Adam Sandler is a very polarizing figure in film. Throughout the '90s, he brought us some of the most iconic comedy performances of all time. But from the late 2000s onward, he's been responsible for some of the most infamously terrible movies ever. Despite that, he's also a surprisingly adept dramatic actor, and a comedy icon. The man has been Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy, but he's also brought upon us the horrors of Jack and Jill, Grown Ups, Blended, Pixels, and That's My Boy.
So who is Adam Sandler? What is he like when he's not playing some (usually) loveable man-child? We've poured through interview after interview for some of the best stories that really paint a picture of the comedian, compiling Adam Sandler trivia, quotes, anecdotes, and history. Consider this your comprehensive Adam Sandler biography.
Whether it's his ability to make you laugh at impossibly dumb stuff, or his inherently memorable characters (Billy Madison was 20 years ago!), it's hard to deny that Sandler has given a lot to the world of entertainment. Has all of it been good? No. But these are the facts that shape one of the most polarizing comedians in cinema. Find out what you didn't know about Adam Sandler!
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He's Been Up for a Number of Iconic Roles
Adam Sandler has been a close second for a number of now iconic roles. He was nearly Jamie Foxx's character in Collateral (opposite Tom Cruise). He and Jim Carrey were finalists for the new Willy Wonka (that eventually went to Johnny Depp). He was even nearly in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds!
Source: Wikipedia
He Is Very Particular About His Characters' Names
Every writer has their quirks, Adam Sandler's is (consciously or not) all in the names. His character almost always have a name that ends in a "y" sound. Billy, Happy, Robbie, Sonny, Nicky, Davey, Whitey, etc., etc. Not only that, nearly all of the female love interests in his films have names that start with "V": Veronica Vaughn, Virginia Vennet, Vicki Vallencurt, Vanessa, Valerie Veran, etc.
Source: IMDB
He's a Republican
Adam Sandler is a dedicated Republican. He even donated huge sums to Rudy Giuliani for his 2004 campaign. He also performed a set at the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Source: XFinity
For Half a Decade, He Was Impossibly Bankable
The mid-to-late '90s belonged to Adam Sandler. After small roles in Coneheads and Airheads, he made Billy Madison in '95, Happy Gilmore (and Bulletproof) in '96, The Wedding Singer and Waterboy in '98, and Big Daddy in '99! FIve HUGE hits in five years. Say what you will about Sandler now, but that is incredible.
Source: IMDB
His Films Have Made Over $2.4 Billion
With 31 films in all, Adam Sandler's work has grossed more than $2.4 billion dollars. That's the economy of a small country! He's currently the 32nd highest grossing actor (not his personal net worth) of all time, seated just above Bradley Cooper and Don Cheadle, and just below Scarlett Johansson and Tommy Lee Jones.
Source: Box Office Mojo
His Rate Went Up Almost 20x in Five Years
When your movies do astronomically, well you can make some pretty astronomical demands. So when Sandler's first, second, and third movies all sold like gangbusters, he started making that A-List money pretty quickly. For Billy Madison in 1995 (his first writting/starring venture), he was paid a respectable $1.7 million. For Bulletproof (1996), $2.5 million. Wedding Singer (1998), $5.5 million. Big Daddy (1999), $8 million! And for Little Nicky, just five years after Madison, he got a whopping $20 mil!
Source: IMDB
He and Judd Apatow Were Roommates!
That's right, during his SNL days, Sandler and the 40 Year Old Virgin/Knocked Up director used to live together in New York. It makes his dramatic casting in Funny People make a lot more sense.
Source: MovieFone
He Donated $1 Million to the Boys and Girls Club
It's always nice to hear when someone worth upwards of $360 million donates a good chunk of money to charity. In 2007 Sandler donated $1,000,000 to the Boys and Girls Club in his hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire. He said he had many fond memories from his time at the club, including "basketball, ping pong and peeing his pants."
Source: PopSugar
He Made a Deal with Netflix for His Next Four Films
Adam Sandler signed a deal with Netflix in 2014 for an undisclosed sum to release four films exclusively to the streaming service. “When these fine people came to me with an offer to make four movies for them, I immediately said ‘yes’ for one reason and one reason only… Netflix rhymes with ‘wet chicks,'” Sandler said. “Let the streaming begin!”
For it's party, Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said Sandler’s appeal “spans across viewers of all ages — everybody has a favorite movie, everyone has a favorite line — not just in the U.S. but all over the world.”
Source: Variety
His First Comedy Album Was Nominated for a Grammy
In addition to his movie success, Sandler got a lot of love from critics for his music as well. His first comedy album, They're All Going to Laugh at You, was nominated for a Grammy and went double platinum! His second album, What the Hell Happened to Me?, went double platinum as well!
Source: Wikipedia