In addition to teaching the world that size doesn’t matter, there is something about Danny DeVito that makes him extremely likable, even when he plays an unpleasant being: it makes itself loved. But despite the joys he brought to the world, the Italian-American had a life marked by tragedy and pain.
Danny DeVito is one of the smallest actors in Hollywood, measuring 1.47m. The actor was born with Fairbank disease, also known as multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, or MED, a musculoskeletal condition that affects and inhibits the development of bone and cartilage growth. In addition to smaller than average adult height, people with MED are more likely to suffer from early-onset arthritis, joint pain, curvature of the spine, and difficulty walking. He didn’t have it easy.
Despite this condition, DeVito was never the subject of ridicule or harassment for his height, but that limited the number of roles he could access. Even so, the actor believes that it was more of a help than a hindrance when he showed up for his first auditions. “Because it wasn’t that normal. At first, when I was up for a role, people would say, ‘Oh, I have two Shakespeare roles like that for you.'”
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. was born on November 17, 1944, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States, into an Italian-American family. His mother, Julia, was 40 years old when he was born and was already the mother of two teenage daughters. I mean, Danny’s arrival was kind of a surprise: “I wasn’t looking for it, but I’m very proud of him,” she said in an interview. And his father, whose name is the same as the actor, worked low-paying jobs to support the family, including working in a candy store, a dry cleaner, and a pool hall. He was an alcoholic, which made him Young DeVito was raised in a tense family environment.
“My dad had problems with alcohol and was sick in that sense. He was a sweet man during the day, but when he had a drink, he would go crazy. “I felt vulnerable”. His dad’s addiction was partly what led Danny to leave home at age 14, when he convinced his parents to send him to a Catholic boarding school. That way he could escape the heroin, which invaded Asbury Park in the late 1950s and ensnared some of his friends. “What we did in those days was steal pharmaceuticals. One of my best friends died in prison. It wasn’t something strange,” the actor recalled.
After graduating from high school in 1962, Danny began working as beautician in her sister’s beauty salon. A year later, he enrolled in New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts so he could learn more about cosmetology. But while he was at the academy, he fell in love with acting and decided to pursue his career as an actor. During this time, he met another aspiring actor, Michael Douglas, at the National Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Connecticut. Later, the two would collaborate on numerous projects and, in the late 1960s, they shared an apartment in Manhattan, New York, for which they paid $75 each per month in rent.
In 1968, Danny landed his first film role when he appeared as a thug in Dreams of Glass (1970). Despite this small triumph, the actor became disillusioned with the film industry and decided to focus on productions theatrical. He made his Off-Broadway debut in 1969 in The man with the flower in his mouth. He continued with theatrical roles in The shrinking bride y Lady Liberty. In 1975, he was approached by director Milos Forman and Michael Douglas to appear in the film version of the film Trapped with no way outstarring Jack Nicholson. With box office success almost guaranteed and the possibility of national exposure, Danny accepted the role.
Trapped with no way out It became a great success, both critically and at the box office, and still ranks today as one of the best films of all time. However, that job did little to help Danny’s career: in the following years he was relegated to small roles in films and guest appearances on television shows. His big opportunity came in 1978 when he auditioned for the series Taxi which focused on the life of Louie DePalma, a New York taxi driver. At casting, he was almost rejected when producers told him he needed to show more attitude to get the role. Danny slammed the script down and shouted: “Who wrote this shit?” There, the producers realized that DeVito was perfect for the role, they incorporated him, and the series was a great success between 1978 and 1983.
Louie DePalma, played impeccably by DeVito, became one of the most memorable (and despicable) characters in television history. Although viewers hated him, he was highly praised by critics: he won an Emmy Award and was nominated three other times. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Danny maintained his status as a great actor with memorable roles in films such as Two rascals after the lost emerald (1984), Please kill my wife (1986), Throw mom off the train (1987) y Twins (1988). He also had great success behind the scenes: he directed films – in which he also acted – such as The war of the roses (1989) y Hoffa (1992).
DeVito later adapted to a new generation of moviegoers when he was cast as the Penguin in Tim Burton’s hit Batman Returns (1992). This earned him a nomination for Best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards. That same year, along with his wife Rhea Perlman, he co-founded Jersey Films, which has produced many popular films and television shows, including Violent times (1994), The name of the game (1995), The lunatic (1999) y Erin Brockovich, a bold woman (2000).
As already mentioned, DeVito landed his first leading film role in Stuck with no way outthe adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel set in a psychiatric hospital. A role that was close to his heart and for which he was willing to accept grueling challenges. To prepare for playing a mentally ill man who endures terrifying hallucinations, DeVito spent time observing the residents of a facility on Wards Island in New York. “I would take bits out of them, things that weren’t in the book. And Martini (his character) was shot down at sea in World War II, so I imagined water rising into the room. That’s why I always sat on my legs in the chair because in your mind, the water rises,” he explained.
The film was filmed at the Oregon State Hospital, and during filming DeVito suffered a serious mental health episode, developing separation anxiety so severe from his then-girlfriend, Rhea Perlman, that he invented an imaginary friend to keep him company. The attack was so extreme that, as a consequence, the actor had to receive psychiatric treatment for a long time.
In 2006, DeVito appeared on The View to promote the film. A very bright Christmas, but the most memorable thing about the interview was that the actor was drunk. He himself admitted that he had gone out with his friend the night before. George Clooney to drink limoncello and that he was not yet sober. An anecdote that led DeVito to launch his own brand of limoncello and, at the same time, the drink led the actor to the restaurant business. He met Florida food entrepreneur David Manero and, with a third partner, they opened DeVito South Beach in Miami, investing $7.5 million to renovate a building and create a expensive menuwhose initial price was an average of $75 per person.
DeVito liked to show up at the restaurant and greet customers, but in 2010, the business began to run into trouble when Manero couldn’t pay back the loans he had taken out to open the place. That same year, employees sued the restaurant, alleging they were cheated out of paychecks and tips. A waiter broke into the company’s computers and found evidence of this, for which DeVito had to face the law in Florida. The actor retired, separated from his partners, and the restaurant closed permanently in 2011.
Despite the difficulties, DeVito, at least, had a strong relationship to lean on: the one he maintained for more than 40 years with his wife. He began his relationship in 1970 with actress Rhea Perlman, known for participating in the series Cheersand for co-starring with DeVito in Matilda. Danny and Rhea fell in love, got married and had three children: Lucy (41), Gracie (39) and Jake (37). Although it is one of the longest-lasting celebrity marriages in Hollywood, in 2012, DeVito and Perlman broke up. The following year, they got together again but the second time didn’t last, and They finished again in 2017.
DeVito and Perlman remain officially separated but declared they are “more friends now than in their last years as a couple, which were too tense”. They usually talk and agree on almost everything important. “We are friends. We are happy. “Everyone is happy,” he said when the press spoke of the actor’s possible depression. In fact, when asked what was the closest he came to death, DeVito with his characteristic humor said: “I was once in the same airport as Dick Cheney,” he said, referring to the American politician and businessman who served as vice president of George W. Bush, from 2001 to 2009. And acid added: “He’s the devil, right?”
Upon turning 80, the renowned actor can feel fulfilled because, as he himself said, he has been “very lucky and happy” in his life. “I have a big family and I work a lot, and that’s what I like to do.”
