Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler began his television career in 1987, appearing as Smitty, a friend of Theo Huxtable, on The Cosby Show. That year, he also appeared on the MTV game show Remote Control as the Stud Boy or Trivia Delinquent. He made his film debut in Going Overboard in 1989.

Sandler joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 1990 and became a featured player in 1991. During his time on the series, he performed original songs including "The Thanksgiving Song" and "The Chanukah Song." He appeared in the film Coneheads in 1993 alongside fellow Saturday Night Live performers and co-starred in Airheads in 1994.

Sandler starred in Billy Madison in 1995, followed by Bulletproof and Happy Gilmore in 1996. In 1998, he starred in The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy. He was also initially cast in Very Bad Things in 1998 but withdrew from the project. He starred in Big Daddy in 1999 and formed his film production company, Happy Madison Productions, that same year. The company's first production was Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.

In 2002, Sandler starred in Mr. Deeds and Punch-Drunk Love. His performance in Punch-Drunk Love earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He followed these films with Anger Management in 2003, 50 First Dates in 2004, The Longest Yard in 2005 and Click in 2006.

Sandler took on additional dramatic roles with Reign Over Me in 2007. That year, he also starred in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. In 2008, he starred in You Don't Mess with the Zohan and Bedtime Stories. In 2009, he starred in Funny People.

In 2010, Sandler starred in Grown Ups. His subsequent film credits include Just Go with It and Zookeeper in 2011, That's My Boy in 2012, and Blended in 2014. In 2013, he guest starred as himself on the Disney Channel series Jessie.

Sandler also established a career as a producer through Happy Madison Productions, which produced most of his subsequent films. In October 2014, Netflix announced a four-movie deal with Sandler and Happy Madison Productions. That year, Sandler co-starred in Men, Women & Children.

In 2015, Sandler starred in Pixels, his last theatrical film before transitioning to a distribution deal with Netflix. His first original Netflix film was The Ridiculous 6 in 2015, followed by The Do-Over in 2016. In 2017, he starred in Sandy Wexler and The Meyerowitz Stories. He starred in The Week Of in 2018 and released the Netflix stand-up special Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh that same year.

Sandler returned to Saturday Night Live as host in 2019 and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his hosting appearance. That year, he also starred in the Netflix film Murder Mystery and the crime thriller Uncut Gems. His performance in Uncut Gems earned him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Murder Mystery later received a sequel, Murder Mystery 2, in 2023.

In 2020, Sandler starred in and wrote the Netflix film Hubie Halloween. In 2022, he produced and starred in the sports drama Hustle, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He voiced Leo the lizard in the animated musical Leo in 2023.

In 2024, Sandler starred in the Netflix stand-up comedy special Adam Sandler: Love You and the science fiction drama Spaceman. In 2025, he reprised his role as the title character in Happy Gilmore 2 and appeared alongside George Clooney in the drama Jay Kelly. On December 3, 2025, it was announced that Sandler would join Season 23 of Variety Studio: Actors on Actors alongside Ariana Grande.