Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor, 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). This sitcom was not widely distributed outside of North America; in most other countries he is known primarily for his film work. He currently plays Frank Reynolds on the FX show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

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 enjoyed great success as The Joker in the original Batman from 1989. Rather than portraying The Penguin as a cute little man as he was in the comics, DeVito portrayed the Penguin as a deformed psychopath.

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 sleazy reporter (1997); The Big Kahuna as a compassionate salesman (1999); and Heist (2001), as a gangster nemesis to Gene Hackman.

DeVito grew up with a great passion for documentaries. And so in 2006, he began a partnership with Morgan Freeman's company ClickStar, where he hosts a documentary channel called Jersey Docs.

Stature

DeVito is well known for his height - standing only 4'11".Some of his movies make in-jokes to this fact, such as his pairing up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Twins for example. His short stature also helped him grab his most famous role, The Penguin in Batman Returns. 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. Additionally, in the film Get Shorty, DeVito plays an actor who is cast as Napoleon in the movie. His wife Rhea is 5'1½".

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, Gattaca,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.

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.

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.

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 an outspoken Democrat and vegetarian.

Selected filmography