Harry Wormwood is the father of Michael and Matilda Wormwood and the husband of Zinnia Wormwood. In the movie Matilda, he's played by Danny DeVito (who also directed the film, and did the film's narration). He is the secondary antagonist of the novel and the film.
He's a used car salesman and snide owner of Wormwood Motors.
Harry often abuses Matilda by sending her to her room as a false punishment for being a "smart aleck", calling her names, destroying Matilda's library book, and rants and raves at her only to have been punished himself by her via switching his hair tonic with peroxide, putting glue into his hat, making the T.V explode and closing the door while rants and raves.
Agatha Trunchbull had asked him for an inexpensive and reliable car when she stopped to buy a car. She later realized that he cheated her after the car she bought started breaking down and punished his daughter by locking her in the Chokey until Miss Honey rescued her.
Later on, when the transmission started going haywire, she pushed her car back home, and then quickly ran back into her mansion. Miss Honey and Matilda (who were in Miss Honey's room of the house at the time) heard her yell "Wormwood!!!!!!" and walked over to the stairs, where they overheard Miss Trunchbull talking to Mr. Wormwood on the phone. Calling him a "useless, used car salesman scum", she threatened to sue him and burn down his showroom. When she was finished, he would, in her words, "look like roadkill".
Later, at the end of the film, due to his illegal dealings which attracted the attention of the FBI, Harry and his wife, Mrs. Zinnia Wormwood, and his son, Michael, are forced to go on a permanent vacation to Guam. After they agree to let Matilda be adopted by Miss Honey, the three drove away, never to be seen again.
Behind the Scenes
Harry Wormwood is the secondary antagonist in the movie, Matilda