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The original Karate Kid stopped by a local dojo this week to say hello to an old friend.
Ralph Macchio, the Huntington native famous for playing Daniel LaRusso in “The Karate Kid” franchise during the 1980s and for reprising the role in Netflix’s hit series “Cobra Kai,” paid a visit to the East Coast Black Belt Academy in Middle Island on Wednesday. The day’s schedule featured a seminar on traditional martial arts and self-defense.
Macchio hadn’t come for lessons, though. He was there to see a visiting instructor, Fumio Demura, a Yokohama, Japan-born sensei known for his advanced skills and his many books on weaponry. Demura, 83, is also known as the original stunt double for Pat Morita, the late actor who played the iconic Mr. Miyagi in the first “Karate Kid” film. The martial-arts master served as Morita’s double in two sequels as well.
“I remember watching ‘The Karate Kid’ as a young man,” said dojo owner Jerry Figgiani, 62. “Ralph Macchio, being who he is, to have him in my dojo, it was just surreal.”
Having heard ahead of time that Macchio might drop by, Figgiani said he fashioned a lifetime achievement award for the actor and presented it to him. Macchio is also a recent inductee into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame as a “special recognition” for raising awareness of martial arts among a wider public.
“He was very gracious, he talked to the kids, took pictures with the kids,” Figgiani said. “To have a movie icon and a true martial arts master both here, it was just over the top.”
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