De Vito, Danny (1944-…), is an American motion-picture actor and director known for portraying nasty yet lovable characters. His chunky build and short stature give him a striking comic presence.
Daniel Michael De Vito, Jr., was born on Nov. 17, 1944, in Neptune, New Jersey. After a series of small roles on the stage, De Vito’s career picked up with his role in the film One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). His performance as the obnoxious dispatcher Louie De Palma on the television comedy series “Taxi” (1978-1983) won De Vito the 1981 Emmy Award as best supporting actor. In 2006, De Vito began acting in the television comedy series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which began airing in 2005.
De Vito returned to the movies in the mid-1980’s with supporting roles in Terms of Endearment (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), and The Jewel of the Nile (1985). He became a star with his performance in Ruthless People (1986). De Vito starred, and made his debut as a motion-picture director, in Throw Momma from the Train (1987). He also directed Duplex (2003) and directed and acted in the films The War of the Roses (1989), Hoffa (1992), and Matilda (1996).
De Vito’s other notable movies include Twins (1988), Batman Returns (1992), Get Shorty (1995), L.A. Confidential and John Grisham’s The Rainmaker (both 1997), Living Out Loud (1998), Heist (2001), Big Fish (2003), The Good Night (2007), Solitary Man (2009), and The Comedian (2016). He also provided the voices of Rocks the dog in Look Who’s Talking Now (1993), Swackhammer in Space Jam (1996), Phil the satyr in Hercules (1997), and a creature called the Lorax in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012). He is married to the American actress Rhea Perlman.
