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Adam Sandler.

Adam Richard Sandler

Adam Sandler — Actor
Born Brooklyn, United States
Citizenship United States
Age 59 yr Today

12 min read

Reading time

2,390

Words

Published

166

Film credits

7

Awards

TL;DR

Adam Sandler joined Saturday Night Live as a cast member from 1990 to 1995, where he wrote and performed alongside Chris Farley. He moved to film with comedies like Happy Gilmore 1996 and Big Daddy 1999, both of which he wrote. Sandler received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Identity & family.

KIN · 5

Names, aliases, and relatives of Adam Sandler — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Adam Richard Sandler
Nicknames Sandman
Parents
Judy Sandler Stanley Sandler
Spouses
Jackie Sandler
Children
Sadie Sandler Sunny Sandler

At a glance.

STATS

Adam Sandler by the numbers — life, work, and family.

59 Age
166 Film credits
7 Awards
1 Marriage
2 Children

Who is Adam Sandler?

BIOGRAPHY

Adam Sandler — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

At 17, Adam Sandler spontaneously took the stage at a Boston comedy club, launching his stand-up career. Born in Brooklyn in 1966, he moved with his family to Manchester, New Hampshire at age five, where his mother Judy worked as a nursery school teacher and his father Stanley as an electrical engineer. Sandler nurtured his comedic talent while attending Manchester Central High School and later New York University Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991. During his freshman year at NYU, he landed a recurring role as Smitty on The Cosby Show.

Career

While performing at a Los Angeles comedy club, Sandler was discovered by comedian Dennis Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels. He joined SNL in 1990 as a writer and performer, leaving in 1995. He starred in comedies like Happy Gilmore 1996 and Big Daddy 1999, both of which he co-wrote. He appeared alongside Winona Ryder in Mr. Deeds 2002 and earned critical praise for his dramatic role in Punch-Drunk Love 2002. He also wrote and performed songs, including The Chanukah Song, which charted on Billboard. He founded Happy Madison, his production company, named after Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. Sandler received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Personal life

Sandler married model and actress Jackie Sandler in June 2003. They have two daughters: Sadie Madison Sandler, born in 2006, and Sunny Madeline Sandler, born in 2008. He is close friends with fellow comedians Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and the late Chris Farley. He is an avid basketball player, often playing on set breaks. He owns properties in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, La Quinta, California, and Highland Beach, Florida.

Legacy

Sandler’s comedies defined a generation of 1990s and 2000s box office hits, with films like Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer becoming cultural touchstones. According to Forbes, he was the second highest earning actor in 2011-2012, earning $37 million. His production company, Happy Madison, has produced dozens of films and extended his influence. In 2011, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2023 he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Sandler is remembered for his unique comedic voice and his ability to draw big-name casts to his projects.

Filmography.

FILMS · 166

The complete filmography of Adam Sandler — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

  1. TV Poster for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  2. TV Poster for Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  3. TV Poster for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  4. TV Poster for Conan

    Conan

  5. TV Poster for The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  6. TV Poster for The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  7. TV Poster for Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  8. TV Poster for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine

  9. TV Poster for Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  10. TV Poster for The King of Queens

    The King of Queens

  11. TV Poster for The Cosby Show

    The Cosby Show

  12. TV Poster for The One Show

    The One Show

  13. TV Poster for Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  14. TV Poster for The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Showing 14 of 166 View all 166 films

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 5

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Adam Sandler — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

  • MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
  • Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor
  • Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
  • star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 2

A wall of memorable lines from Adam Sandler — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

  • I Wasn’t a Kid Growing up Thinking, One Day, I’ll Get an Oscar and Make a Speech. That Wasn’t on My Mind. I Want to Just Do the Best Work I Can Do.

  • To Be Honest with You, When I Got into This I Never Thought About Reviews. I Never Thought About What People Would Say About Me. I Was Just a Young Guy Who Was Excited to Become a Comedian and an Actor and I Just Wanted to Get to Do What I Got to Do.

Did you know?

FACTS · 50

Little-known facts about Adam Sandler — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 32

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Adam Sandler.

Audited & updated by

Olivia Brooks

Senior Staff Writer & Biography Editor

Olivia has 6 years of experience writing biographical profiles and still approaches every subject like it's the first one. She covers everyone from debut musicians to Hall of Fame athletes to novelists most people have never heard of. She finds something worth reading in all of them. Her drafts tend to come in already clean, which her editor appreciates. She says good writing is just good thinking written down. Hard to argue with that.

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