David Spade Biography
Born: July 22, 1964
Date of Birth: July 22, 1964
Born in Birmingham, Michigan but raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, David Spade is the youngest of three brothers. He was inspired by the humor of Saturday Night Live and admits that as a youngster, he shamelessly copied material from the show to pad his performances in talent shows. He spent most of the '80s performing in clubs, theaters and on college campuses.
After his stepfather committed suicide and his best friend died in a motorcycle accident, Spade decided to take his career more seriously.
He went to L.A. and got a bit part in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol and guest starred on television shows such as The Facts of Life and Baywatch.
His biggest career boost came in 1989 when he was one of six comics showcased on HBO's 13th Annual Young Comedians Show, hosted by Dennis Miller, who was then anchoring the popular Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update." The veteran comic spotted the rookie's potential, and lent him another hand in the business by helping him secure an audition for SNL. Spade's tryout was a success, and he was signed to the show as a writer and performer in April 1990.
On the show, he soon gained popularity for such recurring sketches as "The Hollywood Minute" in which Spade would sarcastically shred Tinseltown's biggest stars. Spade also proved an able impersonator of celebrities ranging from Jeff Foxworthy to Tom Petty. He became close friends with fellow SNL actor, Chris Farley, and the two went on to make a number of comic films, including Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
To keep up with his demanded performances, Spade maintained residences in New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, all furnished with the softest beds he could find to ease his stress-related neck pain. Ultimately, it was the pressure of turning out week after week of sketch comedy that eventually expedited his departure from Saturday Night Live.
In the '90s, he began playing major supporting roles in such films as Coneheads (1993) and P.C.U. (1994). Spade starred opposite Joe Pesci and Dyan Cannon in Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997). In 1997, he returned to series television in the sitcom Just Shoot Me.
In 1999, he released his pet project, the romantic comedy Lost & Found with French beauty Sophie Marceau. He has also supplied voice talent for two animated films: The Rugrats Movie (released in 1998); and Disney's millennium release The Emperor's New Groove. He wrote and starred in Joe Dirt (2001), which did respectably at the box office, and followed that up with Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), which he co-wrote with his good pal Fred Wolf after watching a TV biography about former child stars. Other recent titles include The Benchwarmers (2006), Grown Ups (2010) and the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012) for which he voiced the character The Invisible Man. He can also be seen on television with recurring roles on the comedy series Rules of Engagement. More recently, he lent his voice to the animated sequels Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018).
On September 5, 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is the father of a girl named Harper, born on August 26, 2008, from a brief relationship with Playboy bunny Jillian Grace Harper.
Filmography:
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) (voice)
Sandy Wexler (2017)
Mad Families (2017)
The Do-Over (2016)
The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) (voice)
I Am Chris Farley (2015)
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser (2015)
Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Hotel Transylvania (2012) (voice)
Jack and Jill (2011)
Grown Ups (2010)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) (uncredited)
The Benchwarmers (2006)
Grandma's Boy (2006)
Racing Stripes (2005) (voice)
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
Joe Dirt (2001)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000) (voice)
Little Nicky (2000)
Loser (2000)
Lost & Found (1999)
The Rugrats Movie (1998) (voice)
Senseless (1998)
David Spade: Take the Hit (1998)
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997)
Beavis and Butt-head Do America (1996) (voice)
A Very Brady Sequel (1996) (uncredited)
Black Sheep (1996)
Tommy Boy (1995)
PCU (1994)
Reality Bites (1994) (uncredited)
Coneheads (1993)
Light Sleeper (1991)
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)