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Peter Dante | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Francis Dante December 16, 1968 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Cynthia Pett-Dante |
| Children | 2 |
Peter Francis Dante (born December 16, 1968) is an American character actor, comedian and singer. He appeared in films from Happy Madison Productions alongside Adam Sandler 7 times until his controversial arrest led to the pair separating.
Dante's roles are usually alongside Jonathan Loughran and/or Allen Covert. He played Peter in Little Nicky . In Grandma's Boy he played Dante. He played a lawyer named Tommy in Adam Sandler's movie Big Daddy . He played the quarterback Gee Grenouille in The Waterboy and Murph "Murphy" in Mr. Deeds . He played a security guard in 50 First Dates .
Dante was an actor and producer for the film Grandma's Boy . In the film, Dante played a zany drug dealer with a pet chimpanzee, lion and elephant. He played a firefighter in the film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , and Danny Guiterrez in Strange Wilderness . He also played the role of Steve Spirou's son in Adam Sandler's 2012 film That's My Boy .
Dante also worked in Grown Ups 2 as Officer Peter Dante who was paired up with Shaquille O'Neal's character Officer Fluzoo.
On November 19, 2013, after the release of Grown Ups 2, Dante got kicked out of a hotel, after saying the n-word to the staffer, who didn't recognize him as an actor. Due to the incident, he has not appeared in any further Happy Madison films. [1] On September 22, 2020, Dante was arrested in Los Angeles with a misdemeanor charge after an altercation with his neighbor. He was booked into Los Angeles County Jail and was released that night after posting a $5,000 bond. According to the reports, Dante was bothered by loud noises from construction work being done at a neighbor's residence and allegedly "threatened to kill" his neighbor and harm his wife and kids. [2]
Dante is also a musician and singer/songwriter. He recorded with Adam Sandler and Buck Simmonds. He is a member of the music group Rad Omen along with Dirt Nasty, DJ Troublemaker, Steven Laing and Benji Madden.[ citation needed ] In 2011 he released his debut album Peace, Love, and Freedom. [3] He also appeared in a music video with Afroman in 2015.[ citation needed ] As of 2020, his most popular songs are "Dirty Road" and "My Purple Tree And Me" a collaboration with indie artist Shadoe.[ citation needed ]
Dante spent a post-graduate year (1987–1988) at Fork Union Military Academy playing football and lacrosse. [4] He stated in an interview that "it was a good experience going down South". [5]
He is a graduate of Hofstra University, where he played lacrosse. He was an assistant coach for the lacrosse team at Loyola Marymount University for the 2011 season and has coached many club teams, including the Riptide lacrosse team, which made it to the state championships. [6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Wedding Singer | David's Friend | |
| The Waterboy | Gee Grenouille | ||
| 1999 | Masters of Consequence | Peter | |
| Big Daddy | Tommy Grayton | ||
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Peter | |
| 2002 | Mr. Deeds | Murph | |
| Eight Crazy Nights | Foot Locker Guy (voice) | ||
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Himself | |
| The Sanctuary | — | ||
| Stuck on You | Officer J.J. Hill | ||
| 2004 | 50 First Dates | Security Guard | |
| The Dana & Julia Show | Petey | Television film | |
| 2006 | Grandma's Boy | Dante | Also associate producer |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Tony Paroni | |
| 2008 | Strange Wilderness | Danny Gutierrez | |
| 2009 | 28 Drinks Later | — | Short film |
| 2010 | Costa Rican Summer | Dinger | |
| 2011 | Just Go with It | Pick-Up Guy #2 | |
| Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star | Dante | ||
| Jack and Jill | Carol's Boyfriend | ||
| 2012 | That's My Boy | Dante Spirou | |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Officer Dante | |
| 2015 | Lord of the Freaks | Himself | Documentary |
| 2017 | Green is the New Gold | Himself | Documentary |
| 2021 | The Pizza Joint | Bill |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | The Larry Sanders Show | Steve / Delivery Man | 3 episodes Also producer; 14 episodes |
| 1995 | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Howard's Golf Friend | Episode: "A Non-Affair to Remember" |
| 2007 | The King of Queens | Justin Ravo | Episode: "Mild Bunch" |
| 2011 | Nick Swardson's Pretend Time | Blaze | Episode: "Legalize Meth" |
| 2017 | Typical Rick | Slim | Episode: "Glock'n'Roll" |
| 2019 | Sugar and Toys | Peter from Bakersfield | Episode: "Burning Scouts" |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
The Waterboy is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark, Peter Dante, and Jonathan Loughran play other characters.
Happy Gilmore is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Carl Weathers.
Kevin George Knipfing, known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received the nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
Happy Madison Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Allen Stephen Covert is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his starring role in the 2006 comedy film Grandma's Boy, and his supporting actor role in the movie Strange Wilderness (2008). He is a frequent collaborator of actor and friend Adam Sandler with prominent roles in such films as Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Little Nicky (2000), Mr. Deeds (2002), Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004) and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007).
Shhh... Don't Tell is the fifth album by Adam Sandler, released on Warner Bros. Records in 2004. It is a collection of songs and skits that feature the voices of Sandler himself, Allen Covert, Rob Schneider, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, David Spade, Blake Clark, Nick Swardson, Maya Rudolph and Molly Shannon. The album's final track, "Stan the Man", is a tribute to Sandler's father, Stanley. It was later played over the end credits of the 2010 film Grown Ups, which co-starred Sandler, Schneider, Spade and Rudolph. This was also Sandler's last comedy album until the audio release of his 2018 Netflix special 100% Fresh.
Dennis Barton Dugan is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films Problem Child, Brain Donors, Beverly Hills Ninja and National Security, and his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, for whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Benchwarmers, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Jack and Jill and Grown Ups 2. Dugan is a four-time Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director nominee, winning once.
Grandma's Boy is a 2006 American stoner comedy film directed by Nicholaus Goossen, written by Barry Wernick, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson, and starring Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel David Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, and Nick Swardson. The film features a video game tester who is forced to move in with his grandmother after being evicted from his home while falling for a woman who was sent to oversee the production of his video game company's newest video game.
Nicholas Roger Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernadino in the comedy series Reno 911!, for his work with Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions, and for his own personal sketch comedy series Nick Swardson's Pretend Time.
Blake Clark is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as Chet Hunter on Boy Meets World and Harry "The Hardware Store Guy" on Home Improvement. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the Toy Story franchise starting with 2008's Toy Story: The Musical, having inherited the role from his friend Jim Varney, who died of lung cancer in 2000.
Jonathan Loughran is an American actor who is in most Happy Madison films with his friend and actor Adam Sandler.
Timothy Patrick Herlihy is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and playwright.
Nicholaus Edward Goossen is a director, and a photographer.
Jack Giarraputo is an American film producer who co-founded Happy Madison with Adam Sandler. Most of his work has been in films starring Sandler.
Grown Ups is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf, produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo, and starring Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. The film tells the story of five lifelong friends who, after winning their junior high school basketball championship in 1978, reunite three decades later for a 4th of July weekend after learning about the sudden death of their former coach.
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Tom Brady, written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, and Nick Swardson, and produced by Sandler, Swardson, Covert, Jack Giarraputo, and David S. Dorfman. Starring Swardson, Christina Ricci, Edward Herrmann, Kevin Nealon, Don Johnson, and Stephen Dorff, it tells the story of a man-child whose reserved parents were famous porn stars and plans to follow in their footsteps.
That's My Boy is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Sean Anders, written by David Caspe, and produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Heather Parry, and Allen Covert. It stars Sandler and Andy Samberg alongside Leighton Meester and James Caan, with Vanilla Ice, Tony Orlando, Will Forte, Milo Ventimiglia, and Susan Sarandon in supporting roles. The film follows Donny Berger (Sandler), a middle-aged alcoholic who once enjoyed celebrity status for being at the center of a teacher-student statutory rape case, as he tries to rekindle his relationship with his adult son, Todd Peterson/Han Solo Berger (Samberg), born as the result of that illicit relationship, in hopes that their televised reunion will earn him enough money to avoid going to prison for his tax debts.
Grown Ups 2 is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups and stars Sandler alongside Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello and Nick Swardson. Lenny moves his family back to his hometown, where he reunites with his old friends. Together, they face bizarre situations and new enemies in the form of a local fraternity.
Courtney Lilly is an American television producer. He is the showrunner of Black-ish, Mixed-ish, and Grown-ish.
