David DeLuise (Actor)

Actor David DeLuise arrives at a launch party for Little QT's fashion line. (Photo: Doug Benc / Getty Images)

This youngest son of comic actor Dom DeLuise and his wife Carol Arthur began his career as a child, appearing in his dad's film "Hot Stuff" (1979) and again with Dom in the 1983 CBS TV-movie "Happy". David DeLuise not only proved that comedy was genetic, he also had a tendency to mimic his father's penchant for weight gain. As a youngster, he was the heaviest of the three DeLuise boys (older brothers Michael and Peter are both actors) and was frequently the target of teasing from peers. His problems were further complicated by a diagnosis of dyslexia which he overcame with tutorial assistance. After his brief childhood foray into acting, DeLuise took time off, earning money at odd jobs like house painting and carpentry. After resuming his acting career, his girth limited the available roles, so he undertook a diet and weight loss program in 1992. The newly slimmed down actor found the range of available roles had expanded. Instead of bit parts, he was landing more substantial roles like his recurring role of a student named Bug on the NBC sitcom "3rd Rock From the Sun" (from 1996 to 1998). In the fall of 1998, he was tapped to portray the wheeling-dealing brother of Christina Applegate's title character on the NBC sitcom "Jessie", which allowed him to display his own unique brand of comedy.