No other Hollywood actor has been able to captivate the audience like the greatest comedian — Adam Sandler. Adam is a living proof that no matter how absurd a movie is, it can still break the box office if Sandler is in it. It was Sandler’s distinctive approach to comedy and acting in general that guided his career all these years.
Sandler began his prolific career on The Cosby Show, where he guest-starred from 1987 to 1988. His first movie was 1989’s Going Overboard, which eventually threw Adam into the heart of the entertainment business — stand-up shows. On one of those shows, Sandler’s impeccable sense of humor was noticed by Dennis Miller, who then recommended Adam to try out his routine on Saturday Night Live. And, as they say in showbusiness — “the rest is history.” But let’s rewind a little to see where Adam Sandler came from and where he’s going.
Baby Adam
Adam Sandler was born in Brooklyn on September 9, 1966, in a family of a kindergarten teacher and an electrical engineer. His parents, Judith and Stanley, were refugees of Jewish descent, which meant little baby Adam either had a great childhood or a horrible one. He grew up in Manchester after moving there at the age of six, and when he was a teenager, Sandler joined the BBYO — a Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences.
The Golden Days of Adam Sandler
After his appearance on SNL, Sandler finally finds his comfy niche in the industry. In 1990, he got his first screenwriting gig and started doing sketches and comedy songs that really shaped the future of his career. Before leaving SNL in 1995, he had already starred in two of his most successful flicks, Airheads (1994) and Billy Madison (1995). At the time, both movies did not become big box office hits, but a year later, the Holy Grail of 90’s comedies — Happy Gilmore. This movie alone made Sandler a superstar, but he wasn’t going to stop there. That’s how we got The Water Boy (1998) — the movie that singlehandedly put Sandler on the map of Hollywood stars.
The “See What Sticks” Era
Many of Sandler’s projects get negative or mediocre reviews from audiences and critics alike, but despite this, people still love to watch this goofy, charismatic man make a fool out of himself on-screen. Although he has a lot of movies that failed terribly, he keeps reminding us of his true talent — uncanny perseverance. Punch-Drunk Love (2002), one of his most reviewed films, was a perfect representation of what Sandler was capable of when he had the best scripts and the best stories.
Sandler would continue to build his comedy empire over the years, becoming one of the most highly paid actors of his generation. He started getting offers of up to $20 million for many films and even got a cut from the ticket sales. That’s not something any regular actor could even dream about. One of his best-paid roles in Anger Management (2003), for which he received about $63.5 million — $25 million for the work and 25% of total sales.
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