Adam Richard Sandler (New York, September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer. His career took off in the 1990s as a cast member on the television show *Saturday Night Live*, before he established himself as one of Hollywood's major comedy stars. Through his production company, Happy Madison Productions, he wrote, produced, and starred in commercially successful films such as *Billy Madison* (1995), *Happy Gilmore* (1996), *The Wedding Singer* (1998), and *Big Daddy* (1999). Alongside his prolific comedic output, Sandler has garnered significant critical acclaim for his intense performances in dramatic roles, particularly in Paul Thomas Anderson's *Punch-Drunk Love* (2002) and the Safdie brothers' *Uncut Gems* (2019), for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor for his contribution to comedy.