Biography
Who is David Spade?
Early life and education
David Wayne Spade was born in Birmingham, Michigan, on July 22, 1964. His mother, Judith J. Spade, worked as a writer and magazine editor, while his father, Wayne M. Spade, was a sales representative. He has two older brothers, Bryan and Andy. When he was four years old, his family relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona. Shortly after the move, his parents divorced, and he was raised primarily by his mother in circumstances of relative poverty.
He attended Saguaro High School and later enrolled at Scottsdale Community College. He eventually transferred to Arizona State University, where he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. During his time at the university, he performed stand-up comedy at the school's long-running sketch show, the Farce Side Comedy Hour. He also performed stand-up at a Monday night comedy series held at Greasy Tony's Pizza in Tempe, Arizona. He eventually left college to pursue a full-time career in stand-up comedy.
Rise to fame on Saturday Night Live
After dropping out of college, he started performing stand-up comedy. A talent agent spotted him performing at The Improv in Los Angeles, which led to his role in the 1987 film Police Academy 4. With the assistance of his friend Dennis Miller, he joined the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1990. He began as a writer before becoming a cast member.
During his time on the show, he became known for his sarcastic comedic persona. He performed various memorable characters, including a flight attendant who dismissively told passengers to leave the plane and a receptionist for Dick Clark. He also hosted the Hollywood Minute segment where he roasted celebrities with sharp one-liners. He remained on the show until 1996, later returning as a guest host in 1998 and 2005.
Television and sitcom success
Following his departure from sketch comedy, he joined the ensemble cast of the office sitcom Just Shoot Me, which aired from 1997 to 2003. He played the sarcastic receptionist Dennis Finch for seven seasons. He later joined the cast of the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules during its final season in 2004. From 2007 to 2013, he starred as Russell Dunbar in the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement.
He has also hosted several talk and game shows. He hosted The Showbiz Show with David Spade on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2007. Later, he hosted the late-night program Lights Out with David Spade from 2019 to 2020. In 2023, he hosted the Fox game show Snake Oil.
Film career and voice acting
He starred alongside fellow comedian Chris Farley in the buddy comedy films Tommy Boy and Black Sheep during the mid-1990s. He later took leading roles in several movies, including Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, The Do-Over, and The Wrong Missy. He has frequently collaborated with Adam Sandler, appearing in films like Grown Ups, The Benchwarmers, and The Ridiculous 6.
His voice acting work includes playing Ranger Frank in The Rugrats Movie and the character Kuzco in the Disney film The Emperor's New Groove. He also reprised that role for the sequel Kronk's New Groove. Also, he provided the voice for Griffin the Invisible Man in the Hotel Transylvania film series between 2012 and 2022.
Birthday and age
David Spade was born on July 22, 1964, which makes David 62 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. David shares the date with 43 other famous people.
Explore more
