Rhea Perlman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhea Perlman
Rhea Perlman at the 1988 Emmy Awards
Born	Rhea Jo Perlman (1948-03-31) March 31, 1948 (age 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Hunter College (BA)
Occupation	Actor writer
Years active	1972–present
Height	5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
Spouse(s)	Danny DeVito ​ ​ (m. 1982; sep. 2017)​
Children	3, including Lucy DeVito
Parent(s)	Philip Perlman (father)
Relatives	Heide Perlman (sister)

Rhea Jo Perlman (born March 31, 1948) is an American actress. She is famous for her role as Carla Tortelli, a head waitress, in the TV show Cheers. This show ran from 1982 to 1993.

During her time on Cheers, Rhea Perlman was nominated for many awards. She received ten Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress and won four of them. She was also nominated for a record six Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a TV show. Besides Cheers, she has acted in movies like Canadian Bacon (1995), Matilda (1996), The Sessions (2012), Poms (2019), and Barbie (2023).

Early Life and Family

Rhea Perlman was born on March 31, 1948, in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Philip Perlman, was a Polish immigrant who managed a doll parts factory. Her mother, Adele, worked as a bookkeeper.

Rhea grew up in Bensonhurst in a Jewish family with roots in Russia. She has a sister named Heide Perlman, who is a TV writer and producer. Heide worked on popular shows like Cheers, Frasier, and The Tracey Ullman Show.

In the mid-1980s, Rhea's parents moved to Los Angeles. Her father, Philip, started working as an extra on Cheers. His character was known by his real name, Phil. He even got a few lines in more than 30 episodes! This led to him having a second career as an actor. He appeared in films and TV shows such as Throw Momma from the Train, Hoffa, and Frasier.

Rhea studied drama at Hunter College in New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968.

Rhea Perlman's Acting Career

Starting Out in Acting

Rhea Perlman began her acting journey in 1970. She had a small part in an off-off-Broadway play called Dracula Sabbat. In 1972, she appeared in the film Hot Dogs for Gauguin. That same year, she acted in a play called Up – An Uppity Revue. Her future husband, Danny DeVito, was also in this play.

One of her first important TV roles was on the show Taxi. She played Zena, the sweet girlfriend of Louie De Palma, who was played by Danny DeVito. After Taxi, she acted in a play where she played a very tough character. The producers Glen and Les Charles saw her in this play. This led to her getting the role of Carla Tortelli on their new sitcom, Cheers, in 1982.

Success with Cheers

Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli in Cheers

When Cheers first started in 1982, it didn't have high ratings. But by the time it ended in 1993, it had become one of the most popular and successful TV shows ever. It won 20 Emmy awards and was nominated for 95!

Rhea Perlman won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy four times. She won in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989. During her 11 seasons on Cheers, she was nominated for an Emmy every year except 1992. This made her the Cheers star with the most wins and nominations. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe six times for Best Supporting Actress. This is more than anyone else in that category. In 2011, NBC called Carla Tortelli one of the greatest TV characters of all time.

In 1986, Rhea Perlman starred in an episode of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories. The episode was called "The Wedding Ring" and also featured Danny DeVito as her character's husband.

Movies and Other TV Roles

Rhea Perlman at a ceremony for Danny DeVito to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2011

In the 1990s, Rhea Perlman acted in several TV movies and films. In 1992, she was in the TV movie To Grandmother's House We Go. She played a character who kidnapped the Olsen Twins' characters, hoping for ransom money. Other TV films she starred in included A Place to Be Loved and In Spite of Love.

Rhea's movie roles included There Goes The Neighborhood (1992), Canadian Bacon (1995), Carpool (1996), Sunset Park (1996), and Matilda (1996). She had a small role in 10 Items Or Less (2006) and starred in the independent film Love Comes Lately (2007).

In 1994, Perlman voiced a character named 9-Eye in The Timekeeper. This was a special show at the Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland. She later starred in the 1996 sitcom Pearl and was in the 2001 TV drama Kate Brasher. She also made a guest appearance on Becker, which starred her Cheers co-star Ted Danson.

In 2007, Rhea Perlman performed in the comedy play Boeing Boeing in London. In 2008, she starred in the Hallmark Channel movie The Christmas Choir and appeared in Beethoven's Big Break. In 2009, she played Tanya's mother on the HBO series Hung. In 2011, she was a guest star on Wilfred.

From 2014 to 2017, she had a recurring role on The Mindy Project. She played Annette Castellano, the mother of Danny.

In 2023, Rhea Perlman received great reviews for playing Barbie creator Ruth Handler in the movie Barbie.

Writing Books

Rhea Perlman is also an author! She wrote a series of illustrated children's books called Otto Undercover. As of 2012, there were six books in the series:

• Born to Drive
• Canyon Catastrophe
• Water Balloon Doom
• Toxic Taffy Takeover
• The Brink of Ex-stink-tion
• Brain Freeze

Personal Life

Rhea Perlman with her husband Danny DeVito in 2006.

Rhea Perlman met actor Danny DeVito on January 17, 1971. She went to see a play where he was performing. They moved in together just two weeks later! They got married on January 28, 1982.

Rhea and Danny have three children: Lucy Chet DeVito, Grace Fan DeVito, and Jacob Daniel DeVito. Rhea is Jewish, and Danny was raised Catholic. They raised their children celebrating the main holidays of both religions. They also have two grandchildren.

The family lived in Beverly Hills, California. They also had a vacation home in Interlaken, New Jersey. Rhea and Danny have acted together many times. They appeared in the TV show Taxi and the movie Matilda.

Rhea and Danny separated in October 2012. They got back together in March 2013. However, they separated again in March 2017. They remain good friends. Rhea has said she does not plan to divorce Danny. In 2019, she mentioned that they became even closer friends after their separation than they were during their last years as a couple.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

See Also

In Spanish: Rhea Perlman para niños