Danny Devito is an actor, activist, and producer who has given audiences across generations a long list of classic movies and shows to enjoy. Whether he is playing an infamous Batman villain, producing Comedy Central classics like Reno 911, or campaigning for his buddy Bernie Sanders, Devito always goes all in.
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Although Devito has quite the resume both on and off camera, it is without question that his on-screen roles have made him the beloved icon he is today. Along with Devito’s talent, his gravelly voice and his very short height make him a perfect character actor. As the kids today might say, he was the original “short king.”
In the 40-something years that Devito has been working, he has been responsible for bringing some of the most iconic characters to life. Here are the ten best Danny Devito performances according to fans and the box office profits.
10 ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest’
Devito’s acting career started in the early 1970s when he played Martini in the off-broadway play adaptation of Ken Kesey’s classic novel about men in a mental hospital suffering the tyranny of an abusive nurse. The play was turned into a film starring Jack Nicholson as the lead and with Devito cast again as Martini. The film would also feature another actor who would later become an iconic performer and contemporary of Devito’s, Christopher Lloyd.
9 ‘Taxi’
Soon after the success of Cuckoo's Nest, Devito found regular work on the hit 1970s sitcom Taxi. Devito played Louie De Palma, the grouchy cab dispatcher. The show was the beginning of the rest of his career. In the series, Devito acted opposite legendary comedian Andy Kaufman and once again was working with fellow Cuckoo’s Nest castmate Christopher Lloyd, who would later play Doc Brown in the Back To The Future trilogy.
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8 ‘Get Shorty'
In this John Travolta film about a mobster shylock who quits the mafia and turns into a movie producer, Devito played actor Martin Weir, a living lampoon of the idiotic eccentric affectations of Hollywood’s most insufferable celebrities. The film came out in 1995 and made $115 million, and is today considered a classic among fans of films about film.
7 ‘Twins’
Devito plays Vincent Benedict, the long-lost twin brother to Julius Benedict, a tall muscle-bound foil to Devito’s squat bald crook of a character. Devito starred in this film with Arnold Schwarzenegger and it would be the start of their lifelong friendship.
6 ‘Big Fish’
While his role in the film is brief, Devito’s portrayal of the lycanthrope circus ringmaster warmed audiences' hearts. This was also another time Devito worked with director Tim Burton, with whom he has collaborated frequently since the 1990s. The film came out in 2002 and made $123 million.
5 ‘Throw Mama From The Train’
In Devito’s directorial debut he plays struggling writer Owen who, along with his writing instructor Larry, played by Billy Crystal, plans to murder his domineering mother by having Larry kill her if Owen kills Larry’s domineering wife. The film is a play on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Strangers on a Train.
4 ‘Hercules’
In this Disney animated favorite, Devito loaned his distinct voice to play the half-man, half-goat Phil. The film made over $250 million and spawned all of the classic Disney franchise follow-ups one would expect, i.e. toys, an animated TV series, and straight-to-video sequels.
3 ‘Matilda’
Fans of this Roald Dahl adaptation can see Devito star as Harry Wormwood, the crude and distant father of Matilda and the primary recipient of her rambunctious wrath. While it has developed a cult following, the film only made $33 million and was considered a flop when it was first released. The film was also directed by Devito.
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2 ‘Batman Returns’
A list of the iconic roles of Danny Devito would be meaningless without mentioning his iconic portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, a dark menace to society who had the tragic origin of being abandoned in the sewers by his wealthy parents. The film is considered by fans to be one of the best Batman films ever made. It made $266 million at the box office.
1 ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’
It seems that this will be the role that Danny Devito’s career will conclude with, as he is 77 years old as of the moment this is written and has been with the show ever since his character was introduced in the second season. Devito’s plays Frank Reynolds, the super rich, super disgusting best friend of the king of rats Charlie Day. His character personifies the raunchy hilariousness that defines the show. Frank and the gang are a group of irredeemable, self-centered monsters, each one more of a threat to society than the last. Once again, Devito’s height and voice make him a perfect fit to play what is essentially a dirty old rich man who drinks too much and eats like a slob.
It is somewhat fitting for Devito to rest his laurels on his role in Always Sunny. His role on Taxi made him a household name to one generation, and now his time on Sunny, one of the most popular television shows of its time, makes him an icon to another generation. Danny Devito has graced audiences with some of the most iconic characters in film and television history, and those audiences have followed Devito from Taxi to his work today.
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