Rhea Perlman is soon turning 75 and has been married to her husband, Danny DeVito, for 40 years, even though they have separated twice, with the second time being a permanent separation.
The actress had a successful career and was a star in the popular sitcom “Cheers,” but she now lives a quiet life, enjoying visits from her granddaughter and tending to her house.
Rhea mostly resides in Los Angeles with the company of her rescue dog, Zorro, but has a residence in Chelsea to ensure she is near her actress daughter Lucy DeVito.
Rhea Perlman is an American actress, author, and producer. She was born on March 31, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York City. Her birthday is coming up soon as she will be turning 75. Rhea has played roles in famous movies such as “Matilda,” “Pom,” “The Sessions,” “Canadian Bacon,” and “Sunset Park.”
The comedian became well-known due to her role as Carla Tortelli on “Cheers,” which ran from 1982 to 1993. Rhea starred in the NBC sitcom for 11 seasons and won four Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Rhea, who has an estimated net worth of $60 million, had a successful career in acting. The mother of three played a recurring role in “The Mindy Project,” which aired on FOX from 2014 to 2017.
However, the comedian attributed her success as an actress to “Cheers,” which she said jumpstarted her career. The author remarked that playing Carla Tortelli was a massive thing for her and the best job ever:
“It was huge and I wouldn’t have had any of the career that I, well, who knows what I would’ve had? Nobody knows what doesn’t happen, but it was the best job in the world.”
The producer recalls not wanting the hit sitcom to come to an end. She remembers asking her co-actor George Wendt, who played Norm Peterson if they should end the series. However, the two agreed to keep it running for as long as they could:
“If someone gives you a present every year, you’re not going to take it the next year? Why not? So we took it for as long as they gave it.”
The comedian is the complete opposite of the characters she plays. Her role in “Cheers” showcased her as a tough woman, but in real life, the author is sweet and elegant. Rhea noted that the difference in her alters egos left people surprised:
“Everyone’s surprised when they meet me. I guess it’s because I’ve played tough cookies for so long. It’s what I do best. I’m not sure I could pull off a genteel Southern belle.”
In the CBS sitcom “Pearl,” the actress takes on a tough-talking role where she talks badly about women and is a master of scrappy conversations.
Despite her tough character on TV, Rhea does not talk ill about anyone in real life. In fact, she is keen about letting any negative comments come from her about her former colleagues.
The producer asked reporters not to print any names when she gave comments. She nervously defended herself on one occasion, saying that she would not have said anything if the reporter had not asked.
Her aggressive TV character Pearl would have snitched on her colleagues given a chance, but the comedian takes care not to say anything negative about her co-actors.
Rhea has been married to Danny DeVito for 40 years now. The duo met in 1971 at an off-Broadway play called “The Shrinking Bride,” where Danny played “a demented stableboy.”
The mother of three, who had come to watch her girlfriend in the play, fell in love at first sight with Danny as she could not take her eyes off the actor throughout the session. The 74-year-old noted that she asked about Danny immediately:
“I had to meet him immediately, I asked my friend if he had a girlfriend, and she said no. I came on to him big time!”
After their first meeting, the two went out for dinner for their initial date. In a few weeks, Rhea left Brooklyn and moved in with Danny in his Manhattan apartment in Los Angeles.
The comedian described the move as significant because it was always her goal to live in Manhattan, but never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would end up in Los Angeles. The actress later got married to Danny on January 28, 1982.
Her home is well-designed as the two enlisted a Los Angeles designer company called Carter’s Design to do the work, led by principal designer Genevieve Carter.
Rhea and Danny have three children together Lucy DeVito, 40, Grace DeVito, 38, and Jack DeVito, 35. The couple remained married until 2012 when they announced their first separation after 30 years of marriage. However, they reconciled in March 2013.
Sadly, the pair’s second separation in March 2017 was permanent, as the two have remained separated to date. The author admitted that the separation from her husband was hard as she wished they were still together:
“Sometimes I wish we were still together because those were the glory days, but these are other kinds of glory days.”
However, Rhea said that she and Danny continue to see each other because they are still family. She explained that the separation hurt her, but it has probably worked out for the best as the two spend plenty of time with their children.
Despite their two separations, the couple has never divorced, and the actress remarked that they do not see the need to take this step as they have been together for so long:
“We’ve been together a very long time, so there’s a lot of love and history. We agree on enough things, so why ruin that with the yucky things that come with a divorce?”
In 2019, Rhea opened up on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live” about her cordial relationship with Danny despite their separation. A viewer called in to ask the author why she thought her relationship with Danny was good:
“Why do you think it is so easy for you to remain friends with your ex-Danny DeVito but difficult for so many other couples in Hollywood?”
Rhea replied that she and Danny had always loved each other and that they had three exceptional children together. She added that the pair agreed on almost everything important, and being together for 40 years helped boost their good relationship.
The mother of three also said that she and Danny speak every day. Rhea remarked that her relationship with Danny had improved over the years in their separation as compared to the last five years of their marriage:
“Our relationship is much better now because all the tense stuff is gone; it’s not in your face. There was a hard transition through the kids, but everything is now smoothed out.”
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