His career began with the part of Martini in the movie
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (reprising his role from the 1971
off-Broadway play). After
Taxi, DeVito continued what became a successful movie career, beginning with a role in 1983's
Terms of Endearment (in an almost walk-on role) and the comic rogue in the 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 1986, he was in
Ruthless People with
Bette Midler and
Judge Reinhold. 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 War of the Roses.
Other notable work during this time includes
Other People's Money with legend
Gregory Peck, 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 suave and sophisticated gangster as he was in the comics, DeVito portrayed the Penguin as a deformed psychopath. DeVito's performence of the Penguin was so scary to critics, that he won a
Golden Raspberry Award for worst supporting actor.
Although generally a comic actor, DeVito expanded into drama with such movies as
Renaissance Man (1994) as Army Professor Bill Rago;
The Rainmaker, (1997) as Deck Shifflet, a former insurance assessor;
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 Amos Calloway (
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.
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.
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 seventh feature, 2007's
I Married a Witch, which will star
Tom Cruise and
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.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=dannydevito.htm
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 as
Frank Reynolds.
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