Rhea Perlman

Early life

Perlman was born on March 31, 1948, in Coney Island, Brooklyn, to Philip Perlman, a Polish Jewish immigrant who was a manager at a doll parts factory and Adele, a bookkeeper. She grew up in nearby Bensonhurst in a Jewish family with additional roots in Russia. Perlman has a younger sister, Heide, who is a television writer, story editor, and producer who worked on Cheers, Frasier, and The Tracey Ullman Show. In the mid-1980s, Perlman's parents moved to Los Angeles, and her father became an extra on Cheers. His character became known by his real name, Phil, and he managed to get a few lines over the years as he appeared in more than 30 episodes. Philip Perlman created a second career as a character actor, appearing in several films and television shows, including Throw Momma from the Train, Hoffa, and Frasier.

Perlman studied drama at Hunter College in New York, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968.

Film director Randall Miller is Perlman's cousin.

Career

Career beginnings

Perlman began her acting career with a small role as an attendant in the off-off-Broadway play Dracula Sabbat, which ran from September 1970 to June 1971. In 1972, she played a bit role in the film Hot Dogs for Gauguin. That same year she appeared in Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective's production of Up – An Uppity Revue, along with her future husband, Danny DeVito.

One of Perlman's first notable parts was a recurring role on the television show Taxi as Zena, the sweet girlfriend of Louie De Palma (played by DeVito). Following that, she had a role in a small play portraying a much tougher character. Producers Glen and Les Charles saw Perlman in that play, which led to her landing the role as wisecracking barmaid Carla Tortelli on their sitcom Cheers in 1982.

''Cheers''

The series struggled with ratings in its first season, but by the time it ended in 1993, it was one of the most popular and successful sitcoms of all time, winning 20 Emmy awards out of a total 95 nominations.

Perlman won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy four times: in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989. Over her 11 seasons on Cheers, Perlman was nominated for an Emmy every year but 1992, becoming the Cheers star to have the most wins and nominations. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress six times, more than anyone else in that category. In 2011, NBC named Carla Tortelli as one of the greatest TV characters of all time.

In 1986, Perlman starred in an episode of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories titled "The Wedding Ring," which also starred DeVito as her character's husband.

Motion pictures

In the 1990s, Perlman starred in several TV movies and motion pictures. In 1992, she starred in the made-for-TV-movie, To Grandmother's House We Go opposite Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, playing the wife of Jerry Van Dyke's character; the couple kidnapped the Olsen Twins' characters, hoping to cash in on ransom before Christmas. Other TV films in which Perlman starred included the dramas A Place to Be Loved and In Spite of Love. Her motion picture roles included There Goes The Neighborhood (1992), Canadian Bacon (1995), Carpool (1996), Sunset Park (1996), and Matilda (1996). Perlman had a cameo in the film 10 Items Or Less (2006), and also starred in the 2007 independent film Love Comes Lately.

In 1994, Perlman voiced 9-Eye in The Timekeeper, a Circle-Vision show at the Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland. She later starred in the 1996 sitcom Pearl as the title character and was featured on the 2001 TV drama Kate Brasher. Among Perlman's notable guest appearances was on the fourth-season premiere of Becker, which starred Cheers co-star Ted Danson. She also appeared in a 2000 television film How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale, in which Perlman impersonated Jackie Kennedy. That same year, Perlman portrayed a therapist called Dr. Parella in the film Secret Cutting, which follows the story of a young girl named Dawn who self-injures. In 2007, Perlman appeared as Bertha in the West End of London in the comedy Boeing Boeing. The following year, she starred in the Hallmark Channel original movie, The Christmas Choir, and appeared in Beethoven's Big Break as Patricia Benji. In 2009, Perlman appeared as Tanya's mother on the series Hung for Home Box Office Networks. Two years later, Perlman had a guest appearance as Mittens in one episode of Wilfred.

In 2009, Perlman and her daughter Lucy DeVito starred in the off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, at the Westside Theatre. From 2014 to 2017, Perlman starred in a recurring role on The Mindy Project as Danny's mother, Annette Castellano.

In 2023, Perlman earned critical praise for playing Barbie creator Ruth Handler in Greta Gerwig's film Barbie.

Writing

Perlman is the author of the illustrated children's book series Otto Undercover, whose six books to date (as of the middle of May 2012) are Born to Drive, Canyon Catastrophe, Water Balloon Doom, Toxic Taffy Takeover, The Brink of Ex-stink-tion, and Brain Freeze.

Personal life

The family resided in Beverly Hills, California, and they owned a vacation home in Interlaken, New Jersey that they frequented to get away from Los Angeles. Throughout their relationship, Perlman and DeVito have acted alongside each other several times, including in the TV show Taxi and the feature film Matilda.

Perlman and DeVito separated in October 2012. The couple later separated again for a second time in March 2017 on amicable terms. In 2019, Perlman told interviewer Andy Cohen that she and DeVito have become closer friends after their separation than they were in their final years as a couple.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. (2006). "Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms, 1974-1984". Billboard Books.
2. "Veromi.net - People Summary".
3. (November 17, 2009). "Rhea Perlman and Lucy DeVito in 'Love, Loss, and What I Wore'". [[The New York Times]].
4. (May 7, 2015). "Philip Perlman, 'Cheers' Barfly and Father of Rhea Perlman, Dies at 95". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
5. (December 28, 1998). "No Religious Ballyhoo in Her Family". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. (October 4, 1996). "Rhea Perlman's real life is super sweet".
7. (June 11, 1968). "Hunter College Commencement Exercises". Hunter College.
8. Venutolo, Anthony. (December 5, 2008). "'Nobel Son' is no prize". NJ.com.
9. "Dracula Sabbat at Judson Poets Theater and others 1970–1971".
10. (May 20, 2016). "Cheers: funniest lines". The Daily Telegraph.
11. (September 27, 2012). "Cheers Oral History". [[GQ]].
12. (2015). "The Top 100 American Situation Comedies: An Objective Ranking". McFarland.
13. "Rhea Perlman". Television Academy.
14. (March 29, 2011). "50 Greatest TV Characters".
15. (2023-07-24). "Barbie's Creator Appeared In The Movie — But She Was Totally Different IRL".
16. Peters, Fletcher. (2023-07-28). "Rhea Perlman Puts a Fantastic Twist on Barbie's Real Creator". The Daily Beast.
17. (1988). "Hailing Taxi: The Official Book of the Show". [[Simon & Schuster]] / [[Prentice Hall Press]].
18. Lovece, pp. 53, 80
19. Wallace, Carol. (December 12, 1983). "Chalk Up a Successful Marriage for TV's Tart-Tongued Twosome, Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman". [[People (magazine).
20. "Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman Separate". [[Entertainment Tonight]].
21. (February 26, 2024). "Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman Have Another Grandchild on the Way". [[Parade Media]].
22. (December 17, 2024). "Danny DeVito Found Out Daughter Lucy Was Pregnant 30 Minutes Before Performing on Broadway: 'I Just Burst into Tears'".
23. Boon, Jon. [https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/10/danny-devito-new-york-move-divorce/ "Single In The City! Danny DeVito Moving To New York: He Misses The Big Apple!"], [[RadarOnline]], October 15, 2012. Accessed January 24, 2023. "Danny and Rhea used to stay at his vacation home in Interlaken, New Jersey whenever they wanted a break away from Los Angeles. He never really felt an affinity to California and lived there purely for work reasons."
24. "Monmouth County, New Jersey Tax Assessor's Office property record for Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman". Tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us.
25. Leonard, Elizabeth. (March 15, 2013). "Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman Are Back Together". [[People (magazine).
26. (March 8, 2018). "Why Rhea Perlman won't divorce Danny DeVito".
27. (May 10, 2019). "Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito May Be Separated, but They're Still Bros".
28. "Molly and Skywalkerz In Happily Ever After".
29. (24 November 2024). "Molly and the Skywalkerz in Happily Ever After (película 1985)".
30. "Happily Ever After - Long-métrage d'animation (1985)".
31. "Molly and the Skywalkerz: Happily Ever After (1985)".
32. (2 December 1999). "Cinar nabs Wonderworks' family pix". Variety.
33. "Molly And The Skywalkerz: Two Daddies? (1989)".
34. "Molly and the Skywalkerz".
35. "Sing - Full Cast and Credits". Hollywood.com.
36. "Barbie's Ruth Handler: More on the Doll's Creator and Those IRS Jokes".
37. "Diabetic Lesbians and a Blushing Bride". the Futon Critic.
38. (November 2016). "Rhea Perlman cast alongside Eva Gutowski on 'Me and My Grandma'.". Tubefilter.
39. Dawn, Randee. (September 17, 2019). "A mini-'Cheers' reunion is coming to TV! See the pics".