Adam Sandler | Biography, TV Shows, Movies, & Facts (2024)

Adam Sandler

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In full:
Adam Richard Sandler
Born:
September 9, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. (age 57)

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Top Questions

Who is Adam Sandler?

Adam Sandler is an American comedian known for his portrayal of infantile but endearing characters. Sandler made his first television appearance on The Cosby Show in 1987. He was also a cast member of Saturday Night Live and starred in the films Happy Gilmore (1996), Spanglish (2004), Uncut Gems (2019), and Hubie Halloween (2020), among others.

When did Adam Sandler join Saturday Night Live?

Adam Sandler joined Saturday Night Live in 1990 as a writer and made occasional appearances before becoming a cast member in 1991.

How many movies are Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in together?

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore appeared together in three movies: The Wedding Singer (1998), 50 First Dates (2004), and Blended (2014).

Adam Sandler (born September 9, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) American comedian known for his portrayal of infantile but endearing characters.

Sandler was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, the youngest of four children. Academically disinclined, he was frequently disciplined for his comedic antics in school. He first performed at a stand-up comedy club in Boston at age 17 at the urging of his brother. Following high school, Sandler took classes at the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in New York City and attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, graduating in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in acting.

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Sandler’s first television appearance was on The Cosby Show (1987), in which he featured as a friend of the Huxtable family. He continued to perform stand-up, and, during a performance in Los Angeles, comedian Dennis Miller took notice and later recommended him to Saturday Night Live (SNL) impresario Lorne Michaels. Sandler was hired as a writer for the sketch comedy show in 1990 and made occasional appearances before becoming a cast member the next year. During his five-year tenure with SNL, Sandler created a range of oddball characters, among them Operaman, an opera star who performed satiric songs in a mock basso profundo. In 1995 Sandler and other cast members, including Chris Farley, were fired from SNL amid low TV ratings.

Sandler broke into film with small parts in such comedies as Shakes the Clown (1991); Coneheads (1993), which was based on an SNL sketch; and Mixed Nuts (1994). He established himself as a star with Billy Madison (1995), the first of a number of movies he cowrote; in it he played the oafish scion of a wealthy businessman who must prove his worthiness to succeed his father by repeating his schooling. Sandler’s humour, while derided by some critics as puerile, proved popular with moviegoers. A succession of films in which he played similarly inept and foulmouthed characters solidified his reputation as a reliable box-office draw.

In Happy Gilmore (1996), Sandler featured as an aggressive hockey player who turns to professional golf out of financial necessity, and in The Waterboy (1998) he played the emotionally stunted water boy of a college football team who becomes its unlikely saviour. In The Wedding Singer (1998), a romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore, and Big Daddy (1999), in which his character adopts a child to impress his girlfriend, Sandler demonstrated an ability to temper his outrageous antics with sentiment.

In 1999 Sandler formed his own production company, which produced his own films as well as vehicles for friends, including David Spade and Rob Schneider. While continuing to star in such comedies as Mr. Deeds (2002) and Anger Management (2003), Sandler made forays into drama with Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and Spanglish (2004). The latter performances won him critical accolades. He reunited with Barrymore in the romantic farce 50 First Dates (2004). In 2007 he appeared in Reign over Me, a dark comedy in which he evinced a man whose wife and children died in the September 11 attacks. The following year he returned to lighter fare with You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, about an Israeli military operative who moves to New York City to become a hairdresser.

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Sandler’s subsequent films included the dramedy Funny People (2009), directed by Judd Apatow; Grown Ups (2010) and Grown Ups 2 (2013), in which he costarred with, among others, Chris Rock; and the romantic farce Just Go with It (2011), which paired him with Jennifer Aniston. In the broad comedy Jack and Jill (2011), he portrayed both halves of a set of brother-sister twins, and in the raunchy That’s My Boy (2012), he starred as a gregarious boor reconnecting with the son he fathered as a teenager.

Sandler appeared opposite Barrymore a third time in Blended (2014), a slapstick about two single parents and their respective children, and joined the ensemble cast of (2014), a drama that explored the isolating effects of modern society. In the surreal action comedy Pixels (2015), he played a video gamer called upon to help save the world from alien invaders who have interpreted a recording of a video-gaming session as a declaration of war. He later appeared in the 2017 dramedy The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), playing a son of a sculptor (Dustin Hoffman) preparing for an exhibition showing his work.

In the comedy Murder Mystery (2019), Sandler reteamed with Aniston to play a married couple framed for killing a billionaire; a sequel appeared in 2023. He earned rave reviews for his performance as a charismatic jeweler in the crime dramedy Uncut Gems (2019). In 2020 Sandler starred in Hubie Halloween, about a man trying to save the October holiday. He later was praised for his portrayal of a basketball scout in the sports drama Hustle (2022).

Sandler lent his voice to several movies, including the animated comedies Eight Crazy Nights (2002), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018). In 2023 Sandler received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Richard PallardyThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Adam Sandler | Biography, TV Shows, Movies, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

How many movies and TV shows has Adam Sandler been in? ›

American actor, comedian, director, screen-writer, song-writer, and film-producer, Adam Sandler has appeared in over sixty films and fifteen television series.

What is Adam Sandler's nationality? ›

Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

What was Adam Sandler's very first movie? ›

Adam Sandler made his film debut in 1989, playing an aspiring comedian who takes a gig aboard a cruise ship filled with beauty queens in the little-seen Going Overboard.

What made Adam Sandler so famous? ›

While working at a comedy club in L.A., he was "discovered" by Dennis Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live (1975) producer Lorne Michaels and told him that Sandler had a big talent. This led to his being cast in the show in 1990, which he also wrote for in addition to performing.

What is Adam Sandler's biggest movie? ›

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is the highest grossing Adam Sandler movie to date, with a $528 million box office.

Who is Adam Sandler real wife? ›

For three decades, Adam Sandler has made a name for himself in the entertainment world, but aside from acting, performing and singing, the "Big Daddy" star is also a devoted family man. The funnyman and his wife Jackie Sandler are parents of two daughters.

What did Adam Sandler do before acting? ›

Adam Sandler joined Saturday Night Live in 1990 as a writer and made occasional appearances before becoming a cast member in 1991.

Is Adam Sandler's wife in all of his movies? ›

Is Adam Sandler a rich actor? ›

Sandler comfortably sits atop the list of affluent stars, raking in $73 million for the year. That includes funds allocated to his manager, lawyer and agent. Much of Sandler's success is due in part to his massive contract with Netflix, which he originally signed in 2014 for $250 million and renewed in 2020.

Do Adam Sandler's daughters act? ›

Like her older sister, Sunny has appeared in several of her father's movies, including Grown Ups, Blended and Murder Mystery. After accumulating over a dozen acting credits from Adam's projects, however, it appears that both Sunny and Sadie are ready to strike out on their own.

What age did Adam Sandler start acting? ›

Sandler first performed at a stand-up comedy club in Boston, Massachusetts, at age 17. Following high school, he took classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York, New York, and attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Who does Adam Sandler put in every movie? ›

Fans of the comedic star may not realize how often they see Adam Sandler's kids in his movies as well as other family members. Along with his friends like Kevin James and Rob Schneider, Sandler loves to cast his daughters Sadie Sandler and Sunny Sandler, and his wife, Jacqueline.

Who discovered Adam Sandler? ›

While working at a comedy club in L.A., he was "discovered" by Dennis Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live (1975) producer Lorne Michaels and told him that Sandler had a big talent.

What was Adam Sandler's big break? ›

It's hard to imagine what comedy would be without Adam Sandler. He got his big break after Saturday Night Live brought him on board in the early 1990s, and went on to star in some of the biggest comedy movies of all time—The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Billy Madison, and the list goes on.

How many movies has Adam Sandler written? ›

Quotable, outrageous, and hilarious, there is only one Adam Sandler. With almost 20 movie writing credits to his name, Sandler has created some of the wackiest films of the last 25 years. His over-the-top acting in many of the films he has written has earned him a lot of laughs and a whole lot of money.

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