Daniel Michael "
Danny"
DeVito, Jr. (born November 17, 1944), is an
American actor,
director and
producer, who first gained prominence for his portrayal of "Louie De Palma" on the
ABC and
NBC TV series Taxi (1978–1983). DeVito and his wife,
Rhea Perlman, founded
Jersey Films, a production company known for films such as
Pulp Fiction,
Garden State, and
Freedom Writers. He also owns Jersey Television, which produced the
Comedy Central series
Reno 911!. DeVito currently stars as Frank Reynolds on the
FX sitcom
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Early life
DeVito was born in
Neptune, New Jersey, the son of Julia, a homemaker, and Daniel Michael DeVito, Sr., who owned several small businesses, including a dry cleaning store, a dairy outlet, a luncheonette, and a pool hall.
[Danny DeVito Biography - Yahoo! Movies][Danny DeVito Biography (1944-)] DeVito is of
Italian descent and was raised a
Roman Catholic,
[Reel.com: Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito] growing up in
Asbury Park.
[Shaw, David. "DeVito! Although He Has a Penchant for Dark Comedies, Actor-Director Danny DeVito Is Serious About His Craft, His Family and His Cigars", Cigar Aficionado profile, accessed May 2, 2007. "Danny DeVito was born in 1944 in the shore town of Neptune, New Jersey--hence the name of his production company--and raised in neighboring Asbury Park, the youngest of five children (two of whom died before he was born)."] He boarded at
Oratory Preparatory School, in
Summit, New Jersey, graduating in 1961. DeVito trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, California, where he graduated in 1966.
Actor
DeVito played Martini in the film
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, reprising his role from the 1971
off-Broadway play. DeVito gained fame in 1978 on the hit TV show
Taxi as Louie De Palma, the dispatcher for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company. After
Taxi ended, DeVito continued what became a successful movie career, beginning with a role in 1983's
Terms of Endearment and the comic rogue in the romantic adventure
Romancing the Stone, starring
Michael Douglas and
Kathleen Turner. All three reprised their roles in the 1985 sequel,
The Jewel of the Nile. In 1986, he was in
Ruthless People with
Bette Midler and
Judge Reinhold. In 1987, DeVito made his feature directing debut on
dark comedy Throw Momma from the Train, in which he additionally starred, opposite
Billy Crystal and
Anne Ramsey. Two years later DeVito reunited with Douglas and Turner to direct and star with them in
The War of the Roses.
Other notable work during this time includes
Other People's Money with legend
Gregory Peck, director
Barry Levinson's
Tin Men as a competitive rival salesman to
Richard Dreyfuss's character, two co-starring vehicles with
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the comedies
Twins and
Junior, and the villain
The Penguin in director Tim Burton's
Batman Returns (1992). It is said that
Jack Nicholson convinced DeVito to play
The Penguin[The Penguin (Danny DeVito)] since Nicholson enjoyed great success as
The Joker in the original
Batman from 1989. Rather than portraying the villain as a suave and sophisticated gangster as he was in the comics, DeVito portrayed him as a deformed psychopath.
Although generally a comic actor, DeVito expanded into dramatic roles with
The Rainmaker,
Hoffa (1992), which he directed and in which he co-starred with
Jack Nicholson,
L.A. Confidential,
The Big Kahuna and
Heist (
2001), as a
gangster nemesis to
Gene Hackman.
DeVito has a passion for documentaries. In 2006, he began a partnership with Morgan Freeman's company
ClickStar, on which he hosts a documentary channel called Jersey Docs.
Film and television producer
DeVito has become a major film and television producer. Through Jersey Films, he has produced many films, including
Pulp Fiction,
Get Shorty,
Erin Brockovich (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture),
Gattaca, and
Garden State. DeVito has also produced the Comedy Central series
Reno 911!
In 1999, DeVito produced and co-starred in
Man on the Moon, a movie about the unusual life of his former
Taxi co-star,
Andy Kaufman.
Director
DeVito has
directed six motion pictures:
His films often have a bizarre, neo-surrealistic sensibility and gallows humor, though this was absent in the straightforward
Hoffa biopic. This approach served him well at times, especially in
The War of the Roses which was a commercial and critical success, as well as
Matilda where it matched the style of
Roald Dahl's witty story of a young girl and a strict teacher; however his last two films have not been nearly as successful.
[Danny DeVito Movie Box Office Results]
Television and voice over work
In addition to his
Taxi work, DeVito has voiced
Herb Powell, Homer Simpson's half-brother, on two episodes of
The Simpsons. In 1997, he was the voice of the goatman named Philoctetes from the 1997 film
Hercules.
In 1999, DeVito hosted the last
Saturday Night Live episode before the year 2000.
He earned a 2004 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, an
episode of
Friends, following four Emmy nominations (including a 1981 win) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, for
Taxi. In 2006, DeVito joined the cast of the
FX Networks television series
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as
Frank Reynolds.
Personal life
DeVito married actress Rhea Perlman in 1982. They have three children: Lucy Chet DeVito (born March 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985) and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987). The family lives in
Beverly Hills, California, and has a vacation home in
Interlaken, New Jersey.
[Monmouth County, New Jersey Tax Assessor's Office property record for Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman] He is an outspoken
Democrat, and a supporter of the
OneVoice Movement, a non-profit organization that strives to help moderate
Israelis and
Palestinians to take a more assertive role in resolving the conflict. He is also a member of the steering committee of the Friends of the
Apollo, along with his wife and filmmaker
Jonathan Demme.
DeVito has stated that despite what websites such as
IMDb have claimed, he is not a vegetarian and that he does eat meat.
[Livin’ DeVito Loco]
DeVito has part of his family living in
New Canaan, Connecticut. He co-owns a restaurant called DeVito South Beach in
Miami Beach, Florida. His daughter Lucy starred as
Anne Frank in a production of
Anne Frank at the INTIMAN Theatre in Seattle, Washington, in 2008.
Filmography
