Ralph Macchio now the same age as Pat Morita was when filming "The Karate Kid"

I just saw this shared on Facebook. Checking their wiki bios, I see that Ralph Macchio was 51 in November. There’s no info on the The Karate Kid page to say what the actual filming dates were, but when the film was released Pat Morita was just 6 days from turning 52.
It doesn’t really surprise me that Ralph Macchio is that old.
What surprises me is that Pat Morita was that young! I’d have guessed him to be nearing 60 way back when he was on Happy Days.

He was much older than he looks in the film. The Karate Kid came out in June 1984, and assuming it was filmed the year before, Macchio was 22 at the time.

And William Zabka was much closer to actual high school age at only 18.

And everybody knew that Fish was 75 years old…

Forever stained by that Robot Chicken episode…

I love this funnyordie video that Raph Macchio did a couple of years ago:
Wax On, Fuck Off

Macchio’s family and loved ones are concerned about him and convinced that the only way for him to revitalize his career is for him to reinvent himself as a “bad boy”.

Macchio looks to be in his mid-30s. He was 48.

That is surprising. Pat Morita was only 9 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked yet his character fought with the 442nd RCT in Europe.

Thank god, I was worried this thread was going to be another, “Can you believe a 30-year old movie is 30 years old?”

I loved watching the Karate Kid be on Dancing With The Stars two years ago! To me, his Jive was awesome!!! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

God bless you always!!! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Holly

P.S. The Karate Kid is one of my most favorite trilogies. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

I know! I love trilogies with four parts!

Yeah, I’ve commented before- and I think I actually started a Thread devoted to the idea- that people really used to be a whole lot older than we are today.

NitroPress offers Abe Vigoda as another great example.
Pat Morita was 51 in The Karate Kid and Abe Vigoda was 51 in The Godfather.
Damn! 51 used to be old!!!
It really isn’t anymore.

Very funny, up there with When Harry Met Sally 2.

{HUGS}“You know this costs fifty buck, right?”
“It’s so worth it.”

Thanks for sharing.

Ralph is closer in age to my parents than to me! I need to go lie down now.

Same with you on Pat Morita being that young, particularly since he was playing a WWII vet.

I think I posted in that thread that I’m as old now as Carroll O’Connor was at the height of All in the Family. Ummmmm, there’s no fucking way I’m Archie Bunker!

Yeah, he has outlived Yamana, Luger, Levitt, and even Dietrich!

I’m not sure if the ages are exactly right, but Julia Sawalha, ‘Saffy’ on AbFab, is now as old as Patsy (Joanna Lumley) was when the show started! (She played 17 but she was actually in her mid-twenties).

Sounds like it’s time for another sequel, then.

I don’t really think you can count The Next Karate Kid. Who, incidentally, was Hilary Swank.