Danny DeVito Biography

Daniel Michael "Danny" DeVito, Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi (1978–1983), for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

DeVito co-founded Jersey Films with Michael Shamberg. Soon afterwards, Stacey Sher became an equal partner. The production company is known for films such as Pulp Fiction, Garden State, and Freedom Writers. DeVito also owns Jersey Television, which produced the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman starred together in his 1996 film Matilda, based on Roald Dahl's children's novel. He currently stars as Frank Reynolds on the FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

He also directs and produces graphic short horror films for his Internet venture "The Blood Factory." He has appeared in several of them, as have friends of his and members of his family.

Early life

DeVito was born in Neptune Township, New Jersey, the son of Julia (née Moccello), a homemaker, and Daniel DeVito. DeVito grew up in a family of five, with his parents and two older sisters. DeVito is of Italian descent (his family is originally from San Fele, Basilicata) and grew up in Asbury Park. He boarded at Oratory Preparatory School, in Summit, New Jersey, and graduated in 1962. DeVito went to the boarding school at the age of 14, after he persuaded his father to send him there as it would keep him out of trouble. After leaving the boarding school he subsequently trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, from which he graduated in 1966. In his early theater days, he performed with the Colonnades Theater Lab, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and, along with his wife Rhea Perlman, appeared in plays produced by the Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective.

Film acting career

DeVito played Martini in the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, reprising his role from the 1971 off-Broadway play of the same name. He gained fame in 1978 playing Louie De Palma, the short but domineering dispatcher for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company, on the hit TV show Taxi. After Taxi ended, DeVito began a successful film career, starting with roles in 1983's Terms of Endearment, as the comic rogue in the romantic adventure Romancing the Stone, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, and its 1985 sequel, The Jewel of the Nile. In 1986, DeVito starred in Ruthless People with Bette Midler and Judge Reinhold, and in 1987, he made his feature-directing debut with the dark comedy Throw Momma from the Train, in which he starred with Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey. Two years later, DeVito reunited with Douglas and Turner in The War of the Roses, which he directed and in which he co-starred.

DeVito's work during this time includes Other People's Money with Gregory Peck, director Barry Levinson's Tin Men as a competitive rival salesman to Richard Dreyfuss' character, two co-starring vehicles with Arnold Schwarzenegger (the comedies Twins and Junior), and playing The Penguin as a deformed sociopath in director Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992).

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, Jack the Bear (1993), L.A. Confidential, The Big Kahuna, and Heist (2001), as a gangster nemesis to Gene Hackman's character.

DeVito has an interest in documentaries: In 2006, he began a partnership with Morgan Freeman's company ClickStar, on which he hosts a documentary channel called Jersey Docs. He was also interviewed in the documentary Revenge of the Electric Car, about his interest in and ownership of electric vehicles.

Theatre

In April 2012, DeVito made his West End acting debut in a revival of the Neil Simon play The Sunshine Boys - alongside Olivier Award-winning actor Richard Griffiths. The play previewed at the Savoy Theatre from 27 April 2012, opened on 17 May and played a limited 12-week season until 28 July.

Producing

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.

In 1999, DeVito produced and co-starred in Man on the Moon, a film about the unusual life of his former Taxi co-star, Andy Kaufman, who was played in the film by Jim Carrey. DeVito also produced the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, as well as the film spin off Reno 911!: Miami.

Directing

DeVito has directed the following motion pictures:

• The Ratings Game (1984)
• Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
• The War of the Roses (1989)
• Hoffa (1992)
• Matilda (1996)
• Death to Smoochy (2002)
• Duplex (2003)

The War of the Roses was a commercial and critical success, as was Matilda. However, Death to Smoochy and Duplex were not as successful. DeVito has also finished production on an untitled "apocalyptic thriller".

Television and voice-over work

In 1977, DeVito played the role of John 'John John the Apple' DeAppoliso in the Starsky and Hutch episode titled "The Collector." In 1986, DeVito directed and starred in an episode of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories. In the black comedy episode from season two, titled "The Wedding Ring", DeVito acquires an engagement ring for his wife (played by his real-life wife, actress Rhea Perlman). When the ring is slipped on his wife's finger, she becomes possessed by the ring's former owner, a murderous black widow.

In 1990, DeVito and Perlman played a couple (Vic & Paula) commenting on the state of the environment in The Earth Day Special.

In addition to his Taxi work, DeVito voiced Herb Powell, Homer Simpson's half-brother, on two episodes of The Simpsons. In 1996, he provided the voice of Mister Swackhammer in the Looney Tunes film Space Jam. In 1997, he was the voice of the satyr Philoctetes in the film Hercules and most recently voicing the Lorax in the 2012 remake of Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax"

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 for 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.

In 2011, DeVito received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television.

In 2012, DeVito was in the animated film The Lorax, as the Lorax, the tree-loving guardian of the forest.

In 2013, along with Rashida Jones, he was a voice guest star on The Changing of the Guardian episode of The Simpsons (aired on January 27, 2013. season 24 episode 11).

Personal life

DeVito met actress Rhea Perlman on January 17, 1971, when she went to see a friend in the single performance of the play The Shrinking Bride, which also featured DeVito. They moved in together two weeks after meeting. The couple married on January 28, 1982. They have three children: Lucy Chet DeVito (born March 11, 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985), and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987). Throughout their relationship, Perlman and DeVito have acted alongside each other several times, including in the TV show Taxi and the feature film Matilda (in which they played Matilda's parents). DeVito and Perlman separated in October 2012 after 30 years of marriage and over 40 years together. However, in March 2013, it was reported that they had reconciled and called off the separation. The family resides in Beverly Hills, California, and also spend time at their vacation home in Interlaken, New Jersey.

Devito is a known vegetarian and animal lover. On Twitter, he told his followers to see Forks Over Knives, a well-known health documentary advocating for plant-based diets like veganism. While filming Taxi he refused to kill cockroaches on the set.

Devito and Perlman are members of the steering committee of the Friends of the Apollo, supporting a theater in Oberlin, Ohio, as is filmmaker Jonathan Demme.

DeVito co-owned a restaurant called DeVito South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, which closed in 2011.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	Lady Liberty	Fred Mancuso	Released in 1971 in Italy.
	Hot Dogs for Gauguin	Adrian
1973	Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30	Petey
1975	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Martini
1976	Car Wash	Joe	Scenes cut from theatrical print
1977	The Van	Andy
1978	Goin' South	Hog
1981	Going Ape!	Lazlo	Nominated"?Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1983	Terms of Endearment	Vernon Dahlart
1984	Romancing the Stone	Ralph
	The Ratings Game	Vic De Salvo	Showtime directing debut
	Johnny Dangerously	Burr
1985	The Jewel of the Nile	Ralph	Also featured in music video of film's theme tune 'When the going gets tough' with Billy Ocean
	Amazing Stories	Herbert
	Head Office	Frank Steadman
1986	Wise Guys	Harry Valentini
	Ruthless People	Sam Stone	Nominated"?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
	My Little Pony: The Movie	The Grundle King	Voice only
1987	Throw Momma from the Train	Owen Lift	Director Nominated"?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
	Tin Men	Ernest Tilley
1988	Twins	Vincent Benedict
1989	The War of the Roses	Gavin D'Amato	Director Nominated"?Golden Bear (Berlin)
1991	Other People's Money	Larry Garfield
1992	Batman Returns	The Penguin	Nominated"?Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated"?MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated"?Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
	Hoffa	Bobby Ciaro	Producer, Director Nominated"?Golden Bear (Berlin) Nominated"?Razzie Award for Worst Director
1993	Jack the Bear	John Leary
	Last Action Hero	Whiskers	Voice only Uncredited
	Look Who's Talking Now	Rox	Voice only
1994	Reality Bites		Producer
	Junior	Dr. Larry Arbogast
	Pulp Fiction		Executive producer
	Renaissance Man	Bill Rago
1995	Get Shorty	Martin Weir	Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1996	Mars Attacks!	Rude gambler
	Matilda	Harry Wormwood	Director, producer, narrator Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
	Space Jam	Mr. Swackhammer	Voice only
1997	The Rainmaker	Deck Shifflet	Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
	Gattaca		Producer
	Hercules	Philoctetes	Voice only
	L.A. Confidential	Sid Hudgens	Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1998	Living Out Loud	Pat Francato	Nominated"?Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
1999	The Big Kahuna	Phil Cooper
	Man on the Moon	George Shapiro	Producer
	The Virgin Suicides	Dr. Hornicker
2000	Drowning Mona	Wyatt Rash
	Erin Brockovich		Producer Nominated"?Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated"?BAFTA Award for Best Picture
	How High		Producer
	Screwed	Grover Cleaver
2001	Heist	Bergman
	What's the Worst That Could Happen?	Max Fairbanks
2002
	Death to Smoochy	Burke Bennet	Director
2003	Anything Else	Harvey Wexler
	Big Fish	Amos Calloway
	Camp		Producer
	Duplex		Director and narrator
2004	Christmas in Love	Brad LaGuardia
	Garden State		Producer
	Friends	Officer Roy Goodbody	Guest Actor Nominated"?Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2005	Be Cool	Martin Weir
	Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School	Booth
2006"Present	It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia	Frank Reynolds	Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical
2006	Relative Strangers	Frank Menure
	Even Money	Walter
	The Oh in Ohio	Wayne
	Deck the Halls	Buddy Hall	Nominated"?Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
	Mojo (2006 music video)	Unnamed
2007	The Good Night	Mel
	Reno 911!: Miami	District Attorney	Producer
	Just Add Water	Merl
	Nobel Son	Gastner
2009	House Broken	Tom Smoky Cathkart
	Solitary Man	Jimmy
2010	When in Rome	Al
2011	Girl Walks Into a Bar	Aldo
2012	The Lorax	The Lorax	Voice only
	Hotel Noir	Eugene Portland