People

Danny DeVito

Acting · follow into films and chains

Biography

Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (/dəˈviːtoʊ/ də-VEE-toh; born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Known for his short stature, raspy voice, distinct accent, and energetic comedy roles, he gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. Since 2006, he has played Frank Reynolds on the FX/FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. DeVito is known for his film roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Ruthless People (1986), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Twins (1988), The War of the Roses (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Jack the Bear (1993), Junior (1994), Matilda (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Big Kahuna (1999), Big Fish (2003), Deck the Halls (2006), When in Rome (2010), Wiener-Dog (2016), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). He has voiced roles in such films as Disney's Hercules (1997), The Lorax (2012), Smallfoot (2018), and Migration (2023). In 1991, DeVito and Michael Shamberg founded production company Jersey Films. Soon afterwards, Stacey Sher became an equal partner. The production company is known for films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Garden State (2004) and Freedom Writers (2007). He would later create a second production company, Jersey Films 2nd Avenue, with his daughter, Lucy, and son, Jake. DeVito also owned Jersey Television, which produced the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. DeVito and his wife Rhea Perlman starred together in his 1996 film Matilda, based on Roald Dahl's children's novel. DeVito was also one of the producers nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for Erin Brockovich (2000). From 2012 to 2013, DeVito played Willie Clark in the West End revival of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. He made his Broadway debut as Gregory Solomon in the revival of Arthur Miller's The Price (2017), earning a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He returned to Broadway in the Theresa Rebeck play I Need That (2023). Description above from the Wikipedia article Danny DeVito, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Notable films

Where to start

Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.

Pulp Fiction

Appears in a KinoChain journey

Gattaca

Appears in a KinoChain journey

Man on the Moon

Appears in a KinoChain journey

The Virgin Suicides

Appears in a KinoChain journey

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

As Martini

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

As Janitor

Jumanji: The Next Level

As Eddie

The Lorax

As The Lorax (voice)

Chains

KinoChain journeys

Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.

Browse all chains

Girlhood Reclaimed

From institutionalised rebellion to the raucous freedom of the last day of school, a chain of films that lets young women be messy, angry, and gloriously themse...

8 films

The Perfect Needledrop: Ten Moments That Own the Screen

From sudden silences to euphoric choruses, these are the film moments where a song doesn't just score the scene, it becomes the scene.

10 films

When Finishing Beats Winning

A chain of films where the protagonist loses the official contest but achieves a deeper, personal victory, redefining what it means to go the distance.

8 films

The Art of the Fall

From viral infamy to quiet vindication: a chain of films about bold artists whose audacity is mistaken for failure, tracing the same arc that turned Raygun from...

8 films

Topics