitted, but good-natured cab driver Tony Banta on the iconic sitcom, "Taxi" (ABC/NBC, 1978-1983), often ranked as one of the best television comedies ever made. Though sometimes overshadowed by his more bizarre co-stars, Danza nonetheless became an instant household name. Right after "Taxi" ended, he starred in the more conventional sitcom, "Who's the Boss?" (ABC, 1984-1992), which ran for a long eight seasons and sat in Nielsen's Top 10 ratings for several seasons. Because of these two successes, Danza earned himself enough clout to become an executive producer with his own production company, leading to numerous specials and made-for-television movies. While he was a force on the small screen, Danza struggled in the feature world, starring in stinkers like "Going Ape!" (1981), "Cannonball Run II" (1984), and "She's Out of Control" (1989). In later years, he even started to struggle on the small screen with short-lived series like "Hudson Street" (ABC, 1995-96) and "The Tony Danza Show" (ABC, 1997). But he found new life on the Broadway stage with acclaimed dramatic performances in "A View from the Bridge" (1998) and "The Iceman Cometh" (1999), while earning respect for a lauded recurring role on "The Practice" (NBC, 1997-2004). Despite the ups and downs of his career, Danza remained an amiable presence in any project.