In Hollywood, it is often quite easy to get lost in its ever-growing pool of talent. Indeed, only a number of actors are truly capable of standing out and becoming continuously in-demand. And one of those happens to be Adam Sandler, an actor extraordinaire who dominates the entertainment industry on and off-screen.
Born Adam Richard Sandler on September 9, 1966, the actor reportedly had a reputation for being funny early on. In fact, Sandler was said to have been a “class clown,” according to the website Biography. And so, at some point, his brother encouraged him to turn comedy into a way of life.
Without a doubt, Sandler has one of the most successful and enduring careers in Hollywood. And as much as you think you might know him, we bet there are still some tidbits of information that you haven’t heard of until today. Check out what we found:
20 In the beginning, Adam Sandler was a stand-up comedian
When Sandler was just starting out in the industry, he worked as a stand-up comedian. And even today, it’s safe to say that he still enjoys doing stand-up. In fact, Sandler just finished his comedy tour “100% Fresher” last month.
During the tour, Sandler appeared on stage in cities like Minneapolis, Kansas City, Toronto, Grand Rapids, Mansfield, Atlanta and more.
19 His main comedic influence is his own father
During an interview with IGN, Sandler said that his father had a temper and that sort of motivated him to be funny.
The actor explained, “Well, part of my father having a temper led to me developing a sense of humor to calm the old man down. (Laughs) That kind of sense of humor.”
18 He was roommates with Judd Apatow
According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was a time when Sandler and actor Judd Apatow were still sharing a $900 a month apartment in the Valley. During those days, Apatow also recalled, “Adam always had a rental car.
He never bought a car for literally 12 years.” Moreover, Apatow also said that Sandler’s rental car would eventually end up stuffed with trash and McDonald's bags.
17 Rob Schneider introduced Sandler to his wife
Sandler’s wife, Jacqueline Titone, is an actress and model who shared at least one mutual friend with the actor. That was none other than Rob Schneider who she also worked on the film “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” with.
At some point, Schneider ended up introducing Titone to Sandler. There must have been outright chemistry since the two started dating shortly after.
16 He was once an RA at New York University
If you must know, Sandler is recognized as a “noted alumni” by the New York University (NYU) Tisch School of Arts. At the same time, the official Twitter feed of the NYU Resident Assistants (RA) once posted a TBT photo of Sandler when he was still one of their RAs.
And we have to say, Sandler pretty much looked the same as he does now.
15 He had worked as an SNL writer
Before he became known for all his movies, Sandler once worked for “Saturday Night Live.” Moreover, he didn’t start out as a comedy star for the show. Instead, he was employed as a writer in the beginning.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sandler first joined SNL back in 1990 and worked strictly as a writer. The following year, he became a “featured player.”
14 He was fired from SNL
In 1995, Sandler ended up leaving SNL after spending five seasons with the show. However, the actor didn’t plan on leaving. Instead, he was fired along with castmate Chris Farley, although Sandler doesn’t understand why.
In fact, he told “Daily Beast,” Yes, we were [fired]. We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run for us. The fact that me [sic] and him [sic] got fired? Who knows.”
13 He is big on charity
One of the things worth noting about Sandler is that this actor has quite a generous heart. According to the website Look to the Stars, Sandler has supported 19 foundations and charities, so far.
These include the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Life Rolls On Foundation, Feeding America, Project Angel Food, Toys for Tots, Stand Up To Cancer, Entertainment Industry Foundation, ENOUGH Project, Children’s Cancer Association, Clothes Off Our Back, Autism Speaks, Ante Up For Africa, Animal Rescue Foundation and many others.
12 He can suffer from stage fright
Despite being an experienced stand-up comedian and performing live on SNL, it turns out Sandler still suffers from stage fright.
During an interview with CBS News, Sandler’s close friend, actor Rob Schneider, explained, “He's (Sandler) genuinely nervous on stage, and that's become part of his persona. He's genuinely nervous up there, and then it's a surprise that he's funny and you become relaxed.”
11 He has released some comedy albums
Over the years, Sandler has released a number of comedy albums. The very first one he released is called “They’re All Gonna Laugh at You” which came out in 1993.
Meanwhile, “What the Hell Happened to Me” came out in 1996 while “What’s Your Name” was released in 1997. This was shortly followed by “Stan and Judy’s Kid” in 1999 and “Shhh…Don’t Tell” in 2004. And as you may know, Sandler also released “100% Fresh” this year.
10 His animated films do relatively better in the box office
As big of a star as Sandler is, the actor still tends to suffer from box office misfires every now and then. In fact, according to a report from Forbes, the film “That’s My Boy” only made $57 million in the global box office while “Jack & Jill” only made around $80 million.
In contrast, Sandler’s “Hotel Transylvania’ made an estimated $358.4 million while “Hotel Transylvania 2” made $473 million.
9 He once hit children with dodgeballs
Back in 1995, Sandler came out in a movie called “Billy Madison.” And in one of the scenes, he was showed hitting children with dodgeballs.
As it turns out, the actor decided to hit them for real. According to Hello Giggles, Sandler was quoted as saying, “I hit some kid pretty hard, and he starts crying, and his parents come up to me.”
8 He played dad roles onscreen before becoming an actual father
Sandler had played dad roles in “Big Daddy” and “Spanglish” during a time when he didn’t have his own kids yet.
Speaking to IGN in 2004 about his real-life fatherhood aspirations, Sandler remarked, “I just recently started trying. Doin' the best I can. Feels good to try, but playing a father, I'm getting a little older. I see now that I'm taking it more serious and I do want that lifestyle. I do want children.”
7 He was supposed to star in “Collateral”
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, film director Michael Mann had originally intended “Collateral” to star Adam Sandler and Russell Crowe.
Also, the film was originally called “The Last Domino.” And perhaps, around the time the film’s title changed, the roles also went to Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
6 He was nearly tapped for “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Back in 2013, it was widely reported that Marvel was considering comedian heavyweights Sandler and Jim Carrey for certain roles in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise.
Moreover, according to a report from Slash Film, it seems the role they were considered for was that of Rocket Raccoon. As you may know, that eventually ended up with Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper.
5 His song was covered by Neil Diamond
As you may know, Sandler is pretty well-known for “The Chanukah Song.” And back in 2009, singing sensation Neil Diamond decided to cover this very song in his third Christmas album.
In fact, while the album “A Cherry Cherry Christmas” contained classics such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Joy to the World,” “The Christmas Song,” “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” and “White Christmas,” the album ends with Sandler’s holiday song.
4 He has a vote in the Oscars
Back in 2015, Vanity Fair reported that Sandler was among the 135 new members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Aside from the actor, the academy also welcomed actors Zoe Saldana, Mo’Nique, Miguel Ferrer, James Gandolfini, Anna Kendrick, Verna Farmiga, Tobin Bell, Carey Mulligan, Jeremy Renner, Ryan Reynolds, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Saoirse Ronan, Peter Sarsgaard, Christopher Waltz” and George Wyner.
3 He named his production company after two of his movies
Sandler founded the company Happy Madison Productions back in 1999. The name of the business is reportedly a combination of two of Sandler’s previous films, “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore.”
Since its launch, Happy Madison Productions has gone to produce films such as “The Wedding Singer,” “50 First Dates,” “Blended,” “Grown Ups,” “Grown Ups 2” “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Ridiculous 6,” “The Do-Over,” “The House Bunny” and many more.
2 He worked on “Hotel Transylvania” with his family
Today, Sandler and his wife are parents to two daughters, Sunny and Sadie. And as it turns out, the actor would sometimes involve his family with his work. This was reportedly the case with the hit animation film “Hotel Transylvania.”
In fact, according to the IMDB database, young Mavis and Winnie were voiced by Sadie. Meanwhile, his wife voiced for Martha. At the same time, Sunny was also credited for “additional voices.”
1 He’s got quite the deal with Netflix
Back in 2017, Netflix announced an extended partnership with Sandler and his company’s Happy Madison Productions, committing to finance the development and production of four more films.
In a statement, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos also said, “Adam Sandler is one of the leading comedians in the film world, and his movies have proven to be extremely successful with our subscribers around the world. We are thrilled at the opportunity to extend our partnership with Adam and his entire team at Happy Madison and keep the world laughing.”
Sources - Biography, IGN, The Hollywood Reporter, New York University Tisch School of Arts, CBS News, Forbes & Netflix