Danny DeVito is one of Hollywood’s treasures.
For such a small man, he sure has a larger-than-life personality. He dominates every role he’s in, from Officer “GoodBody” on Friends , to Frank on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia .
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But did you know that he worked as a hairdresser beforehand? Or that he’s married to his Matilda co-star?
For more, keep reading for these 10+ completely random facts.
1. He grew up in New Jersey.
The Italian-American actor grew up in the state with his parents and his three siblings.
He initially had five siblings, but two tragically died in the hospital shortly after they were born.
At 14, he persuaded his father to send him to a Catholic boarding school to keep him out of trouble.
Clearly, he was mature for his age.
But since he lost some friends to drugs around this time, it was the right choice to get away.
2. He’s been married to his wife, Rhea Perlman, since 1982.
These two have been attached at the hip ever since they met in 1980.
They moved in together two weeks after they met, have two kids, and even shared the screen together in Matilda .
Even when they’re apart for work, DeVito says that they Skype every day.
3. He used to be Michael Douglas’ roommate.
They boarded together at acting school in NTC. But the first time they met was actually on the beach.
“I was on the beach, looking out at the Long Island Sound and this guy walks up to me, with this long head of hair, if you can imagine,” Douglas explained to Cigar Aficionado .
“He says ‘You get high?’” . “We were both 1967 potheads, so we smoked a joint and that was the beginning of a long, long friendship.”
Do you make friends any other way??
In a 2015 interview , DeVito described his longtime friend as “very unassuming, very sweet.”
4. Danny once saved Michael Douglas’s life.
When they were filming the 1984 movie, Romancing the Stone , Douglas was bitten by a snake on the set.
Since Danny had heard that the best thing to do is suck the poison right away, he did just that.
“I grabbed his hand and I’m spitting all over the place, and I say, ‘Boy, it’s a good thing this didn’t bit you on the balls man — you would be a dead man.’”
Classic Danny. This certainly cemented their friendship for life.
5. His role in *Get Shorty* was written specifically for him.
The reason why is because writer Scott Frank loved DeVito’s confidence.
“He walks into a room and the room reorganizes around him, and he’s really comfortable and funny and can manage groups,” Frank told CinemaBlend .
6. Before he got into acting, DeVito trained as a hairdresser.
He worked alongside his sisters at their beauty salon.
“I did enjoy it, I loved it,” he told The Guardian . “I can joke about the fact that I was thrust into a bevy of beauties every day and I was one of the straight ones.”
7. His height is due to Fairbank’s disease.
This is called multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED), and it’s a genetic bone growth disorder.
When the actor took a hard fall at a Dumbo press conference, people were really worried about the fragile actor.
8. He doesn’t see being short as a disadvantage.
The actor is 4 foot 10.
He told The Guardian . that being short has even helped him land some roles since he “wasn’t so average.”
This led casting directors to give him a try. “I got two Shakespeare parts like that.”
9. There was a massive petition for him to become the new Wolverine.
After Hugh Jackman, who played the iconic role for over a decade, stepped down, people were incredibly interested in seeing DeVito suit up.
Soon, a Change.org petition received over 60,000 signatures!
10. He’s considered one of the most memorable celeb cameos on *Friends*.
He played Roy in the Season 10 episode, “The One Where the Stripper Cries.”
Since Rachel and Monica hired a stripper so late, it ended up being Danny aka Officer Goodbody, which is hilarious in itself.
11. The creator of *It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia* originally didn’t want DeVito.
He plays Frank, Dennis and Dee’s absentee, wealthy father.
Rob McElhenny told Stephen Colbert that they were scared that having a movie star on the show would ruin the cast’s chemistry of the show.
But since FX revealed that without DeVito, they would cancel the show, Rob caved.
It’s a good thing this happened since Danny has quickly become a fan-favorite.
The show definitely would not be the same without his character who is so weird and interesting.
12. Instead of retiring, he’s continued to work on *It’s Always Sunny*.
A huge part of this is because he loves working on the show.
“We just keep going, and they’re just so inventive, they’re just great,” he told Jimmy Kimmel . “Every time you open the script you just can’t wait to go to work.”
13. He and his wife cared for Mara Wilson after she lost her mom to cancer after filming *Matilda*.
“The DeVitos were definitely very helpful, everyone there, our studio teacher Richard [Wicklund],” Mara revealed to Thrillist .
She added that the DeVitos would include her on their family trips as much as possible.
14. He directed *Matilda*.
Ready to hear something adorable? According to the film’s screenwriter, Robin Swicord, Danny directed the movie for his kids.
“He cared enormously. His kids loved the book,” Swicord told Thrillist . It was adapted from the novel by British author, Roald Dahl.
One thing that always broke Mara’s heart was how her mother never got to see *Madilta* before she passed.
But in Mara’s memoir , she revealed that Danny told Mara that he visited her at the hospital with the almost-completed film and allowed her to watch it.
So sweet.
