All we know about Danny DeVito’s very famous ex-partner and children as he turns 80

Danny DeVito has turned 80, and his celebrity pals have honored the milestone with a series of tributes.

“This man was born 80 years ago today. He could still drink you under the table. He could still make you laugh harder than anyone you’ve ever met. He could still make you feel like you’re the only person in the room. He could still give you the best advice you’ve ever gotten and make you feel loved no matter what. He’s an American treasure,” wrote his Always Sunny In Philadelphia co-star Rob McElhenney.

But what do we know about Danny’s family? Here is a look into his marriage of over 30 years and his three children.

Danny DeVito’s wife Rhea Perlman

Danny, 80, met actress Rhea Perlman on January 17, 1971 when she attended the only performance of Danny’s play The Shrinking Bride. 

They moved in together two weeks later, and got married on January 28, 1982.

© ABC Photo Archives

“I had to meet him immediately,” Rhea said in 2017. “I came on to him big time!”

Rhea, 76, is known for her work in the award-winning comedy Cheers, winning four Emmys for her role as head waitress Carla Tortelli.

© Ron Galella, Ltd.

Danny and Rhea have appeared together in several projects; their first was in the 1970s sitcom Taxi in which Rhea played the girlfriend of Louie De Palma, played by Danny, and they also starred as Matilda’s parents in the 1996 film Matilda.

When did Danny  DeVito split from his wife?

In October 2012, Rhea and Danny shocked fans when they announced they had separated after 30 years of marriage and over 40 years together.

© Vivien Killilea

Five months later they reunited but in March 2027, they revealed that they had split for a second time, and had no intent of filing for divorce.

“We’ve been together a very long time, so there’s a lot of love and history,” she told Page Six. “We agree on enough things, so why [ruin] that with the yucky things that come with a divorce?”

Danny DeVito’s three children:

© Bruce Glikas

Danny and Rhea welcomed three children together; Lucy, 41, Grace, 39, and son Jacob, 37.

Lucy is following in her parents’ footsteps and has become an actress, after graduating from Brown University in 2007 with a degree in theater. Her first major movie role was the 2009 film Leaves of Grass and has since appeared alongside her mother Rhea in the off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and her dad Danny in the 2016 film The Comedian.

In 2023 Lucy and her father reunited again to star together in the Broadway show I Need That, and Rhea joined the pair on opening night.

2024 was also a big year for Lucy as she welcomed her first child with her fiance, debuting her baby bump at the 2024 SAG Awards.

Grace has kept out of the spotlight, but received an MFA from CalArts in 2012 and studied at The New York Studio School, and now lives and works in LA focusing on performance art and paintings.

In 2019 Grace married Andy Giannakakis, and they welcomed their son Sinclair in 2023.

Jacob, known as Jake, is a producer and director, and he once said in an interview that his childhood was a “great growing up experience for us,” as his parents would take their children across the world with them.