- Before he became an actor, he was a qualified hairdresser (stylist).
- In the late 1960s, he shared a New York apartment with fellow actor Michael Douglas at 338 West 89th Street in Manhattan where the rent was $75 each per month.
- Brought a bag of carrots to munch on during the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. Host Steve Martin presented him with an impromptu bowl of ranch dip in the middle of the ceremony.
- He was considered for the role of George Costanza in Seinfeld (1989), which went to Jason Alexander.
- In his New Jersey hometown, one of his relatives ran a hair salon with the relatives of another actor from his neighborhood, Jack Nicholson.
- He and estranged wife Rhea Perlman met when she went to see him appearing in the off-Broadway play "The Shrinking Bride" (1971).
- He was originally set to play Mario in Super Mario Bros. (1993) but backed out and was replaced by the late Bob Hoskins.
- Provides the voice of Herbert Powell, Homer Simpson's half-brother.
- He has worked with director Tim Burton in four films: Batman Returns (1992), Mars Attacks! (1996), Big Fish (2003) and Dumbo (2019).
- Has three children with his estranged wife Rhea Perlman. Daughters: Lucy DeVito (born 1983), Gracie DeVito (born March 1985), son: Jake DeVito (Jake Daniel DeVito) (born October 1987).
- The launch of his and wife Rhea Perlman's production company, "Jersey Films", kicked off with the release of Hoffa (1992).
- Co-owner of a restaurant, called DeVito South Beach, in Miami, FL.
- First connection with Michael Douglas happened when he starred in a New York stage production of "Down the Morning Line" in 1969, directed by Douglas and written by Martin Sheen.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6906 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, CA on August 18, 2011.
- Has appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in three films, two of which were directed and produced by Ivan Reitman--Twins (1988) and Junior (1994); the third was Last Action Hero (1993), playing a minor role, as the voice of Detective Whiskers. Both have played Batman villains, DeVito as The Penguin in Batman Returns (1992), Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997).
- He was considered for the role of Detective John Kimble in Kindergarten Cop (1990), but could not secure it due to his small stature. The role went to Arnold Schwarzenegger instead.
- Frequently appears in films with Jack Nicholson, including Goin' South (1978), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983), Hoffa (1992), and Mars Attacks! (1996). They have also both played Batman villains: The Joker in Batman (1989) and The Penguin in Batman Returns (1992).
- Attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in Hollywood, CA (1966).
- In 1975, under a grant from the American Film Institute, he and Rhea Perlman wrote and produced Minestrone (1975), which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and has been translated into five languages.
- Is a huge fan of musician Mike Patton and his bands Fantomas and Peeping Tom, and asked to be in the video clip for the Peeping Tom single "Mojo". He was given a cameo.
- Directed one Oscar-nominated performance: Anne Ramsey in Throw Momma from the Train (1987).
- He was inducted into the 2010 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services and contributions to Arts and Entertainment.
- Co-starred with Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), The War of the Roses (1989) and Solitary Man (2009). DeVito also starred in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), which Douglas produced. They remained great friends to this day.
- He was considered for the role of Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) but could not do it due to his television commitments. The role went to John Rhys-Davies instead.
- As of 2014, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983) and L.A. Confidential (1997). Only the latter isn't a winner in the category. As a producer, he produced two films that Best Picture Oscar nominees: Pulp Fiction (1994) and Erin Brockovich (2000).
- In 2022, he was the celebrity spokesman for Jersey Mikes Subs.
- Of all the actors from the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films, DeVito (as actor, producer, and/or director) has had the most affiliation with other actors from the franchise in non-Batman productions. Outside of Batman, he has been involved with the same film and TV series as Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Tracey Walter, Kim Basinger, Christopher Walken, Vincent Schiavelli, Paul Reubens, Steve Witting, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman and more.
- Has been nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor three different times in three different decade--in the 1980s for Going Ape! (1981), in the 1990s for Batman Returns (1992) and in the 2000s for Deck the Halls (2006). He has never won.
- Attended Oratory Prepatory School in Summit, N.J.
- Often portrays sinister people in the movies he is in. He played the Penguin, a mutant crime boss, in Batman Returns (1992), a cynical gambler in Space Jam (1996) and Mars Attacks! (1996), a sleazy talent agent in Death to Smoochy (2002) and ruthless and greedy businessmen in Ruthless People (1986), What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), Matilda (1996) and Other People's Money (1991).
- He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and L.A. Confidential (1997). He has also executive produced one film that is in the registry: Pulp Fiction (1994).
- Resides in Los Angeles and Malibu, CA, and has a vacation home in Interlaken, N.J.
- He has worked with five directors who have won a Best Director Oscar: Milos Forman, James L. Brooks, Robert Zemeckis, Barry Levinson, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen.
- In Romancing the Stone (1984), he makes a Batman-related joke, when he corners Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in the cave ("Move it, before Batman comes home!"). Eight years later, he played The Penguin in Batman Returns (1992).
- He was considered to voice Pikachu in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) before Ryan Reynolds was cast.
- In addition to his multiple films with Jack Nicholson (The Joker in Batman (1989)), he has acted alongside every actor to play a villain in the original Batman film franchise with the exceptions of Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995)) and Jeep Swenson (Bane in Batman & Robin (1997)): with Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin) in Twins (1988), Last Action Hero (1993), and Junior (1994); Jim Carrey (The Riddler in Batman Forever) in Man on the Moon (1999); and Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy in Batman Forever) in Be Cool (2005). Furthermore, he produced A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), starring Liam Neeson (Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012)), and starred in Solitary Man (2009) alongside Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)).
- Used to be a hairdresser.
- Attended the final Phish concert with his son and 75,000 others in Coventry, VT, on August 16, 2004.
- Born on the exact same date as Lorne Michaels.
- Tracey Walter is godfather to Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman's children Lucy DeVito, Jake DeVito and Grace Fan DeVito.
- Resides in Beverly Hills, CA, and attended the Beverly Hills Film Festival (2008).
- Cousin of filmmaker Jonathan M. Parisen.
- Supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
- Born at 10:20 AM (EWT).
- Son-in-law of Philip Perlman.and Adele Perlman.
- Brother-in-law of Heide Perlman.
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