Adam Sandler is one of the most famous faces in Hollywood, and arguably one of the most underrated actors in the business.

The witty actor started out as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s where he soon shot to fame as a funny-man.

However, despite often being known as the joker on the big screen with films like Happy Gilmore (1996) and The Wedding Singer (1998), Adam's earnings are no joke at all.

That's because Sandler's films have earned a whopping $2 billion at the box office, and last year he agreed a massive four-movie deal with Netflix which is worth up to $275 million.

As great as his films are, his life away from the screen is also full of film-worthy romances, A-list stars and tragic events.

To celebrate the comedian's 54th birthday today (9 September), the Star have taken a look inside the life of Hollywood star Adam Sandler.

Meeting his wife on a movie set

Adam has been happily married to his wife Jackie for 17 years, and they met each other in quite the Hollywood setting.

The pair met as fellow actors on the set of the film Big Daddy in 1999, and it wasn't long before they hit it off romantically.

Jackie had bagged a minor role in the movie as a waitress, and in one scene her character brings a root beer over to Adam's character in a sports bar.

Apparently Adam fell for Jackie the moment he laid eyes on her, because he said as much in a sweet tribute to his spouse last year on social media.

Taking to Instagram to recall the moment he first met his wife, he gushed: "22 years ago today we locked eyes and fell deep. Look forward to the next 22, young lady. Love you my forever girl."

The cute couple went on to tie the knot at Dick Clark's Malibu estate by the ocean, in a celebrity-filled Jewish ceremony on June 22, 2003.

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Jackie even converted to Adam's religion, Judaism, and the parents now share two daughters, Sadie and Sunny.

Jackie has even gone on to star in lots of Adam's films, including Just Go With It, Grown Ups and 50 First Dates.

The filmmaker has had to kiss plenty of other women on screen but he revealed that his wife hasn't been jealous of his character's romances.

Whilst promoting his Netflix film, Murder Mystery, where he stars alongside Jennifer Aniston, Adam told Associated Press: "The only awkward part is hearing my wife on the side going, 'Harder! Harder! Kiss her harder! Deeper."

Tragic death of Adam's friend Chris Farley

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Adam was hit by tragedy in his personal life when his good friend Chris Farley sadly passed away at the age of 33 in 1997.

Adam and Chris had been cast mates on the NBC sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live.

Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment by his younger brother, John on December 18 1997.

An autopsy revealed that the star had died as a result of a drug overdose – having taken a lethal amount of cocaine and morphine – a combination called a "speedball".

The comedian had long struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs, and in 1997 there had been a noticeable decline in his health.

Chris had repeatedly been suspended from SNL as a result of these addiction problems, and he was sent to drug and alcohol rehab multiple times.

In fact, his poor health was so visible that his final appearance on Saturday Night Live in October 1997 that producers nearly cancelled his appearance.

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Farley's strained voice and damaged skin were on show, and his hosting had left his castmates so unhappy that it was removed from circulation.

Adam paid an emotional tribute to his pal Chris on SNL with a song dedicated to Farley – where he sang and played guitar.

Opening up about performing the poignant song, Adam told MTV: "Every time when I was on the road doing it, I would say, 'Here we go,'

"I think just that crowd reaction, I was excited to hear that.

"Hear them cheer for Farley and see the images of Farley behind me just made it like a different mood for the audience."

"It was a big high knowing that they loved the man so much."

Famous friendship with Jennifer Aniston

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Adam has been friends with Friends star Jennifer Aniston for decades, and the pair share an adorable bond both on and off of the screen.

The famous friends have appeared in a ton of films together, including Just Go with It (2011) and Adam's own Netflix project, Murder Mystery (2019).

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jennifer revealed that she first met Adam in Los Angeles when she was dating one of his friends who has remained anonymous.

Apparently Adam and Jennifer bonded over pickles at a Jerry's Deli restaurant, and the rest is history.

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Speaking about Adam, Jen said: "He's such a mensch and you just love each other, he takes you in, and I'm very much the same way,

"And then you become family. It's like second nature."

Speaking about Jennifer to E! News' Will Marfuggi, Adam said: "I knew I was going to be friends with her, I didn't know I was going to be making movies with her. We both didn't know that, we were young and we didn't have jobs quite then."

Adam added: "And Jen has a family of friends and I have a family of friends, and we all hang."

Hollywood success and seven figure deals

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Adam shot to fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he starred alongside his celebrity pals Chris Farley and Chris Rock.

After his time on SNL, he embarked on a hugely successful Hollywood career – starring in a long line of comedy films.

His hilarious roles include Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998), 50 First Dates (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), and Grown Ups (2010).

He provided his vocal talents when he voiced Dracula in the first three films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise.

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Unfortunately, Adam has been slapped with plenty of criticism for his comedy films, and he has received nine Golden Raspberry Awards and 37 Raspberry Award nominations – awards for 'poor films' or performances.

However, Adam has also won critical acclaim for his drama roles in films such as Funny People (2009) and the nail-biting crime thriller, Uncut Gems (2019).

He also bagged himself a Primetime Emmy Award for his hosting of SNL in 2019 – where he concluded with the musical tribute to Farley.

In January 2020, Adam's film company Happy Madison Productions agreed a four-film deal with Netflix which is worth up to $275 million.

He's also donated some of his money to charitable causes, though, and in 2007 he paid out $1 million to help the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in his hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire.

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