David Spade
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Adept at playing comic brat extraordinaires both on film and TV, David Spade was born on July 22, 1964, in
Birmingham, Michigan, the youngest of three brothers. He is the son of
Judith J. (Meek), a writer and editor, and Wayne M. Spade, a sales rep,
and is of German, English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Raised in both
Scottsdale (from age four) and Casa Grande, Arizona, he graduated with
a degree in business from Arizona State University in 1986. A natural
prankster most of his life, Spade was pushed immediately into stand-up
comedy by friends and appeared in nightclubs and college campuses all
over the country.
A casting agent saw his routine at "The Improv" in Los Angeles and
offered him a mischievous role in the film
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987).
In 1990, the diminutive, flaxen-haired comedian finally hit the big
time as a regular cast member and writer on
Saturday Night Live (1975).
Slow at first in gaining acceptance on the show, his razor-sharp
sarcasm eventually caught on by his second season, when he played a
number of smart-aleck characters in a variety of sketches, including a
highly disinterested airline steward who bids each passenger adieu with
a very sardonic "buh-bye" and an irritating receptionist for
Dick Clark Productions who greets
each huge celebrity with an unknowing "And you are . . . ?" A master of
the putdown, Spade's "Hollywood Minute" reporter also took cynical
advantage of tabloid-worthy stars. Spade impersonated such luminaries
as Michael J. Fox,
Kurt Cobain and
Tom Petty during his tenure.
Following his SNL departure after six years, he spun off into a
slapstick movie career, most noticeably as the scrawny, taciturn foil
to SNL's wild and crazy big boy
Chris Farley in
Tommy Boy (1995) and
Black Sheep (1996). The teaming of
this unlikely but funny pair ended with Farley's death from a 1997 drug
overdose. Since then, Spade has appeared in his own lukewarm vehicles,
including Joe Dirt (2001) and
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003).
More recently he teamed with former SNL member
Rob Schneider on the film
The Benchwarmers (2006).
Television has been more accepting over the years, with Spade earning
an Emmy nomination as the droll, skirt-chasing secretary Dennis Finch
on Just Shoot Me! (1997) and
filling in after the untimely death of
John Ritter on ABC's
8 Simple Rules (2002)
as Katey Sagal's unprincipled nephew.
Into the millennium, David was the star of the Comedy Central show
The Showbiz Show with David Spade (2005)
in 2005 wherein he more or less resurrected his obnoxious,
razor-tongued gossipmonger from the old "Hollywood Minute" put-down
segment on SNL, as well as co-starring in the adult-oriented ensemble
sitcom
Rules of Engagement (2007).
More recent comic film vehicles include The Benchwarmers (2006), The Do-Over (2016) alongside Adam Sandler; Father of the Year (2018); and The Wrong Missy (2020), along with cocky supporting roles in Entourage (2015) (as himself); the Adam Sandler vehicles Jack and Jill (2011), Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013) and The Ridiculous 6 (2015); Sandy Wexler (2017); a voice in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its sequel Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018); Mad Families (2017) (also-co-wrote); and the rare dramatic thriller Warning Shot (2018). He also played recurring parts on the TV programs Carpet Bros (2008), Love (2016) and The Mayor (2017).
Birmingham, Michigan, the youngest of three brothers. He is the son of
Judith J. (Meek), a writer and editor, and Wayne M. Spade, a sales rep,
and is of German, English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Raised in both
Scottsdale (from age four) and Casa Grande, Arizona, he graduated with
a degree in business from Arizona State University in 1986. A natural
prankster most of his life, Spade was pushed immediately into stand-up
comedy by friends and appeared in nightclubs and college campuses all
over the country.
A casting agent saw his routine at "The Improv" in Los Angeles and
offered him a mischievous role in the film
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987).
In 1990, the diminutive, flaxen-haired comedian finally hit the big
time as a regular cast member and writer on
Saturday Night Live (1975).
Slow at first in gaining acceptance on the show, his razor-sharp
sarcasm eventually caught on by his second season, when he played a
number of smart-aleck characters in a variety of sketches, including a
highly disinterested airline steward who bids each passenger adieu with
a very sardonic "buh-bye" and an irritating receptionist for
Dick Clark Productions who greets
each huge celebrity with an unknowing "And you are . . . ?" A master of
the putdown, Spade's "Hollywood Minute" reporter also took cynical
advantage of tabloid-worthy stars. Spade impersonated such luminaries
as Michael J. Fox,
Kurt Cobain and
Tom Petty during his tenure.
Following his SNL departure after six years, he spun off into a
slapstick movie career, most noticeably as the scrawny, taciturn foil
to SNL's wild and crazy big boy
Chris Farley in
Tommy Boy (1995) and
Black Sheep (1996). The teaming of
this unlikely but funny pair ended with Farley's death from a 1997 drug
overdose. Since then, Spade has appeared in his own lukewarm vehicles,
including Joe Dirt (2001) and
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003).
More recently he teamed with former SNL member
Rob Schneider on the film
The Benchwarmers (2006).
Television has been more accepting over the years, with Spade earning
an Emmy nomination as the droll, skirt-chasing secretary Dennis Finch
on Just Shoot Me! (1997) and
filling in after the untimely death of
John Ritter on ABC's
8 Simple Rules (2002)
as Katey Sagal's unprincipled nephew.
Into the millennium, David was the star of the Comedy Central show
The Showbiz Show with David Spade (2005)
in 2005 wherein he more or less resurrected his obnoxious,
razor-tongued gossipmonger from the old "Hollywood Minute" put-down
segment on SNL, as well as co-starring in the adult-oriented ensemble
sitcom
Rules of Engagement (2007).
More recent comic film vehicles include The Benchwarmers (2006), The Do-Over (2016) alongside Adam Sandler; Father of the Year (2018); and The Wrong Missy (2020), along with cocky supporting roles in Entourage (2015) (as himself); the Adam Sandler vehicles Jack and Jill (2011), Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013) and The Ridiculous 6 (2015); Sandy Wexler (2017); a voice in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its sequel Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018); Mad Families (2017) (also-co-wrote); and the rare dramatic thriller Warning Shot (2018). He also played recurring parts on the TV programs Carpet Bros (2008), Love (2016) and The Mayor (2017).