Danny DeVito made his debut in the 1970 drama film ‘Dreams of Glass,’ directed by Robert Clouse. The following year, he starred as ‘Fred Mancuso’ in the Italian-French comedy film ‘Lady Liberty.’ The film received negative reviews from critics. He was next seen in films like ‘Hot Dogs for Gauguin’ (1972), ‘Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30’ (1973), and ‘Scalawag’ (1973). In the 1975 psychological comedy-drama film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,’ DeVito played the role of ‘Martini.’ The film opened to universal acclaim and was a phenomenal box office success, grossing over $163.3 million against a budget of $3–4.4 million. ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’ came to be considered as one of the greatest films ever made.
In 1978, he joined the main cast of the American sitcom ‘Taxi’ in which he played the role of ‘Louie De Palma.’ The show ran for 5 years and aired its final episode in 1983. DeVito also bagged the ‘Golden Globe Award,’ ‘Primetime Emmy Award,’ and ‘TV Land Award’ for his performance in the series. In 1983, he appeared in the American family comedy-drama film ‘Terms of Endearment’ directed by James L. Brooks. The film opened to critical acclaim and was a massive financial success. He next starred in films like ‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984), ‘The Jewel of the Nile’ (1985), ‘Tin Men’ (1987), Throw Momma from the Train’ (1987), ‘Twins’ (1988), ‘The War of the Roses’ (1989), and ‘Other People's Money’ (1991). In 1992, he was seen playing the role of ‘Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin’ in the American superhero film ‘Batman Returns,’ directed by Tim Burton. The film received mostly positive reviews and was a financial success. That same year, he also appeared in the biographical crime film ‘Hoffa’ which was a commercial failure. DeVito was also the director of the film.Â
He next appeared in films like ‘Jack the Bear’ (1993), ‘Reality Bites’ (1994), ‘Junior’ (1994), ‘Get Shorty’ (1995), ‘Mars Attacks!’ (1996), ‘The Rainmaker’ (1997), ‘L.A. Confidential’ (1997), ‘Out of Sight ‘(1998), ‘Living Out Loud’ (1998), ‘Man on the Moon’ (1999), ‘The Virgin Suicides’ (1999), and ‘Drowning Mona’ (2000). DeVito starred as ‘Mickey Bergman’ in the 2001 heist film ‘Heist,’ directed by David Mamet. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a financial success. That same year, he also starred in the comedy film ‘What's the Worst That Could Happen?’ which was a financial disappointment. In 2006, he joined the cast of the American sitcom ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’ The show’s fifteenth season premiered on December 1, 2021.
DeVito went on to star in films like ‘Just Add Water’ (2008), ‘House Broken’ (2009), ‘When in Rome’ (2010), ‘Girl Walks into a Bar’ (2011), ‘The Lorax’ (2012), ‘All the Wilderness’ (2014), ‘Curmudgeons’ (2016), ‘Animal Crackers’ (2017), ‘Smallfoot’ (2018), ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ (2019), and ‘The One and Only Ivan’ (2020). He was last seen in the 2021 American biographical drama film ‘The Survivor,’ directed by Barry Levinson. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. He is all set to appear in the upcoming American family-horror film ‘Haunted Mansion.’