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Actor Danny Devito is one of the New Jersey natives participating in the “Jersey 4 Jersey” charity event.
Danny DeVito, whose full name is Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr., was born November 17, 1944, making the Hollywood star known for Taxi and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia–among many other roles–75 years old. The legendary actor stands at 4-feet-10 and has three children with wife Rhea Perlman–Lucy DeVito, Grace Fan DeVito, Jake DeVito. He and Perlman have been married since 1982.
DeVito is one of more than a dozen stars, all who originally hails from New Jersey, to participate in the Jersey 4 Jersey fundraiser for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) on April 22 at 7 p.m. The goal is to raise money for communities in New Jersey who have been impacted by global coronavirus pandemic. Keep reading for more details about DeVito’s life before the fundraiser takes place.
DeVito Was ‘Plagued’ By His Height As a Kid
As cited by Biography.com, DeVito has a genetic bone growth disorder, which is called multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) or Fairbank’s disease. His disorder is what has caused his smaller stature, or what he called during an interview with The Guardian as “5-foot-nothing.”
The star wasn’t comfortable with his smaller stature when he was growing up. “I was plagued; I couldn’t slow-dance with the girls I wanted to because my face would be in a spot where I might be thought of as moving too fast,” the actor said, according to Biography.com. “I took a lot of lumps… but I had a lot of friends who helped me and looked out for me.”
Even though his height isn’t conventional, he told The Guardian in 2012 that it’s worked out for him. “Acting is like any other business if you’ve got it in your heart that you want to write stories, or paint paintings, or build bridges, if you want to do anything,” he said. “Once you’ve been bitten by that bug, it’s your passion and you have to follow it. That’s true whether you’re tall, short, black, white, green, yellow.”
Danny DeVito Has His Own Day in New Jersey
Proud of where he was born, DeVito was honored with his own day in Asbury Park, the town near where he grew up, in 2018. It’s on November 17, his birthday. “I was very flattered,” DeVito told the New York Times. “Of course, they first told me I could have a beach. Yeah, but they reneged. So I said, ‘Oh, that’s perfect. It’s New Jersey.’”
DeVito has been nominated for one Oscar, which came from Erin Brockovich. DeVito worked behind-the-scenes as a producer for the film. In 1980, he won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Taxi. For the same role, where he played Louie De Palma, he took home an Emmy. All together, DeVito has won 14 awards and garnered 40 nominations, according to his profile on the Internet Movie Database.
Jersey 4 Jersey is not only about raising money for COVID-19 relief, but also honoring essential employees, health care workers and first responders who are on the front lines fighting the virus. “New Jersey is on the front lines of this pandemic, making it more important than ever for us to do what Jersey does best – take care of one another,” New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy said in a statement.
Last month, DeVito told people to stay-at-home after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cautioned residents in the tri-state area to quarantine. “Hi everybody, it’s Danny DeVito, and I’m asking you from the bottom of my heart, all over the state of New York, stay home,” DeVito said in his announcement. “I mean everybody. I mean, we got this virus, this pandemic, and, you know, young people can get it, and they can transmit it to old people and the next thing you know.. (makes a noise)…I’m out of there!”
Jersey 4 Jersey Benefit Concert Stream Time & Channels
