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Adam Sandler is an actor, film producer, stand-up comedian, voice artist, musician, and screenwriter. By marketing all of these talents in different phases of his iconic life, he has built a mind-blowing net worth of $420 million, and here is how he rose to fame.
Life Before Becoming a Full-Time Actor
Adam was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in the year 1966 to a Jewish family. His mother, Judy, was a nursery school teacher, and his father, Stanley Sandler, an electrical engineer. He moved with his family to Manchester in New Hampshire at the age of six. Adam graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988.
Sandler originally wanted to be a comedian. In fact, at a young age, the star discovered his natural talent for comedy and humor. He would also perform on the campus and in different clubs while completing his graduation.
According to FilmiBeat, Sandler would often draw upon his past experiences while writing new gigs - for example, the song, 'Lunch Lady Land' was dedicated to the Lunch Lady Emalee at Hayden Dining hall in New York University. The authenticity of his work is what made it unique. Adam made one of his first appearances on television as a character on The Cosby Show.
Soon after this, he participated in 'Remote Control,' an MTV game show. While performing in different stand-up comedy performances, Sandler caught the eye of Denis Miller, a renowned comedian. Miller recommended Sandler to Saturday Night Live or SNL.
Rising To Fame in Hollywood
In 1990, Adam was hired as a writer on SNL, and soon, he also became a cast member. In his five-year career on SNL, the actor gained quite a reputation as a comedian. Adam also had his debut in the 1980s. He appeared in films like 'Coneheads' in 1993 and 'Airheads' in 1994. 'Billy Madison' was one of his first hits, and it successfully made $26 million with a budget of $10 million, as stated by Celebrity Net Worth.
When Sandler, along with colleague Chris Farley, unexpectedly got fired from SNL, it only opened up more roads for the star instead of bringing him down. He was now free to work full-time in Hollywood. Little did he know at that point that he was going to set landmarks in the history of films. In 1996, Adam received critical acclaim for his role as a successful hockey player who discovers his passion for golf in a movie called 'Happy Gilmore.' The actor also performed in another comedy called 'The Wedding Singer 'in 1998 and earned more fame.
Sandler soon established his own company called 'Happy Madison Productions' in 1999. He is known to have released a series of comedy albums - 'They're All Gonna Laugh at You!' (1993), 'What the Hell Happened to Me?' (1996), 'What's Your Name?' (1997), and 'Stan and Judy's Kid' (1999) - as stated by The Famous People. It is reported that the star gained considerable success through these releases, and two of the albums also got certified as platinum.
Building an Empire Worth $420 Million
Over the years, Sandler has released masterpieces along with celebrities. For instance, he starred with Don Cheadle and Jada Pinkett Smith in a movie called 'Reign Over Me' in 2007. In 2011, a great rom-com, in which Adam co-starred with Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, and Brooklyn Decker. It was called Just Go With It and the movie earned some fancy bucks at the box office - grossing over $214 million.
Another masterpiece was the 2014 movie 'Blended.' The critics did not like this movie. Nevertheless, it was a hit at the box office. Over the years, the celebrity has also made money by lending his voice to several well-known productions. According to Britannic, he has been a voice artist in popular animated comedy movies like Eight Crazy Nights (2002), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018).
Adam Sandler has acted in about 50 significant blockbusters, and for at least 20 among them, he has earned an average of $20 million. Thus, most of his net worth is the result of his mind-blowing success in the Hollywood industry. He is also the worthy recipient of several awards and accolades, including 'People's Choice Awards,' 'Hollywood Film Award,' and 'CinemaCon Awards,' to name a few.
Source: Britannica, The Famous People, Celebrity Net Worth, FilmiBeat