David Dominick DeLuise (born November 11, 1971) is an American actor and television director, known for his starring roles on 3rd Rock From The Sun (1996-2001), Jesse (1998-1999), Megas XLR, and Wizards of Waverly Place, and for his movie roles in Terror Tract (2000), and Jam (2006).
Career
His first leading role came in 2003 with Dantre Cole, in BachelorMan. He had a recurring role in 3rd Rock from the Sun as Bug Pollone and was a regular performer on Jesse during its first season, playing Jesse’s brother Darren. He also played a recurring role in Stargate SG-1 as Pete Shanahan. He was also seen in a Purina commercial for Beneful dog food, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial.
DeLuise is also known for voicing Coop on the short-lived action animated Megas XLR (later reprising his role for the Cartoon Network game FusionFall) and Sergeant Brutto in Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles. In 2005, he starred opposite Maggie Wheeler on the NBC pilot The Sperm Donor. In 2012, he had a guest role on Rizzoli & Isles as Dominic.
He portrayed the character of Jerry Russo, the family patriarch and former wizard on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie from 2007 to 2012. DeLuise also directed numerous episodes of the series, beginning with the episode “My Tutor, Tutor” (2009). He has since directed episodes of How to Rock, See Dad Run, Lab Rats and The Thundermans.
In August 2012 he appeared in a commercial for KFC’s Original Recipe Bites.
Personal life
DeLuise was born in 1971, the youngest son of actor and comedian Dom DeLuise and actress Carol Arthur (née Arata). His godparents were Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. He is the brother of actor, writer, and director Peter DeLuise and actor Michael DeLuise. He married Brigitte DeLuise in September 1994. They were divorced in August 2003. They have two daughters, Riley and Dylan.
DeLuise began dating German actress, director and voiceover artist Julia Stoepel in 2015. They married on October 17, 2019.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Hot Stuff | David Fortunato | |
| 1983 | Happy | Rogie | Television movie |
| 1991 | Driving Me Crazy | Stanley | |
| Seeds of Tragedy | Customer | Television movie | |
| 1993 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Villager | (Uncredited) |
| The Liars’ Club | Joey Matthews | ||
| The Silence of the Hams | Policeman #1 | ||
| 1995 | Kicking and Screaming | Bouncer | |
| Dracula: Dead and Loving It | Intern | ||
| 1996 | Where Truth Lies | Policeman #1 | |
| 1998 | Hairshirt | Peter Angelo | |
| The Godson | Gaffer | ||
| 1999 | Dirt Merchant | Sly | |
| 2000 | Terror Tract | Allen Doyle | (Segment: “Make Me An Offer”) |
| 2001 | Ladies and the Champ | Darold Boyarsky | Television movie |
| Dr. Dolittle 2 | School Fish #2 (voice) | ||
| 2002 | Rockboy | Chadd Nessbaum | Short Film |
| Buying the Cow | Fratguy | ||
| 2003 | Between the Sheets | Director | |
| Art of Revenge | Benjamin Bloom | ||
| Bachelor Man | Ted David | ||
| 2005 | Untitled Oakley & Weinstein Project | Television movie | |
| Play Dates | Billy | Television movie | |
| 2006 | Intellectual Property | Detective Kopf | |
| Jam | Jerry | ||
| Where There’s a Will | Willy | Television movie | |
| Mojave Phone Booth | Michael | ||
| 2007 | Route 30 | Original Bill | |
| Who’s Your Monkey? | Hutto | ||
| 2008 | Dear Me | Bass Vanders | |
| Bundy: An American Icon | Detective Jennings | ||
| Mostly Ghostly | John Doyle | Direct to video | |
| A Christmas Proposal | Andy | ||
| 2009 | RoboDoc | Dr. Bonacasa | |
| Prep & Landing | Dancer (voice) | TV short | |
| 2010 | Vampires Suck | Fisherman Scully | |
| 2011 | American Decaf | David | |
| 2012 | Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas | Max Finkelstein | |
| Last Call | Mike | ||
| A Christmas Wedding Date | Minister | Television movie | |
| 2013 | The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex | Jerry Russo | Television movie of the series |
| 2014 | Beethoven’s Treasure Tail | Phil | |
| 2015 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2016 | Believe | Tom Blackhorn | |
| Pup Star | Steven | Television movie | |
| 2017 | Sweet, Sweet Summertime | Scott Burns | |
| 2018 | Unbroken: Path to Redemption | Howard Lambert |
Phil
Television
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Megas XLR: Appetite for Demolition | Coop |
| 2009 | FusionFall | Coop |
