How old was Ralph Macchio in The Outsiders?

Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders” is a good, but not entirely great, adaptation of SE Hinton’s coming-of-age classic. It aspires to be a soundstage masterpiece, an evocation of the kinds of films its characters would go to see in the 1950s, but Hinton’s novel resists such overt stylization. Rather than Vincente Minnelli, Coppola should have aimed for the Italian neorealism of Vittorio De Sica. You have to feel Hinton’s “Oklahoma,” not Golden Age Hollywood’s fabrication of Hinton’s “Oklahoma.”

Although “The Outsiders” falls short due to this aesthetic choice, it nonetheless boasts excellent performances from an ensemble of young rising stars. Casting director Janet Hirshenson nailed every role, giving an early boost to talents as fulfilled as Matt DillonC. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane. It’s amazing to see them all, except for Swayze (who was 31 at the time), so fresh-faced and, well, not entirely innocent.

“The Outsiders” is, after all, about a group of poor kids who belong to a gang called the Greasers. They drink, smoke and fight. Some are more prone to trouble than others, but in the eyes of the community, they are all delinquents. The three main characters of “The Outsiders” are Ponyboy Curtis (Howell)Dallas “Dally” Winston (Dillon) and Johnny Cade (Macchio). If you had to guess the ages of the three actors based on their appearance, you would probably say that Macchio was the youngest of the trio. If so, you would be absolutely wrong.

Born November 4, 1961, in Huntington, New York, Ralph Macchio was discovered by a talent agent at age 16 and was 19 when he was cast in Robert Downey, Sr.’s raunchy comedy “Up the Academy.” “The Outsiders” ended up being his first major role, and he was sensational as the kind-hearted Johnny, described as a “puppy who’s been kicked too many times.” He dies a hero saving children from a burning church, but it’s heartbreaking because his short life was filled with so much sadness.

Macchio was perfect for the casting of puppy Johnny, but he was actually three years older than Dillon and five years older than Howell. Although he was in his early 20s, he went on to play bullied high school student Daniel LaRusso in “The Karate Kid” and a teenage troublemaker in Arthur Hiller’s “Teachers” before moving on to more adult roles. But truth be told, he still looks awfully childish as the adult LaRusso in “Cobra Kai.” Macchio is the definition of a “baby face”.