Danny DeVito
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Daniel Michael DeVito (born November 17, 1944) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor, a director, and an Oscar-nominated producer, who first gained prominence for his portrayal of "Louie De Palma" on the popular ABC and NBC TV series, Taxi (1978–1983). Because this sitcom was not widely distributed abroad, he is known primarily for his film work in most other countries. He currently plays Frank Reynolds on the FX show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
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[edit] Biography
DeVito was born in Neptune, New Jersey to Italian-American Catholic parents. He boarded at Oratory Preparatory School, in Summit, New Jersey, graduating in 1961. He married actress Rhea Perlman on January 28, 1982. They have three children, Lucie Chet DeVito (born March 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985) and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987), who currently attends Oberlin College in Ohio.
After Taxi, DeVito launched a successful movie career, beginning as the comic rogue in the 1984 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 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 The War of the Roses.
Other notable work during this time includes director Barry Levinson's Tin Men as a competitive salesman to Richard Dreyfuss, 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 since Nicholson gained worldwide fame as The Joker in the original Batman from 1989.
Although generally a comic actor, DeVito expanded into drama with such movies as Hoffa (1992), which he directed and in which he co-starred with Jack Nicholson; L.A. Confidential as a nosy reporter (1997); The Big Kahuna as a compassionate salesman (1999); and Heist (2001), as a gangster nemesis to Gene Hackman.
[edit] Stature
DeVito is well known for his height - standing only 4'10", or 147 centimeters, making him a technical dwarf. Some of his movies make in-jokes to this fact. His pairing up with Schwarzenegger (who is over 6 feet tall) in Twins for example. He also played the ringmaster in Big Fish to make Karl the Giant seem even larger, and had a cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember as a film-within-a-film version of Mini-Me.
[edit] Producer
In addition to acting, DeVito has become a major film and television producer. Through his production company, Jersey Films, he has produced many movies, including Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Erin Brockovich, 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.
[edit] Director
Devito has directed six motion pictures, Throw Momma From the Train (1987), The War of the Roses (1989), Hoffa (1992), Matilda (1996), Death to Smoochy (2002), and Duplex (2003). He is set to direct his sixth feature, 2007's I Married a Witch, which will star Tom Cruise & Famke Janssen.
His films tend to 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, however his last two films have not been anywhere as successful.[1]
[edit] Television
In addition to his Taxi work, DeVito has voiced Herb Powell Homer Simpson's half-brother, on two episodes of The Simpsons. 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.
[edit] Personal
DeVito is married to actress Rhea Perlman, with whom he has three children - Lucie Chet DeVito (born March 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985) and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987). DeVito and his family live in Manalapan, New Jersey. He is a vegetarian.
During the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, there was a rumor that DeVito had died aboard one of the hijacked planes. Producer friend Sam Simon heard this report and privately mentioned the sad news to disc jockey Howard Stern. However, before Stern had a chance to announce the information on the air, Simon revealed he had been given "misinformation" and that DeVito was still alive. (Stern recounted this story during his September 12, 2006 broadcast.)
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] References
- Lovece, Frank. Hailing "Taxi": The Official Book of the Show (Prentice-Hall Press, 1988), reissued as "Taxi": The Official Fan's Guide (Citadel, 1996; ISBN 0-8065-1801-4)
- Danny DeVito at the Internet Movie Database
- Danny DeVito at the Notable Names Database
| Preceded by: Burgess Meredith |
Actors to portray the Penguin 1992 |
Succeeded by: Paul Williams (voice only) |
Categories: 1944 births | American film actors | American film directors | American film producers | American television actors | American television producers | American vegetarians | Italian-American actors | Living people | New Jersey actors | Roman Catholic entertainers | Worst Director Razzie Nominee | Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Nominee | English-language film directors | Actors with dwarfism | Batman actors
