DeVito was born atRaleigh Fitkin-Paul Morgan Memorial Hospital inNeptune Township, New Jersey, the son of Daniel DeVito Sr., a small business owner and Julia DeVito (née Moccello).[2][3] He grew up in a family of five, with his parents and two older sisters.[4] He is ofItalo-Albanian descent; his family is originally fromSan Fele,Basilicata,[5] as well as from theArbëresh Albanian community ofCalabria.[6][7] He was raised inAsbury Park, New Jersey. He lived a few miles away from the originalJersey Mike's location and would eat there frequently, which would inspire him to become the sub shop's first celebrity spokesman in a line of commercials that began to air in September 2022.[8][9]
In 1997, he played Deck Shifflet in the legal thrillerThe Rainmaker starringMatt Damon andClaire Danes as well as Sid Hudgens, editor of a sleazytabloid calledHush-Hush, who gets tips ahead of time of celebrity arrests in theneo-noir thrillerL.A. Confidential withRussell Crowe,Guy Pearce andKevin Spacey, the latter of which was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture. That same year he also voicedPhil in theWalt Disney Animated filmHercules (1997). Leonard Klady ofVariety praised the voice performances writing, "As inAladdin, the melding of character animation with the screen personae of the actors voicing the roles provides forceful and amusing entertainment, particularly in DeVito's turn as a physical trainer and the acid witJames Woods brings to his villainous role."[14]
DeVito has an interest in documentaries. In 2006 he began a partnership withMorgan Freeman's companyClickStar, for whom he hosts the documentary channel Jersey Docs. He was also interviewed in the documentaryRevenge of the Electric Car, discussing his interest in and ownership ofelectric vehicles. DeVito has directed eight short films between 1973 and 2016, five of which were released across 2010 and 2011. These areThe Sound Sleeper (1973),Minestrone (1975),Oh Those Lips (2010),Evil Eye (2010),Poison Tongue (2011),Skin Deep (2011),Nest of Vipers (2011) andCurmudgeons (2016). In 2011, DeVito received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television.[18] In 2012, he voiced the title character in the animated version ofDr. Seuss'The Lorax. He appeared in theAngry Birds Friends "Champions for Earth" tournament advertisement in September 2015. Following the Japanese release of theNintendo 3DS gameDetective Pikachu, dedicatedPokémon fans submitted a 40,000-signature petition requesting that DeVito be the English voice actor for the title character. However, he declined to audition for the role, commenting that he was unfamiliar with the franchise.[19][20]
In April 2012, DeVito made hisWest End acting debut in a revival of theNeil Simon playThe Sunshine Boys as Willie Clark, alongsideRichard Griffiths.[11] It previewed at theSavoy Theatre in London from April 27, 2012, opened on May 17 and played a limited 12-week season until July 28.[21] DeVito played a fictional version of himself in the music video ofOne Direction's song "Steal My Girl" (2014).[22][23] He also appeared in the short filmCurmudgeons,[24] which he also produced and directed. In 2013, he would voice Herb for a third time in the episode "The Changing of the Guardian".[citation needed] DeVito made hisBroadway debut in aRoundabout Theatre Company revival of theArthur Miller playThe Price as Gregory Solomon. He acted oppositeMark Ruffalo andTony Shalhoub. Marilyn Stasio ofVariety praised DeVito's performance writing, "DeVito, who holds the audience in the palm of his hand, tends to favor the comic side, making an extended meal out of an egg-eating visual gag. But he also draws on down-to-earth Jewish wisdom to keep family hostilities from boiling over and spoiling the financial negotiations".[25] He went on to be nominated for aTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. The production began preview performances at theAmerican Airlines Theatre on February 16, 2017 and opened on March 16 for a limited run-through on May 7.
For the next two years, DeVito was attached to filmMichael Petroni'sRevelations, a "supernatural religious thriller" that was to have starredGeorge Clooney. The project was delayed due to rewrites however,[35][36] and DeVito instead resurfaced withDeath to Smoochy (2002) andDuplex (2003), which he made back-to-back. Before the release of the latter, he agreed to direct a remake of 1942'sI Married a Witch forTom Cruise andColumbia Pictures, announcing toVariety that he hoped to begin production by the end of the year.[37]
Instead ofI Married a Witch, he sought to makeTrump vs. Wynn as his next directorial project after receiving an offer fromHBO. Written byRick Cleveland, the script chronicles business tycoonsDonald Trump andSteve Wynn's competition to build a casino inAtlantic City.[38] DeVito was expected to direct, produce and star in an unspecified role, but he dropped out after meeting with both figures, who protested the film's production.[30]
He directed thepilot episode for a proposed 2005Imagine TV sitcomQueen B,[39] which was not picked up by the network for series.
In 2009, it was reported that DeVito would direct and produce thebiopicCrazy Eddie, based on the life of consumer electronics kingEddie Antar, from a script byPeter Steinfeld.[40] However the film could not be made due to alife rights deal that was made with Antar.[41] Instead, he pivoted to making the apocalyptic horror thrillerSt. Sebastian,[42] which completed post-production in 2012 but to this day has not been released.[43] DeVito also worked on the independently financedHoneymoon with Dad, a comedy which never went into production.[44]
DeVito has written a film adaptation of and been, since 2008, attached to directThe True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle withMorgan Freeman,Pierce Brosnan andSaoirse Ronan starring.[45] The production was halted when Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident two weeks before filming was scheduled to commence.[46][47] DeVito returned to the subject in February 2013, saying he was looking for another young actress to star in the title role and scouting movie locations in Ireland. Production was expected to restart in July 2014.[46][48] The release date is still classified as "TBD" without any new information as to whether it will be shot.[49]
On January 17, 1971, DeVito metRhea Perlman when she went to see a friend in the single performance of the playThe Shrinking Bride, which featured DeVito.[56] They moved in together two weeks later[57] and married on January 28, 1982.[58] They have three children:Lucy Chet DeVito (born March 11, 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985) and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987).[59]
Perlman and DeVito have acted alongside each other several times, including in the television showTaxi and the feature filmMatilda (where they played Matilda's parents).[59] Theyseparated in October 2012, after 30 years of marriage and over 40 years together,[59] then reconciled in March 2013.[60] They separated for a second time in March 2017, but remained on amicable terms and Perlman stated they had no intent of filing for divorce.[61] In 2019, Perlman told interviewerAndy Cohen that she and DeVito have become closer friends after their separation than they were in their final years as a couple.[62]
DeVito and Perlman resided in a 14,579-square-foot (1,354 m2) house inBeverly Hills, California, that they purchased in 1994, until selling it for US$24 million in April 2015. They also own abungalow nearRodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and a multi-residence compound on Broad Beach inMalibu.[63][64] They also frequented a home they owned inInterlaken, New Jersey, to get away fromLos Angeles.[65]
DeVito has mentioned being a big fan of singerMike Patton's various musical projects, being introduced to his work though his son Jacob in 2005.[66] DeVito collaborated with Patton on a music video and has attended several of his concerts, with Perlman contributing an introductory voiceover to an album byMr. Bungle, one of Patton's bands.[67][68] In 2016, DeVito also included music from Patton's bandFaith No More onIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.[69]
^Boon, Jon."Single In The City! Danny DeVito Moving To New York: He Misses The Big Apple!",RadarOnline, October 15, 2012. Accessed January 24, 2023. "Danny and Rhea used to stay at his vacation home in Interlaken, New Jersey whenever they wanted a break away from Los Angeles. He never really felt an affinity to California and lived there purely for work reasons."
