# Ralph Macchio now the same age as Pat Morita was when filming "The Karate Kid" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824 "2013-03-02T14:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/1 "2013-03-02T14:45:16Z")
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_. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/2 "2013-03-02T15:33:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/3 "2013-03-02T15:53:55Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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_. And everybody knew that Fish was 75 years old… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/4 "2013-03-02T16:40:24Z")
Forever stained by that Robot Chicken episode… ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/5 "2013-03-02T16:54:29Z")
I love this funnyordie video that Raph Macchio did a couple of years ago: [Wax On, Fuck Off](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c8ad4aa802/wax-on-f-ck-off-with-ralph-macchio) 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. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/6 "2013-03-02T17:12:01Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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_. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/7 "2013-03-02T17:32:56Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > It doesn’t really surprise me that Ralph Macchio is that old. What surprises me is that Pat Morita was _that young_! Thank god, I was worried this thread was going to be another, “Can you believe a 30-year old movie is 30 years old?” ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/8 "2013-03-02T17:43:56Z")
I loved watching the Karate Kid be on Dancing With The Stars two years ago! To me, his Jive was awesome!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly P.S. The Karate Kid is one of my most favorite trilogies. 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/9 "2013-03-02T17:51:34Z")
> [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](#): > > P.S. The Karate Kid is one of my most favorite trilogies. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I know! I love trilogies with four parts! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/10 "2013-03-02T19:03:09Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Thank god, I was worried this thread was going to be another, “Can you believe a 30-year old movie is 30 years old?” 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. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/11 "2013-03-02T20:56:02Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I love this funnyordie video that Raph Macchio did a couple of years ago: > [Wax On, Fuck Off](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c8ad4aa802/wax-on-f-ck-off-with-ralph-macchio) > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/12 "2013-03-02T20:59:39Z")
Ralph is closer in age to my parents than to me! I need to go lie down now. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/13 "2013-03-02T23:07:51Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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_. Same with you on Pat Morita being that young, particularly since he was playing a WWII vet. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/14 "2013-03-02T23:25:30Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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. 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! ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/15 "2013-03-03T03:50:08Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > And everybody knew that Fish was 75 years old… 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). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/16 "2013-03-03T04:07:13Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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”. Sounds like it’s time for another sequel, then. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ralph-macchio-now-the-same-age-as-pat-morita-was-when-filming-the-karate-kid/651824/17 "2013-03-03T04:48:29Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I know! I love trilogies with four parts! I don’t really think you can count _The Next Karate Kid_. Who, incidentally, was Hilary Swank.