BIOGRAPHY:

Adam Richard Sandler is the favorite comedian of the streaming giant Netflix (film reviewers say so, since television projects with the actor’s participation sell better than wide-screen ones), as well as millions of viewers who prefer to spend their weekends watching light, entertaining content. It’s all the more interesting to see the public’s favorite in serious, thought-provoking films.

Childhood and youth:

The future performer was born in Brooklyn on September 9, 1966 into a Jewish family. Her mother, Judy Levin, worked as a teacher, and her father, Stanley Sandler, was an electrical engineer.

From a young age, the boy demonstrated an extraordinary sense of humor. First he made his parents laugh, then his classmates in Manchester, where the family moved. The guy joked, as they say, as he breathed, but at first he didn’t even dream of becoming a professional comedian.

Perhaps he would have continued to bestow humor only on a narrow circle of relatives and friends, if not for his brother. It was he who signed Adam up as a participant in a comedy skit competition, after the performance in which everyone realized that this was a talented artist.

Adam Sandler also developed his talent at New York University, where he regularly performed on the club stage in front of university students and teachers. During his university years, the student made his screen debut: he starred in the comedy film “All Aboard.” The film was not a success, but the actor’s creative biography began.

Movies:

After graduating from a higher educational institution in 1991, the graduate began actively acting in films. The films “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore” turned out to be quite successful. The last of these was loved by critics and film fans, earning $41.2 million at the global box office. The MTV Movie Award recognized the artist with a nomination in the Best Comedic Performance category. Then the premiere of the film “Bulletproof” took place, where the Brooklyn native shared the stage with Damon Wayans. The action film grossed $6 million in its first weekend, taking the leading place in this indicator. However, with a budget of $25 million, the project turned out to be unprofitable at the worldwide box office, earning a total of $22.6 million.

Then the film “Big Daddy” was released. The Brooklyn native wrote the script for the comedy and also portrayed the main character. It is noteworthy that the waitress in the bar was played by the performer’s future wife. This began the tradition of involving her in episodic roles in almost every project where he himself plays. In addition, the film earned $234.8 million.

After a while, work followed, where Sandler performed in an unusual role for him. The melodrama “Knockdown Love” by Paul Thomas Anderson was warmly received by critics. Thus, at the Cannes Film Festival, the director took the prize for directing, and the Golden Globe recognized the comedian in the category “Best Actor”.

It is known that the plot of the film was borrowed from an article in Time magazine. The material was about civil engineer David Phillips, who bought 12.1 thousand Healthy Choice puddings with special coupons for $3 thousand. Thus, the man received the right to travel for free for a total length of 1.25 million miles.

In 2002, the comedian starred in the film “The Reluctant Millionaire” with Winona Ryder, a remake of the film project directed by Frank Capra “Mr. Deeds Moves to Town” from 1936. The work received mixed reception and was nominated for Golden Raspberry in the categories of Worst Actor, Worst Actress and Worst Remake or Sequel. At the box office, the comedy earned $171.2 million.

Later, viewers saw their idol in the film “Anger Management” with Jack Nicholson. The comedy was the latest project in the filmography of singer and actress Lynn Thigpen, in which the celebrity played judge Brenda Daniels.

Adam then appeared in the rom-com 50 First Dates alongside Drew Barrymore. During filming, the creators took inspiration from Harold Ramis’ cult work Groundhog Day. The comedian won the Kids’ Choice Awards in the Favorite Movie Actor category.

In a comedic role, the actor appeared in the film “All or Nothing,” which was a remake of the 1974 film written by Tracy Keenan Wynn. The brainchild of Peter Segal won BET Comedy Awards and BMI Film & TV Awards.

Afterwards, the performer participated in the drama “The Deserted City.” The plot of the film tells about the tragedy of September 11, 2001. That day, director Mike Binder was in New York and saw with his own eyes what was happening in the city after the terrorist attack.

“I wandered the streets, seeing people who had lost their entire lives in one day. A year and a half later, I returned to New York with my family and remembered all the people I saw then. I kept thinking that for many of them that day was not over – their wounds had not healed. And then the idea came to make a story about one of those who survived, what happened to him years later,” the director shared.

The fantasy project “Bedtime Stories” was a pleasant surprise for the artist’s fans. Here the master worked on the set with Keri Russell and English comedian Russell Brand. It is noteworthy that this is the first family film in the professional career of the audience favorite to receive a PG rating.

“Pranksters” brought a new wave of success to the performer. This is a tragicomedy about a stand-up comedian who finds out that he is terminally ill. For the sake of this role, Adam refused to star in Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds.

In 2010, the comedy Odnoklassniki was released, the script of which was written by Sandler. The actor also portrayed the main character on screen. It is known that the filmmaker was going to release the project in the mid-1990s with Chris Farley. However, the comedian’s death in 1997 put production plans on hold for many years.

One of the sensational films during this period was “Pretend My Wife,” in which Adam starred with Jennifer Aniston. The melodrama received mostly negative reviews from critics and viewers, and was also shortlisted for the Golden Raspberry anti-award three times. Despite this, Dennis Dugan’s brainchild earned $214.9 million at the worldwide box office.

Next, the virtuoso played two characters simultaneously in the project “Such Different Twins” – Jack Murray and his sister Jill Bristow. At the 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards, the comedy broke a record, receiving “prizes” in all existing categories, including “Worst Film” and “Worst Actor.”

Over time, the public’s favorite participated in the dubbing of the cartoon “Monsters on Vacation.” The actor gave the voice to Dracula. The animated film entered the top 20 highest-grossing projects of 2012, grossing $358 million.

The following year, Sandler played the lead role in the sequel to the 2010 comedy Odnoklassniki 2. The ratings turned out to be worse than the original part – the sequel received 10 nominations for the Golden Raspberry anti-award.

In the family humorous film “Mixed,” the artist played the role of a single father who met a divorced mother played by Drew Barrymore on a blind date. The mass audience and critics greeted the work coldly, but the creators stole $128 million from theaters, which was 3 times the budget, not counting marketing costs. Next, the public’s favorite appeared in the fantasy dramedy “The Shoemaker.” It is noteworthy that Sandler means “shoemaker” in Hebrew. The project did not live up to public expectations and collected only $6.5 million at the box office.

After a while, the comedian was entrusted with the central character of Sam Brenner, a friend of the US President, in the science fiction film “Pixels”. The main antagonists are aliens who have adopted the strategy of villains from 80s pixel games to take over the Earth. Some critics called the project “an excellent space punk opera compared to other summer blockbusters.”

At the same time, the performer again voiced Dracula in the sequel to the cartoon “Monsters on Vacation 2.” In commercial terms, the sequel surpassed the original – with a budget of $80 million, the fantasy grossed $475 million.

Soon, the parody western “The Ridiculous Six” was released on Netflix; the title became an allusion to the action movie “The Magnificent Seven.” Despite the overwhelming number of negative reviews, on January 6, 2016, it was announced that the film had been viewed more times in a month than any other project in the history of the streaming service at that time.

Then the premiere of the film “All over again” took place with the comedian in the role of FBI agent Max Kessler. It is noteworthy that in New York there lived an accountant named Max Kessler, who looked similar to the comedian who was dating his assistant. The man was eventually sent an invitation to the premiere, where he met the idol of film fans.

Then the audience’s idol appeared in the film Sandy Wexler. It is noteworthy that the film is based on events in the life of Sandy Wernick, Adam’s manager. The work won the California on Location Awards in the Location Team of the Year category.

In May 2017, the tragicomedy “The History of the Mayrowitz Family” was presented at the Cannes Film Festival, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or. The drama is about the reunion of a divided family. This is the first collaboration between Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler in more than 20 years.

The filmmaker invited Steve Buscemi and Chris Rock to the comedy “The Week Before…”, which he not only produced, but also had a hand in writing. The name of the project implies the period remaining until the solemn wedding. It is interesting that the surname of the performer’s character Lustig means “funny”, “comical” in several languages. A year later, the filmography of the public’s favorite was replenished with the 3rd part of the story about Count Dracula, the owner of a hotel for all kinds of mysterious creatures. The animated film “Monsters on Vacation 3: The Sea is Calling,” with a budget of $80 million, was released in June and grossed half that amount in theaters on its first weekend. In total, the trilogy brought the creators more than $1 billion.

Afterwards, the audience’s idol teamed up with Jennifer Aniston again to film the project “Murder Mystery.” According to data published by Netflix in October 2019, the comedy detective became the second most watched films and TV series on the platform. With a result of 73 million views, the film was behind the thriller Bird Box (80 million), but ahead of the mystical television series Stranger Things (64 million).

The crime drama Uncut Gems is based on the life of the father of authors Josh and Benny Safdie. Many professional observers agreed that Howard Ratner is the best personified image in the artist’s career. The thriller was noted by the US National Board of Film Critics as one of the top 10 projects of 2019. It also became A24’s highest-grossing film at the time, earning $50 million.

Subsequently, viewers saw their idol in the comedy horror film Hubie Halloween. The film was greeted by fans of the genre without enthusiasm, but critics noted the work with nominations from the Bruin Film Society Awards and Razzie Awards.

Personal life:

Nothing scandalous or piquant is leaked to the press about Adam Sandler’s personal life. Today, the public’s favorite is considered an exemplary family man. The artist met his future wife Jackie Titone during the filming of the film “Big Daddy”. The affair lasted 7 years and ended with the registration of marriage only after the beloved’s conversion to Judaism.

The wedding took place in 2003 on the ocean coast. The performer was dressed in traditional Jewish clothing. A notable event at the celebration was that Adam’s favorite tiger bulldog, Meatball, brought the wedding rings to the couple.

The guests were the best friends of the film fan idol, with whom he repeatedly starred: Rodney Dangerfield, Jennifer Aniston, Rob Schneider, Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Osbourne.

The couple are raising 2 children. In May 2006, daughter Sadie Madison appeared, and 2 years later another heiress was born – Sunny Madeline.

In October 2022, the comedian bought a mansion in the elite residential area of ​​Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades. The artist paid $4.1 million for the property, Dirt reported. The house covers an area of ​​170 sq. m. m. The building was built in 1947, over time it was renovated and the bathroom and kitchen were completely redone.

The comedian is known to be very fond of animals. After the death of the bulldog Meatball, he got a puppy of the same breed, naming him Meatball. Judging by the photos posted on the actor’s Instagram account (the social network is banned in the Russian Federation, it belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation), the dog often goes on tour with his owner.

Appearance and style:

Among fans, the favorite is famous for his unconventional and sometimes funny approach to choosing everyday clothes. So, at the end of 2021, according to a Google report, he was named style star of the year.

This is a study in which the most popular search queries in different categories are determined. The Brooklyn native took 1st place in the Celebrity Outfits category.

Adam Sandler now:

Now Sandler is expanding his filmography with new film works. On June 8, 2022, the premiere of the drama about basketball “Break into the NBA” took place, in which the artist got not only the main role, but also the duties of a producer. For his performance, the Brooklyn native received a nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical from the Satellite Awards.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts awarded the crowd favorite the Mark Twain Award. The prize is awarded to individuals for achievements in the field of humor who, in the opinion of the jury, have influenced the public comparable to the great American satirist of the past.

“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over 3 decades with his films, music, and appearances on SNL. Adam created characters that make us laugh, cry and cry with laughter,” Deborah Rutter explained the choice of the laureate.
Variety reported that the ceremony to present the bronze bust of the writer was scheduled to take place on March 19, 2023.

Filmography:

1993 – “Emptyheads”
1996 — “Happy Gilmore”
1999 — “Big Daddy”
2001 — “Animal”
2003 — “Anger Management”
2005 — “All or Nothing”
2008 — “Don’t Mess with the Zohan”
2011 — “Such different twins”
2014 — “Shoemaker”
2016 — “Everything is new”
2018 — “Week before…”
2019 — “Murder Mystery”
2020 — “Hubie Halloween”
2022 —“Break into the NBA”

Interesting Facts:

The artist owns the production company Happy Madison Productions.
Forbes magazine estimated that for every dollar the studios paid Adam, they earned $9 in profit.
Fans note that their favorite looks similar to the American performer Jason Biggs.