At 81, Danny DeVito Admits She Is Only Love of His Life. #TM

HOLLYWOOD TRIED TO ERASE DANNY DEVITO — BUT THE WOMAN WHO SAW HIS WORTH FIRST NEVER WALKED AWAY

At 81, Danny DeVito Admits She Is Only Love of His Life.

For decades, Danny DeVito made audiences laugh, terrified Batman fans as the unforgettable Penguin, and became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars. But behind the legendary career was a life filled with rejection, physical pain, and heartbreaking childhood scars that few people ever knew about. While movie studios pressured him to change his appearance and questioned whether someone his size could ever become a leading star, one woman saw something completely different. Before the fame, before the awards, before Hollywood finally caught on, Rhea Perlman looked at Danny DeVito and made a decision that would shape the rest of both their lives. Even after decades together, separation, and countless rumors, DeVito has finally admitted there has only ever been one true love in his life.

Danny DeVito’s story began with struggle. Born in New Jersey in 1944, he entered a family already overwhelmed by life. His mother later admitted she hadn’t planned on having another child, while his father battled alcoholism that filled the home with fear and instability. Those difficult years left permanent emotional scars, teaching young Danny to survive by staying strong even when everything around him seemed uncertain. Adding to those challenges, he was born with Fairbank’s disease, a rare genetic condition that affected his growth and caused lifelong pain in his joints and spine. Yet he rarely spoke publicly about it, believing Hollywood had no interest in hearing about weakness.

Danny DeVito says he and wife Rhea Perlman are 'best of friends' while  living apart

His early years in New York were anything but glamorous. Sharing a tiny apartment with a young Michael Douglas, parking cars, working odd jobs, living out of an old Volkswagen Beetle, and surviving on almost nothing, DeVito experienced rejection after rejection. Studio executives repeatedly suggested that he change his appearance if he wanted a real career. One offer reportedly included an enormous sum of money for surgery that would make him look more “marketable.” Danny’s response became one of the defining moments of his life: he refused, choosing authenticity over acceptance.

Everything changed on one ordinary night in January 1971. Rhea Perlman had gone to a small Off-Broadway production simply to support a friend in the cast. Instead, she found herself completely captivated by a short, unconventional actor commanding the stage with extraordinary confidence. She later admitted she forgot why she had even come to the theater. After the performance ended, she wasted no time introducing herself. Danny would later say he knew within minutes that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Just two weeks later, they were living together.

While their relationship flourished, DeVito’s career finally began taking off. Michael Douglas helped secure his breakthrough role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, introducing Danny to a much wider audience. Then came Taxi, where his unforgettable portrayal of Louie De Palma transformed him into one of television’s biggest stars. Ironically, when Rhea eventually joined the cast, producers had no idea the incredible chemistry they witnessed on screen came from two people who had already spent years building a life together.

Marriage only strengthened their partnership. Beyond acting, they quietly built Jersey Films, the production company that would help bring groundbreaking films like Pulp Fiction, Erin Brockovich, Out of Sight, and Garden State to audiences around the world. At home, they raised three children while making one promise to each other: never allow more than two weeks to pass without creating something together. Their relationship became one of Hollywood’s rare success stories, built not on publicity but on decades of genuine partnership.

Rhea Perlman reunites with 'Taxi' co-stars Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Carol  Kane: See the photos - ABC News

That partnership became even more visible during the making of Matilda. While Danny directed the film and both he and Rhea appeared on screen, something far more meaningful was happening behind the scenes. Young star Mara Wilson was coping with her mother’s terminal cancer, and the DeVitos quietly embraced her like family. Danny even arranged for Wilson’s mother to see an early version of the completed film before she passed away—a gesture the actress has never forgotten. It revealed the compassionate man hidden behind so many unforgettable comic and villainous performances.

Then came the news that shocked Hollywood. After more than forty years together, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman announced their separation. Fans feared another legendary marriage had fallen apart forever. Yet something extraordinary happened. They never divorced. They attempted reconciliation, attended therapy together, and although they later chose to live separately again, their bond never truly disappeared. They continued talking every day, sharing family gatherings, celebrating birthdays together, and remaining deeply involved in one another’s lives. When asked why they never finalized a divorce, Rhea answered simply that there was still too much love and history to throw away.

In recent years, DeVito has spoken more openly about his lifelong health condition while quietly supporting research for children living with similar disorders. Friends have revealed he donated millions without seeking publicity or attaching his name to the effort. At the same time, he continued rejecting Hollywood’s pressure to become someone else, repeating the philosophy that had guided him since his earliest struggles: he’d rather remain a first-rate version of himself than become a second-rate version of someone the industry wanted him to be.

Today, Danny DeVito continues working, spending time with his children and grandchildren, and remaining remarkably close to Rhea Perlman despite no longer sharing the same home. They still speak nearly every day, still gather as a family, and still share a connection that has survived fame, hardship, separation, and the passage of time. Looking back, perhaps the greatest love story wasn’t the Hollywood romance everyone expected. It was two ordinary people who chose each other before success arrived—and simply never stopped choosing each other, even after life changed everything else around them.