The Many Lives of Tony Luke, Jr., Part 1

Tony Luke, Jr. is a cofounder of Tony Luke's, a cheesesteak franchise with multiple locations. He's also an actor, TV personality, musician, and an anti-addiction-stigma activist.

In the early 90s, Tony, his brother, and his father built and opened a small sandwich shop in South Philly. Back then, Pat’s, Geno’s, and Jim’s were the only names synonymous with Philly Cheesesteaks. But pretty soon, everyone was talking about Tony Luke’s.

Tony Luke’s would turn into a household name, and Tony Luke Jr would become the face of the franchise: starring in TV and radio commercials, and even getting his own show on Spike TV.

But, before his father even had the thought to build a sandwich shop, Tony Luke Jr’s story had already taken several shapes: from being a rough-and-tumble South Philly kid, to a budding Hollywood movie star rubbing shoulders with the cast of Rocky, to scoring a record deal as the crooner of an R&B band.

In part one of this two-episode series, you'll hear the crazy lives Tony Luke, Jr. lead before becoming a Philly Cheesesteak celebrity.

@tonylukejr on Instagram, Twitter

Philly Who? Is a Cue9 Production. This episode is produced, edited, and hosted by Kevin Chemidlin, with associate production by Angela Gervasi and Bryce Loebel, music by Lee Rosevere, artwork by Lauren Carhart, and a special thanks to Bob Moore.

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