The Rare Medical Condition Danny DeVito Lives With

By his own admission, Danny DeVito isn't quite 5-feet tall. "On a really good day, I'm five feet short," he once said, according to Celebs Height. He suffers from Fairbank's disease, NPR pointed out. Also known as multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED), the genetic condition affects growing bones in childhood, often stunting growth, MedlinePlus explained. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, those afflicted with the disease normally stand between 4-foot-9 and 5-foot-7, meaning many do reach average adult heights and might not be diagnosed until later, when they begin experiencing joint pain as a consequence of early-onset arthritis. 

But DeVito stayed within the shorter end of that spectrum, resulting in a stature that has shaped many aspects of his life, including his career. He doesn't think it affected it negatively, though — it simply made it what it is (which is pretty great, if you ask us). "I never did not go for an audition because I didn't think I looked like the person," he told CBS' "Sunday Morning" in 2017. There was always room for a little guy like himself. "I think of all the characters that I've ever played, they're always about five feet tall."

Maybe the actor got his confidence from growing up in New Jersey. In his hometown, no one ever mocked DeVito for being short, Rolling Stone noted. "The thing about being in Jersey [is] ... Nobody's gonna bully you, because you got your posse," he told CBS. 

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