TONY DANZA - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 09/15/2003 - HFSID 270338

TONY DANZA
Tony Danza sends an autographed letter to Phyllis Diller.
Autograph Letter Signed: "Tony" on verso, 2 pages, 6¼x4¼. Santa Clarita, California, 2003 September 15. On note card imprinted with his name to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dearest Phyllis". In full: "So unnecessary but so appreciated. I love it. Thank you so much It will hang in a place of honor. Hope all else is well. I'm on the road. Hope to see you soon Love". Handwritten postscript: "PS. Had coffee in your cup this AM". Ink slightly smudged at the "P" of PS. Fine condition. Accompanied by original mailing envelope, 6½x4½. 37-cent flag stamp affixed, postmarked Santa Clarita, California, September 16, 2003. Addressed by Danza to: "Ms. P. Diller, 163 So. Rockingham Ave., Los Angeles, California 90049". Danza has written his Sherman Oaks, California return address at upper left corner and on verso of flap. Slightly creased. Stray postal markings at blank areas. "Tony Danza" written (unknown hand) on verso. Fine condition. In the year he wrote this letter, Danza appeared in the made-for-TV movie, Stealing Christmas, and was seen on Celebrities Uncensored and in archival footage on the TV special, Christmas from Hollywood. Stage, screen and television actor Tony Danza, born Antonio Ladanza in 1951, was a former boxer who found fame as boxer Tony Banta on Taxi (1978-1983). Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the role, Danza went on to further success as Tony Micelli on Who's The Boss? (1984-1992). His other series include Hudson Street (1995), The Tony Danza Show (1997) and Family Law (2000-2002), and Danza was nominated for an Emmy Award for his guest appearance as attorney Tommy Silva on The Practice (1998). His film credits include Cannonball Run II (1984), She's Out of Control (1988, his first starring role), Last Action Hero (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Crash (2004), and Danza has made a number of TV movies. He has also appeared on Broadway and in his own song and dance stage show. Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012), known for her outrageous appearance, zany outfits, distinctive laugh and a stand-up act that featured frequent references to her fictional husband, "Fang", and zingers about her sex appeal and numerous plastic surgeries, got her big break in March 1955 (at age 37), when she debuted at San Francisco's Purple Onion club. A subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar launched her national career, which got a big boost after Bob Hope saw Diller in a Washington, D.C. club. A favorite of the comedian, Diller would appear in three of Hope's films and 23 of his TV specials. Diller, who recorded her first comedy record album in 1959, took her groundbreaking "funny hausfrau" act to nightclubs and television variety shows and specials and she also appeared on the big screen. Her feature film credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Fat Spy (1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), The Sunshine Boys (1975) and The Silence of the Hams (1994), and she provided the voice of the Queen in A Bug's Life (1998). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. Despite retiring from nightclub/stage tours in May 2002 at the age of 84, Diller continued to make films (Motorcross Kids, 2004; Forget About It, 2005) and occasionally appear on TV programs, including two episodes of 7th Heaven (2002, 2003) and a guest shot on The Wayne Brady Show (2004). Two items.