Adam Sandler

Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include an Independent Spirit Award, alongside nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Sandler was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995. He returned to ''Saturday Night Live'' as a host in 2019 earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has starred in Hollywood comedy films that cumulatively grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Sandler had an estimated net worth of $420 million in 2020, and signed a new four-movie deal with Netflix worth over $250 million.

Sandler's comedic roles include '' Billy Madison'' (1995), ''Happy Gilmore'' (1996), '' The Waterboy'' (1998), ''The Wedding Singer'' (1998), '' Big Daddy'' (1999), '' Mr. Deeds'' (2002), '' 50 First Dates'' (2004), '' The Longest Yard'' (2005), '' Click'' (2006), '' Grown Ups'' (2010), '' Just Go with It'' (2011), '' Grown Ups 2'' (2013), '' Blended'' (2014), '' Murder Mystery'' (2019) and '' Hubie Halloween'' (2020). He also received praise for his dramatic roles in ''Punch-Drunk Love'' (2002), '' Reign Over Me'' (2007), '' The Meyerowitz Stories'' (2017), '' Uncut Gems'' (2019), and ''Hustle'' (2022). He also voiced Dracula in the first three films of the ''Hotel Transylvania'' franchise (2012–2018).

Early life

Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 9, 1966, to Judith "Judy" (née Levine), a nursery school teacher, and Stanley Sandler, an electrical engineer. He has three older siblings, Scott, Elizabeth, and Valerie. His family is Jewish and descends from Russian Jewish immigrants on both sides. Sandler grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, after his family moved there when he was six years old. He attended Manchester Central High School. As a teen, Sandler was in BBYO, a Jewish youth group. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in acting.

Career

1987–1994: Early television and film roles

In 1987, Sandler played Theo Huxtable's friend Smitty on ''The Cosby Show'' and the Stud Boy or Trivia Delinquent on the MTV game show ''Remote Control''. After his film debut in '' Going Overboard'' in 1989, Sandler performed in comedy clubs, having first taken the stage at his brother's urging when he was 17. He was discovered by comedian Dennis Miller, who caught Sandler's act in Los Angeles and recommended him to ''Saturday Night Live'' producer Lorne Michaels. Sandler was hired as a writer for ''SNL'' in 1990, and became a featured player the following year. He made a name for himself by performing amusing original songs on the show, including " The Thanksgiving Song" and " The Chanukah Song". Sandler told Conan O'Brien on ''The Tonight Show'' that NBC fired him and Chris Farley from the show in 1995. Sandler used his firing as part of his monologue when he returned in 2019 to host the show.

In 1993, Adam Sandler appeared in the film '' Coneheads'' with fellow SNL performers Farley, David Spade, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, and Jane Curtin. In 1994, he co-starred in '' Airheads'' with Brendan Fraser and Steve Buscemi.

1995–2014: Commercial success

Sandler starred in '' Billy Madison'' (1995) playing a grown man repeating grades 1–12 to earn back his father's respect and the right to inherit his father's multimillion-dollar hotel empire. The film was successful at the box office despite negative reviews. He followed this film with '' Bulletproof'' (1996), and the financially successful comedies ''Happy Gilmore'' (1996) and ''The Wedding Singer'' (1998), his first collaboration with Drew Barrymore. He was initially cast in the bachelor party-themed comedy/thriller '' Very Bad Things'' (1998) but had to back out due to his involvement in '' The Waterboy'' (1998), one of his first big hits.

Sandler continued making successful comedy films including '' Big Daddy'' (1999), '' Mr. Deeds'' (2002), '' Anger Management'' (2003), '' 50 First Dates'' (2004, his second collaboration with Drew Barrymore), '' The Longest Yard'' (2005), and '' Click'' (2006). He also formed his film production company, Happy Madison Productions,"Happy Madison."
AdamSandler.com. Accessed October 9, 2008. in 1999, first producing fellow ''SNL'' alumnus Rob Schneider's film '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo''. The company has produced most of Sandler's subsequent films to date, and is on the Sony/Columbia Pictures lot in Culver City, California. Most of its films have received negative reviews from critics, with three considered among the worst ever made yet most have performed well at the box office.

Although his earlier commercially successful films did not receive favorable critical attention, Sandler started to receive more positive reviews beginning with his more dramatic role in ''Punch-Drunk Love'' in 2002. ''Punch-Drunk Love'' writer and director, Paul Thomas Anderson, had an "obsession-level" love for Sandler's previous movies and wrote the film with him in mind. Sandler was intimidated to work with Anderson upon viewing his previous film ''Magnolia'' (2000), but these fears were alleviated upon receiving the script from Anderson. Roger Ebert's review of ''Punch-Drunk Love'' concluded that Sandler had been wasted in earlier films with poorly written scripts and characters with no development. Ebert noted that Sandler's character still maintained the "childlike, love-starved" persona from his previous films, but was shown in a new light as the "key to all Adam Sandler films". Sandler was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance. The film marked the beginning of Sandler moving outside the genre of slapstick comedy to take on more serious roles, such as Mike Binder's '' Reign Over Me'' (2007), a drama about a man who loses his entire family in the September 11 attacks and then struggles to rekindle a friendship with his old college roommate (Don Cheadle).

Sandler starred alongside friend Kevin James in the film '' I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'' (2007), and headlined ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' (2008). The latter was written by Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel, and directed by Dennis Dugan. That same year, Sandler starred along with Keri Russell and English comedian Russell Brand in Adam Shankman's children's fantasy film '' Bedtime Stories'' (2008), as a stressed hotel maintenance worker whose bedtime stories he reads to his niece and nephew begin to come true. It marked Sandler's first family film and first film under the Disney banner.

In 2009, Sandler starred in Apatow's third directorial feature, '' Funny People'', a comedy drama about a famous comedian (Sandler) with a terminal illness. The film was released on July 31, 2009. After its release, ''Funny People'' and ''Punch-Drunk Love'' were cited in the June 2010 announcement that Sandler was one of 135 people (including 20 actors) invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2010, Sandler appeared in '' Grown Ups'', alongside Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. Sandler and ''Dickie Roberts'' scribe Fred Wolf wrote the script and Dennis Dugan directed. Sandler's later comedy films, including ''Grown Ups'' and '' Grown Ups 2'', received largely negative reviews. Reviewing the latter, critic Mark Olsen of the ''Los Angeles Times'' remarked that Sandler had become the antithesis of Judd Apatow; he was instead "the white Tyler Perry: smart enough to know better, savvy enough to do it anyway, lazy enough not to care." The next year, Sandler starred with Jennifer Aniston in the romantic comedy film '' Just Go with It''. He also voiced a capuchin monkey in Kevin James's ''Zookeeper'', released on July 8, 2011. In 2012, he starred in '' That's My Boy'', as a man who fathered a son ( Andy Samberg) with his teacher ( Eva Amurri) in high school. In 2013, he guest starred in the Disney Channel Original Series '' Jessie'' as himself in the episode "Punched Dumped Love". He and ''Jessie'' star Cameron Boyce had worked together in ''Grown Ups'' and ''Grown Ups 2''; Sandler's 2020 film '' Hubie Halloween'' was dedicated to Boyce's memory. Sandler next reunited with Drew Barrymore for a third time in the Warner Bros. romantic comedy '' Blended'', which was filmed in South Africa and released on May 23, 2014.

2014-present: Final theatrical films and switch to Netflix

In October 2014, Netflix announced a four-movie deal with Sandler and Happy Madison Productions. Also that year, Sandler co-starred in the drama film '' Men, Women & Children'', directed by Jason Reitman. He was considered for the voice of Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's '' Guardians of the Galaxy'' but Bradley Cooper was cast instead.

In 2015, Sandler released his last theatrical film, ''Pixels'', based on French director Patrick Jean's 2010 short film of the same name, before transitioning into a distribution deal with Netflix.

Sandler's first original film for Netflix was the Western comedy film '' The Ridiculous 6''. Despite being universally panned by critics, on January 6, 2016, it was announced by Netflix that the film had been viewed more times in 30 days than any other movie in Netflix history. Sandler also starred in another Netflix film in 2016, titled '' The Do-Over''.

Sandler starred in the 2017 Netflix film '' Sandy Wexler'', in which he plays a talent manager who falls in love with one of his clients. He returned to dramatic territory in 2017 with Noah Baumbach's family drama '' The Meyerowitz Stories''. In the film, Sandler plays Danny Meyerowitz, who is unemployed and separated from his wife. His experiencing dysfunctional relationships with his brother (Ben Stiller), his sister (Elizabeth Marvel), and his father (Dustin Hoffman). The film premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival where his performance received favorable notices from critics. Peter Debruge, film critic for '' Variety'', wrote of his performance, "With no shtick to fall back on, Sandler is forced to act, and it's a glorious thing to watch".

In 2018, Sandler starred in the Netflix film '' The Week Of'' alongside Chris Rock. He also starred in a Netflix stand-up special '' Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh'', which was part of his company's Netflix deal and marked his first stand-up film in over two decades. The special was directed by longtime collaborator Steven Brill, while portions of the special was filmed by Paul Thomas Anderson, which marked his first project with Sandler since ''Punch-Drunk Love'' sixteen years prior.

On May 4, 2019, Sandler made his first appearance as host of ''Saturday Night Live'', ending the episode with a tribute to his friend and fellow former cast member Chris Farley. Sandler received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for his hosting stint. In June 2019, he reunited with Jennifer Aniston in the Netflix film '' Murder Mystery'', which broke the record for the biggest opening weekend in the company's history, and spawned a sequel, '' Murder Mystery 2'', in 2023.

In December 2019, Sandler starred in the crime thriller '' Uncut Gems'', directed by the Safdie brothers. The movie and Sandler's acting received critical acclaim and many end-of-year awards from critics, who noted this role as a career best for Sandler, for which he earned the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

In January 2020, Netflix announced a new four-movie deal with Happy Madison Productions worth up to $275 million. Sandler starred in and wrote the 2020 Netflix film '' Hubie Halloween''. Besides, he voiced Leo the lizard in a Netflix's animated coming-of-age musical '' Leo''.

Sandler produced and starred in the 2022 sports drama film '' Hustle'', which received critical acclaim. His performance in the film was repeatedly singled out for praise and he received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. On March 19, 2023, Sandler was awarded the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Many of Sandler's friends and fellow performers, including Ben Stiller, Conan O'Brien, Dana Carvey, and Judd Apatow, spoke at the event.

In 2024, Sandler starred in his second Netflix stand-up comedy special, ''Adam Sandler: Love You'', which was directed by Josh Safdie. He also starred in the science fiction drama film '' Spaceman'', an adaptation of the science fiction novel '' Spaceman of Bohemia'' (2017), directed by Johan Renck.

Also in 2024, Sandler was named the People's Choice Icon at the 49th People's Choice Awards. In March 2024, Forbes announced that Sandler was the best-paid actor in Hollywood in 2023, earning $73 million.

Public image

Sandler has been referenced multiple times in various media, including in the TV shows ''The Simpsons,'' in the episode " Monty Can't Buy Me Love", in the ''Family Guy'' episode " Stew-Roids", and in the ''South Park'' episode " You're Getting Old". He was also referenced in the video game '' Half-Life: Opposing Force''. The HBO series ''Animals'' episode "The Trial" features a mock court case to decide whether Sandler or Jim Carrey is a better comedian.

In 2021, ''Vogue'' named Sandler the year's fashion icon for popularizing a "grocery-run look", characterized by oversized T-shirts, XXL pants, and Nike sneakers dubbed as "Adam Sandler style". Menswear brand ''Old Jewish Men'' sells a line of basketball shorts inspired by the style. Speaking on the title with ''Esquire'', Sandler remarked: "It took a while. I was working that angle for years. For a while I was like, 'Please accept me and the way I dress.' And 30 years later, they finally came around."

Personal life

Sandler has been married to Jacqueline "Jackie" Sandler (née Titone) since 2003. She converted to Sandler's religion, Judaism. The couple have two daughters, Sadie (born May 2006) and Sunny (born November 2008). Through his wife, Sandler is the son-in-law of politician Joseph H. Titone. Sandler's wife and children often appear in his films. Both Sadie and Sunny have each appeared in at least two of the '' Hotel Transylvania'' movie series. Adam's nephew Jared has also been featured in his films, such as ''Pixels'' and '' Home Team''.

In 2007, Sandler made a $1 million donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Sandler has not publicly discussed his political opinions. It has been reported that he is a registered Republican. He performed at the 2004 Republican National Convention, and donated $2,100 to Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Sandler's accolades include an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead, six MTV Movie & TV Awards, and nine People's Choice Awards. He has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Discography

Studio albums

"The Peeper" was made into a flash cartoon, launched over the 1999 Labor Day weekend as a promotion for ''Stan and Judy's Kid'' and was watched by over 1 million users during that period, one of the most-watched video clips on the internet at the time.

In 2009 Sandler contributed the Neil Young cover " Like a Hurricane" to '' Covered, A Revolution in Sound'' as part of Warner Brothers 50th Anniversary celebrations; the song was performed on the '' David Letterman Show'' with a band that included, among others, Waddy Wachtel, who has appeared with Sandler on a number of occasions.

Soundtrack albums

Singles

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandler, Adam

1966 births
Living people
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American singers
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century American singers
American comedy musicians
American comedy writers
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male singers
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American sketch comedians
American stand-up comedians
American television writers
Comedians from Brooklyn
Comedians from New Hampshire
Film producers from New York (state)
Happy Madison Productions
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead winners
Jewish American comedy writers
Jewish American male actors
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Jewish male comedians
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Male actors from Brooklyn
Male actors from Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester Central High School alumni
Mark Twain Prize recipients
Musicians from Brooklyn
New Hampshire Republicans
New York (state) Republicans
Screenwriters from New Hampshire
Screenwriters from New York (state)
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Singers from Brooklyn
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Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Writers from Brooklyn