Danny DeVito Biography
Born: November 17, 1944
Date of Birth: November 17, 1944
Small in stature, long in talent, this New Jersey native stands only 4'10" tall. Danny DeVito attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel grammar school and Oratory Prep School in Summit, New Jersey, but only made one appearance in a school play, as St. Francis of Assisi.
After graduation, he studied hairdressing at the Wilfred Academy of Hair and Beauty Culture and began working as a hairdresser at his sister's beauty salon but always had the idea that he would like to pursue acting. He eventually enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then began landing roles on stage.
In 1970, he began to appear in small film roles. It wasn't until he repeated his stage role in the film version of the Ken Kesey novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) that he began to be noticed in Hollywood. His performance earned him rave reviews and more film work. He also branched out into TV, winning both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Louie De Palma on the hit TV series, Taxi (1978-83).
After directing several episodes of Taxi, Danny began directing films (The War of the Roses, Matilda, Duplex) and producing (Erin Brockovich, Along Came Polly, Be Cool), but he still continues to act in both movies and on television. He stars in the hit FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2006-present) as the off-beat and often outspoken Frank Reynolds and has appeared in such movies as Big Fish(2003), When in Rome(2010) and voiced the titular character in the animated film, The Lorax (2012).
Danny has also continued to work on stage. In 2012, he and Richard Griffiths received rave reviews for the London stage revival of Neil Simon’s comedy The Sunshine Boys. The following year, Danny reprised his critically acclaimed role alongside former Taxi co-star Judd Hirsch in Los Angeles.
In 2017, Danny made his Broadway debut as Gregory Solomon in Arthur Miller’s The Price, earning his first Tony Award nomination for his work in the production, as well as a Drama Desk Award.
Most recently, Danny lent his voice to the animated children's film Smallfoot(2018) as the yeti Dorgle, father to Channing Tatum's character, Migo, and played the ringmaster Max Medici in Dumbo(2019), the live-action remake of the original Disney classic.
Danny married actress Rhea Perlman in 1982. The couple have three children together: Lucy, Grace and Jacob. In 2012, after 30 years of marriage, Danny and Perlman separated and briefly reconciled in 2013 before separating again in 2017. However they did not file for divorce and have since reportedly reconciled once again.
In 2018, Danny's hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey, designated his birthday, November 17, as Danny DeVito Day.
About his career choices, Danny says, "I usually try to find the redemptive qualities in the guys I play so that I can have a good sleep at night."