The Top 10 Best Things Danny DeVito Has Been in, Plus Where to Stream Them

Oscar nominee Danny DeVito might only be 4’8, but that never stopped him from marching right into Hollywood, immediately making his presence known and never leaving. From his unforgettable performance as Louie De Palma in Taxi to his hilarious voice work as Phil in Disney’s Hercules, the actor has become nothing short of a household favorite, effortlessly moving back and forth between the small and big screens.

All of which is why we decided to answer the question people have been asking: what has Danny DeVito been in over the course of his career? On top of that, there’s a guide to where you can stream each of those projects at home.

1. Taxi

SYNOPSIS: This Emmy-winning sitcom follows a group of people who work at the Sunshine Cab Company in New York City. Taxi fan for five seasons and had 114 episodes in total.

CHARACTER: Louie De Palma

ORIGINAL RUN: 1978 to 1983

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: When the script was brought to DeVito, he wasn’t a fan of it, saying “I walked into the audition and was introduced to everybody. I had the script in my head. I said ‘All right, one thing I want to know beforehand, who wrote this garbage?’ I threw the script on the table. Then, there was a moment of stunned silence, then a big laugh. That’s how they knew that Louie had walked into their lives.”

He added onto that, saying, “I felt Louie had been written for me. It was my role.“

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito and recurring guest star and Cheers actor Rhea Perlman were married in real life.

WHERE TO STREAM: PlutoTv.

2. What has Danny DeVito been in: Romancing the Stone

SYNOPSIS: A romantic action flick following romance writer Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) as she jets off to Columbia to save her kidnapped sister. While there she finds herself doing one thing she never thought possible: treasure hunting with a rouge mercenary (Michael Douglas). DeVito is one of the bad guys.

CHARACTER: Ralph

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1984

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: Recently DeVito recalled the near death experience both he and Michael Douglas experienced on set. “We were in Mexico in these really rugged kind of places and there was a guy who had a truck full of snakes that came up by the set. I’m scared of snakes, I don’t want to go near a snake. But Michael, he’s being the hot shot, he is grabs one.”

“I say, ‘Michael don’t touch that snake. That’s a snake man. That snake could bite you, man!’ And he says, ‘Oh no, no, no, Danny, it’s no big deal.’ But it did! And I always heard the best thing to do is suck the poison out, right away, so I did. I grabbed his hand and I’m sucking [the poison out], I’m spitting all over the place, and I say, ‘Boy, it’s a good thing this didn’t bite you on the balls man, you would be a dead man.’”

INTERESTING FACT: Before the two became Hollywood legends, Douglas and DeVito were roommates in New York City.

WHERE TO STREAM: Fubo.

MUST READ :‘Romancing the Stone’ Is Turning 40! Read 10 Little-Known Facts About The 80s Adventure

3. Twins

SYNOPSIS: DeVito teams up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in this film about fraternal twins, who reunite after getting separated at birth.

CHARACTER: Vincent.

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1988

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: Despite the smashing success of the film, a sequel has never been made, though DeVito wishes that it had. “We missed Twins 2 because he [Schwarzenegger] became governor — he should have done Twins 2 instead of becoming governor.”

INTERESTING FACT: Even though Schwarzenegger and DeVito are supposed to be the same age, DeVito is actually three years older than Schwarzenegger.

WHERE TO STREAM: Amazon Prime Video.

4. What has Danny DeVito been in: Batman Returns

SYNOPSIS: The villainous Penguin (DeVito) hits the streets of Gotham, determined to take down Batman (Michael Keaton) once and for all.

CHARACTER: Penguin

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1992

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: “What excited me about doing the role was speaking with [director] Tim Burton about this character [Penguin]. His vision was so different from anything that I’ve ever done before, and anything that we’ve ever seen. I grew up with the comic books: Batman, the Joker, Penguin and Catwoman. And then we had the TV series and this take on it is so different, so unique.”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito reportedly remained in character between takes.

WHERE TO STREAM: Max.

is coming out of the kitchen — giving me my sugar-coated cereal we eat at the Wormwood house. And she goes, ‘Snickerdoodle!’ and she throws it up in the air when she sees me. I think that’s one of my favorite moments.”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito also directed this film.

WHERE TO STREAM: Amazon Prime Video.

6. What has Danny DeVito been in: Hercules

SYNOPSIS: This classic cartoon is based on the Greek legend of Hercules, including his journey to becoming a God.

CHARACTER: Phil (voice)

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1997

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: Disney recently announced that Hercules, is being turned into a live-action movie, leading many people to wonder if DeVito will be in the film. “I am the live-action Hercules, what are you talking about? If they don’t put me in that, they don’t have a hair on their -ss.”

INTERESTING FACT: Phil’s appearance was based on DeVito’s.

WHERE TO STREAM: Disney+.

7. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

SYNOPSIS: Get ready to laugh out load while watching this sit-com that follows a group of down-on-their-luck friends as they hang out at Paddy’s Pub.

CHARACTER: Frank Reynolds

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2006-2023

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: The show has been on the air for 16 seasons and counting, causing the gang to go through quite a bit. DeVito commented on that, saying “I’ve been slimed, I’ve fallen out of windows, I’ve climbed out of couches naked, I’ve done all kinds of things.”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito was only supposed to be a guest-star on the show, but after filming the first season the actor loved it so much that he became a regular cast member.

WHERE TO STREAM: Hulu.

8. What has Danny DeVito been in: The Lorax

SYNOPSIS: Adapted from the beloved Dr.Seuss book, this cartoon follows Ted, as he tries and brings trees back into the town of Thneedville.

CHARACTER: The Lorax (voice)

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2012

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: When asked what he thinks about the character, he said “He’s very tenacious and has stuff on his mind. He’s trying to be a really good neighbor to all the animals and all the people he lives with. They live in paradise, and I would say he’s like a guy from my old neighborhood, where if you came in and started messing things up, [he would say], ‘You can change it and modernize it, but you have to protect it.’”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito reprised his role for the Spanish, Russian, Italian and German versions of the film.

WHERE TO STREAM: Peacock.

9. Jumanji: The Next Level

SYNOPSIS: A group of teenagers and adults get sucked into the video game version of Jumanji, which soon becomes deadly.

CHARACTER: Edwin Giplin

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2019

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: “Well, Robin’s [Williams] movie was a mind-blowing movie. It was groundbreaking and terrific. What Jake and Dwayne and Kevin and the rest of the folks [at Jumanji: The Next Level] have done is they’ve exponentially made it [bigger].”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito and Danny Glover also worked together in The Rainmaker (1997).

WHERE TO STREAM: Hulu.

10. What has Danny DeVito been in: Haunted Mansion

SYNOPSIS: After moving into her new home, single mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) begins wondering if it’s haunted.

CHARACTER: Bruce Davis

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2023

DANNY DEVITO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s a good, fun movie for kids and adults with some wacky, cool things in it. And it’s just on the edge of scary. It has some teeth.”

INTERESTING FACT: DeVito and Marilu Henner worked togehter before on Taxi (1978).

WHERE TO STREAM: Disney+.

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