One of the most endearing class clowns to ever grace the stages of Saturday Night Live, affectionately offensive funnyman Adam Sandler has often been cited as the writer-performer who almost single-handedly rescued the late-night television staple when it appeared to have run its course. A natural, the aspiring comedian nurtured his talents while attending NYU. With early appearances on The Cosby Show and the MTV game show Remote Control providing the increasingly busy Sandler with a loyal following, an early feature role coincided with his discovery by SNL cast member Dennis Miller.
It wasn’t until SNL producers took Miller’s praise to heart and hired him as a writer that Sandler’s talents were truly set to shine. Frequent appearances as Opera Man and Canteen Boy soon elevated him to player status, and it wasn’t long before Sandler was the toast of the SNL cast in the mid-’90s. While appearing in SNL and sharpening his feature skills, Sandler released the Grammy-nominated “They’re All Gonna Laugh at You,” which proved the most appropriate title imaginable. The album found Sandler gaining footing as an artist independent of SNL and fueled his desire to strike out on his own.