Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler (born September 9, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American comedian and actor who first gained fame by performing satiric songs as a cast member (1990–95) on Saturday Night Live and later became known for his portrayal of infantile but endearing characters in a series of now classic comedies, including Billy Madison (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), and The Wedding Singer (1998), many of which he cowrote. Sandler later broadened his artistic range by taking on affecting dramatic roles, most notably in Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and Uncut Gems (2019).

Education and breakout on SNL

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 Theatre & 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.

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 on SNL, Sandler created a range of oddball characters, among them Opera Man, an opera star who riffed on news headlines in a mock bel canto tenor. In 1995 Sandler and other cast members, including Chris Farley, were fired from SNL amid low ratings.

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Early film career: Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and Punch-Drunk Love

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 humor, 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 starred as an aggressive ice 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 savior. 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 a 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 in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and the romance 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 had 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.

Later movie roles: Funny People, Uncut Gems, and Happy Gilmore 2

Sandler’s subsequent films include 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 siblings in 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.

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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 Men, Women & Children (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 Noah Baumbach’s 2017 dramedy The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), playing a son of a sculptor (played by Dustin Hoffman) preparing for an exhibition.

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 gritty crime thriller Uncut Gems (2019), directed by the Safdie brothers. 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).

In 2023 Sandler appeared alongside his wife, Jackie Sandler (née Titone), and their daughters, Sadie and Sunny Sandler (born in 2006 and 2008, respectively), in the coming-of-age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. He then took on a more serious role, in the sci-fi drama Spaceman (2024), playing an astronaut on the verge of a psychological breakdown during a long-term mission while his wife (Carey Mulligan) is back on Earth. He returned to slapstick comedy the following year in the sequel Happy Gilmore 2, which also featured appearances by his wife and daughters and cameos by many actors and athletes, including Steve Buscemi, Margaret Qualley, and Travis Kelce. That year he also acted in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly (2025), starring George Clooney. Sandler received praise from critics for an uncharacteristically somber performance in the weighty supporting role.

Voice-over and stand-up work

Sandler lent his voice to several movies, including the animated comedies Eight Crazy Nights (2002), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), and Leo (2023).

In addition to acting and voice-over work, Sandler has recorded several studio albums featuring his parody songs. He also released the stand-up comedy specials Adam Sandler: What the Hell Happened to Me? (1996), Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018), and Adam Sandler: Love You (2024).

Honors and awards

In 2011 Sandler received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2023 he was given the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.