Entertainment
Mark Twain Laureates are honored with a night of testimonies and video tributes, often featuring previous laureates.
Adam Sandler accepts the award for Best Male Lead for “Uncut Gems” at the 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 8, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. Sandler will be honored by a host of comedy and entertainment royalty on Sunday, March 19, 2023 when he receives the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Award for American Humor. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file) AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Actor and comedian Adam Sandler is honored by comedic and entertainment kings when he receives the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Sunday night.
Sandler, 56, first came to national attention as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” After being fired from the cast after five years on the job, the New Hampshire native embarked on a highly successful film career that has spanned more than 30 films and grossed over $3 billion worldwide.
“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences with his films, music and tenure as a fan favorite on ‘SNL’ for over three decades,” Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter said in a statement when Sandler’s award was announced in December. “Adam created characters that made us laugh, cry, and cry with laughter.”
Sandler’s top hits include “Happy Gilmore”, “The Wedding Singer” and “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”. Although Sandler is primarily known for slapstick comedy and oversized man-and-child characters, he has also excelled in several dramatic roles such as the films Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems.
Mark Twain Laureates are honored with a night of testimonies and video tributes, often featuring previous laureates. Other comedians to receive the lifetime achievement award include Richard Pryor (the first recipient in 1998), Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett and Dave Chapelle. Bill Cosby, the 2009 recipient, had his 2019 Mark Twain Award revoked following multiple allegations of sexual assault.
Long-established comedy institution SNL has provided more than its share of the 24 Mark Twain award winners; Sandler is the seventh cast member to receive the award, joining Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Farrell, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Julia Louise-Dreyfus. The show’s creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, won in 2004.
Among those scheduled to honor Sandler Sunday night, according to the Kennedy Center, are Jennifer Aniston, Judd Apatow, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, Luis Guzmán, Tim Herlihy, Tim Meadows, Idina Menzel, Conan O’Brien and Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Ben Stiller.
The ceremony will be televised nationally on March 26 on CNN.
Source : www.boston.com