ADAM SANDLER
Date of Birth: September 9, 1966
Class clown, buffoon, kid-at-the-back-of-the-bus-making-all-the-funny noises, puerile, scatological, juvenile and adolescent—Adam Sandler is all these and more.
Raised in New Hampshire, the budding comedian took his first step towards the limelight when he took to the stage at 17 in a Boston comedy club. While attending New York University, his extracurricular activities involved stand-up routines in local clubs and an ongoing role as Theo Huxtable's friend Smitty on The Cosby Show. After university he headed to Los Angeles where he was spotted on stage by Saturday Night Live regular Dennis Miller, who recommended him to SNL producer Lorne Michaels.
First hired as a writer and occasional performer on SNL, Sandler soon turned his sketch characters such as Cajunman, Iraqi Pete, Canteen Boy and Operaman into his own performing gig. Following in Steve Martin's footsteps, he also released his first album in 1993—They're All Gonna Laugh At You!—which was nominated for a Grammy-nominated and occupied a spot on the Billboard's charts for over a hundred weeks.
His co-scripted role in Billy Madison prompted Sandler to say farewell to his weekly SNL job and concentrate on his film and solo comedy career. Since then, he has become a major Hollywood player, winning a People's Choice award as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Star in 2000 and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Punch-Drunk Love (2002). His comedy album Stan and Judy's Kid debuted at number 16 on the Billboard charts and went on to set a record for most albums sold by a comedian in its first week. He formed his production company, Happy Madison Productions, in 2002, which produces most of his films. In June 2003, he married longtime girlfriend, model/actress Jackie Titone. They have two children together.
Since then, he's won several People's Choice Awards including Favorite Funny Male Star in 2006 and 2009; and Favorite On-Screen Chemistry with Drew Barrymore for in 2005 for 50 First Dates (2004). He continues to write, produce and act in popular comedy films such as Grown Ups (2010).
As for the secret of his success, Sandler says, "I'm actually a woman. But I noticed I wasn't a good-looking woman, so I passed myself off as a man and it's working out great."