Serendipity seems to follow Ralph Macchio — and it most recently took him to Australia.

In October, Coldplay released the song “The Karate Kid,” and it’s exactly what you think it’s about, down to the lyrics about “Daniel.” That, of course, is the name of the lead character played by Macchio in three “The Karate Kid” movies and six seasons of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.” After Macchio heard the tune, he shared it on social media — and that’s when Coldplay concocted a plan. Frontman Chris Martin asked Macchio to come to Australia, where they were playing a series of dates, and film the music video. The ruse included bringing the actor on stage to help perform “The Karate Kid.”

“It was just one of those whirlwind things,” says Macchio, who just returned from Down Under. “It’s just a beautiful track. It blew my mind that he wrote the song, just from the film, which meant so much to him. We certainly had an impact 41 years ago, at least for a young Chris Martin and Coldplay. It never ceases to amaze me, the emotions and feelings that the original film still carries through the decades.”

Macchio is about to experience another one of those moments. As the final season of “Cobra Kai” posts its next five episodes (there are still five to go) this month, Macchio is set to receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And his honor will be fittingly placed near the plaque for his late co-star Pat Morita, aka Mr. Miyagi.

“That’s just perfectly wonderful at this point in my life,” Macchio says. The actor, at a youthful 63, is somehow a decade older than Morita was in the original 1984 film. “It’s only fitting I will be Miyagi-adjacent till the end of time, and I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to have that kind of placement. I remember him saying having a star on the Walk of Fame was probably the biggest highlight of his career, coming from humble beginnings. So I’ll get to channel a little bit of the love that he still sprinkles on this ‘Karate Kid’ universe.”

It’s also a complete career full circle moment for Macchio, who remembers visiting the Walk of Fame as a teen in the late 1970s when he moved to Hollywood from his native Long Island, N.Y. to give acting a shot.

“It was the land of hopes and dreams, and I remember I would walk on Hollywood Boulevard looking for Gene Kelly’s star,” Macchio says. “I wanted to be Gene Kelly, ever since my youngest memory. I used to watch the old movie musicals with my mom. And so seeing all those names like Clark Gable, which come from a lot of the films and television shows that I grew up with, it never seemed obtainable.”

Before long, he had a regular role on “Eight Is Enough.” Then came his breakout role in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 feature “The Outsiders,” followed a year later by that life-changing moment in “The Karate Kid.” That crane kick. Wax on, wax off. Daniel-san. All iconic pop culture moments that are forever attached to Macchio. “People still remember where they saw ‘The Karate Kid,’” he says. “I’m incredibly grateful, and feel privileged to be blessed enough to bring joy to people through a character.”

He also starred in the first two “Karate Kid” sequels and held a major role in 1992’s “My Cousin Vinny,” the Joe Pesci starrer that is in endless heavy rotation on basic cable. “I always call it the late-for-dinner movie,” he says. “If it’s on, you’re going to be late for dinner because you have another setup that’s going to pay off and you have to stick to the next one.”

But then came the lean years, which Macchio chronicled in his recent memoir, “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me.” Macchio was inspired by the philosophy of one of his idols, Michael Caine, who talked about capitalizing on the difficulties you might face in acting and in life.

“I’ve learned to do that,” he says. “There were some difficult times as far as career goes and where I’d wanted it to be. But those are also the years that I was here for my kids at a very young age. It was perfect, especially with this great resurgence and groundswell act that I’m going through right now. I almost couldn’t have written it better, because I get to enjoy it, and it just keeps giving. I mean, the fans never let it disappear.”

Indeed, Macchio never stopped working. In the 2000s, he held a recurring role on “Ugly Betty” and was given several opportunities to play versions of himself — most of which he turned down. But he embraced a few, including on HBO’s “Entourage.”

“If I could tell you the amount of times it was pitched — I said no 90% of the time,” he says. “I went through a phase where I would joke that my name was more famous than I was. ‘Entourage’ was the first time I played myself, and so I was proud because it was a cool industry choice, and a pretty darn good episode as well.”

Then there was the Funny or Die parody “Wax On, F*ck Off,” from filmmaker Todd Holland, which toyed with Macchio’s nice guy persona by trying to turn him into a Hollywood bad boy. “It was the perfect time when people with bad behavior were being rewarded, and I considered myself a good guy,” he says. “So how could I try to make myself more relevant with what works in in Hollywood?

But the real groundwork for “Cobra Kai” came when he and William Zabka guest starred on “How I Met Your Mother” — in which Neil Patrick Harris’ character Barney wanted the hero of the “The Karate Kid” at his party. When Macchio showed up, he was disappointed as he’d considered Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) the good guy.

That dynamic, of course, became the heart of “Cobra Kai,” a new take on the “Karate Kid” characters from Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Around the time that show began development (originally at YouTube Originals), Macchio had landed a very different kind of role as a vice cop in HBO’s gritty drama “The Deuce.”

“He’s everything that you dream of when you’re think about meeting your heroes,” Hurwitz says. “He’s a kind person. He’s a family man. It extends to how he carries himself on set as the No. 1 on the call sheet. He’s a role model to a whole group of young actors on our show.”

Heald interjects: “It’s easy to see, upon meeting him for the very first time, that he’s one of the most authentic people you’ll ever meet. He is thoughtful as a performer and a producer and now a director, and in the way that you want as a collaborator.”

Now, as “Cobra Kai” ends, Macchio says the timing “just feels right” to “land it but in a great way.” But this isn’t the end for Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. He will revive the character again opposite Jackie Chan in “The Karate Kid: Legends,” which takes place three years after the events of “Cobra Kai.”

“It was not a quick decision, because it was about protecting the Daniel LaRusso character, and finding where he would be at that point, and then protecting the whole legacy in the Miyagi-verse,” says Macchio. “Once we were able to line that up, for the ‘Cobra Kai’ story to lead into the new film — even though they’re separate ecosystems — it all made sense for me. Then, working with Jackie was just super exciting. I started this on the big screen. How cool is it to get it back to the big screen?”

As for what’s next, Macchio is keen on pursuing more directing and hopes to help Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg turn a Mr. Miyagi origins series into fruition. Plus, he wants to explore other characters beyond the “Karate Kid” universe.

Will “The Karate Kid: Legends” mark his final bow as Daniel? “I don’t want to overstay the welcome of a character that’s so beloved,” he says. “But he’s aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never.”

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, issued a warning after receiving “specific information of a potential significant air attack” allegedly taking place on Wednesday.

The embassy in Ukraine’s capital is temporarily closed following the alert and employees are being asked to prepare to shelter in place.

“The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced,” the statement said.

PUTIN SIGNS REVISED DOCTRINE LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR NUCLEAR RESPONSE IF RUSSIA IS ATTACKED

Employees have been asked to take the following actions:

• Monitor local media for updates
• Identify shelter locations in advance of any air alert
• Immediately take shelter if an air alert is announced
• Follow the directions of Ukrainian officials and first responders in the event of an emergency

A training session involving some 2,000 Ukrainian conscripts and veterans takes place in the muddy fields of the Champagne military camp in eastern France on Nov. 14. (REUTERS/John Irish)

This comes after Ukraine fired American-supplied long-range missiles into Russia on Tuesday, marking the first time for Kyiv to do so in the 1,000 days of war, which was authorized by President Biden on Sunday.

BIDEN AUTHORIZES UKRAINE TO USE US LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO STRIKE INSIDE RUSSIA

It has been over 1,000 days since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and the conflict remains very active. (Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images)

This was not the first time the embassy has issued a warning of potential danger and a significant attack. 

A similar warning was issued around Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug. 24. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine on Tuesday, warning that any attack on Russia supported by a country with nuclear power could be grounds for a nuclear response.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Linda McMahon has been a constant presence in Donald Trump’s tumultuous orbit, serving in his first administration and supporting his presidential campaigns. Now he’s chosen her to serve as Education secretary.

Here’s a look at McMahon’s background, from business to politics.

McMahon went from wrestling to politics

McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, whose father was a prominent professional wrestling promoter. They followed him into the business, founding their own company that’s now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. It became a juggernaut in the industry and American culture.

When Trump was the star of the reality show “The Apprentice,” he made an appearance at Wrestlemania in 2007. The billionaire entertainment mogul participated in an elaborately scripted feud that ended with Trump shaving off Vince McMahon’s hair in the middle of the ring.

Linda McMahon stepped down from her position as WWE’s chief executive to enter politics. She ran twice for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut, but lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 to Chris Murphy.

Shifting gears, she focused on providing financial support to candidates. McMahon provided $6 million to help Trump’s candidacy after he secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Teaching was an initial career goal

McMahon served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009. She told lawmakers at the time that she had a lifelong interest in education and once planned to become a teacher, a goal that fell aside after her marriage.

She also spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

McMahon is seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.

McMahon was part of Trump’s first presidency

A month after defeating Hillary Clinton, Trump chose McMahon as leader of the Small Business Administration. The agency gives loans and disaster relief to companies and entrepreneurs, and it monitors government officials’ compliance with contract laws.

When McMahon was chosen, she was praised by Blumenthal and Murphy, the two Connecticut Democrats who defeated her in Senate campaigns. Blumenthal called her “a person of serious accomplishment and ability,” while Murphy said she was a “talented and experienced businessperson.”

Unlike other members of Trump’s first administration, McMahon was not shadowed by scandal or controversy. She frequently promoted his trade and tax policies.

“She has been a superstar,” Trump said when she left the administration in 2019. “The fact is, I’ve known her for a long time. I knew she was good, but I didn’t know she was that good.”

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She kept supporting Trump after leaving the administration

McMahon didn’t leave Trump’s orbit. She chaired America First Action, a super PAC that backed Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020. He lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and McMahon helped start the America First Policy Institute to continue advocating for Trump’s agenda and prepare for a potential return to the White House.

When Trump ran for president this year, McMahon was the co-chair of his transition team along with Howard Lutnick, the chief executive of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald. As part of that role, McMahon has been helping to plan Trump’s new administration.

Once he takes office, perhaps McMahon’s biggest task will be to eliminate the agency she was hired to oversee. Trump has promised to close the Education Department and return much of its powers to states. Trump has not explained how he would close the agency, which was created by Congress in 1979 and would likely require action from Congress to dismantle.