David Spade life and biography

David Spade, also credited as David Wayne Spade born on July 22, 1964 in Birmingham, Michigan, USA is an American actor, comedian, comedy writer, busboy, parking valet and skateboard shop employee.

The blond actor and comedian David Spade belied a dry and cutting brand of comedy, an intriguing juxtaposition that won him notice on NBC's legendary late night sketch series "Saturday Night Live" and led to a successful film career and an acclaimed turn as snarky assistant Finch on the highly-rated NBC sitcom "Just Shoot Me" (1997-2002). Though born in Michigan, Spade grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and, barely out of his teens, began playing colleges and the comedy club circuit. A stint at the Improv in Los Angeles landed him a role in his feature debut, "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol" (1987, which also featured up-and-comer Sharon Stone). A few guest roles on TV series followed ("The Facts of Life", "ALF", "Baywatch"), as did a big chance as one of six standup comedians spotlighted in "The 13th Annual Young Comedians Show Hosted by Dennis Miller" (1989).

Soon thereafter, Spade auditioned for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and signed up as a writer and performer in April 1990. His gallery of roles included impersonations of Michael J Fox and Tom Petty but is best remembered for his smart and sardonic worldview, put to use on "SNL" in segments like the biting "Hollywood Minute", which won the performer both fans that admired his cheek, and celebrity enemies (most notably "SNL" veteran Eddie Murphy) who didn't enjoy his occasionally below-the-belt barbs. His other mild-looking but similarly nasty professionals have included the condescending head flight attendant who employs the derisive mantra "buh-bye", and an unshakable receptionist who coolly refuses admission to even the most important visitors.

Feature roles resumed for Spade after "SNL" gave him wide visibility: he played a cocaine addict in "Light Sleeper" (1992) and a beleaguered Republican nerd in the unsubtle college-set satire "PCU" (1994). He was one of the high points in the uneven comedy "Coneheads" (1993), effective as a blank-eyed bureaucratic kiss-up. Spade graduated to leads opposite fellow "SNL" performer Chris Farley in "Tommy Boy" (1995) as the right-hand company man who teams up with the title character to save a small town. Spade and Farley--the poor man's Abbott and Costello--reunited in Penelope Spheeris' "Black Sheep" (1996), with Spade as another bureaucrat trying to rein in the Roger Clinton/Billy Carter-like relative of a politician. While making a splash on the big screen, Spade continued his duties on "SNL", writing and hosting a "Spade in America" segment until his amicable 1996 departure.

While he left the show to concentrate on his film career, Spade soon returned to the small screen as Finch, the snide office assistant for a fashion magazine in NBC's "Just Shoot Me". Although he was certainly a performer with a high enough profile to carry his own series, Spade was more comfortable as part of a comedic ensemble, and flourished as the quick with a quip underling who makes up for his lack of official power with manipulation. The time afforded him in the series (as opposed to the brief snippets of character spied in "SNL" sketches) allowed him to fully explore his character, and make the underhanded and arrogant Finch really quite sympathetic and likable. With a cast including George Segal and Wendie Malick in inspired over-the-top comedic turns and Enrico Colantoni and Laura San Giacomo as characters too terminally neurotic to be straight men, "Just Shoot Me" was a certified hit, and afforded Spade the most acclaim and exposure of his career up to that point, leading to more feature film opportunities.

While "Senseless" (1998) proved a critical and box office bust, the then thirtysomething actor did at least learn from the proceedings that moving away from portraying college students was probably a good idea. Spade made his screenwriting debut with the skewed romantic comedy "Lost and Found" (1999), in which he also starred. Chronicling a man who hopes to win the woman of his dreams with a convoluted plot involving kidnapping her dog, the film was similar in scope and tone to fellow "Saturday Night Live" veteran Adam Sandler's big screen hits, but it failed to comparably register with audiences. Spade did find success as an executive producer, working in that capacity on the Arizona-filmed, critically lauded independent "Jerome" (also 1999), an understated tale of disaffected America co-starring Drew Pillsbury and his "Just Shoot Me" co-star Wendie Malick. Additionally, Spade has lent his unmistakable voice to characters in the animated features "The Rugrats Movie" (1998) and "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000) which were both smash hits. He returned to his Arizona roots with his own HBO comedy special "David Spade: Take the Hit" (1998).

Spade starred in and co-wrote his first solo film project in 2001's Adam Sandler-produced comedy "Joe Dirt," playing a mullet-haired, trailer park-bred lovable loser who sets out on a road trip in search of his birth parents. The film was a moderate success and soon, as "Just Shoot Me" was unceremoniously dumped by NBC after five seasons, Spade penned and starred in another lead feature role in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" (2003), playing a thirtysomething ex-Hollywood kid actor so desperate to keep himself in the entertainment industry game he hires a foster family to help him relive his childhood in hopes of winning a part. The actor next agreed to take on a recurring role on the ABC sit-com "8 Simple Rues..." (2003-2005) as C.J., a Hennessy family relative, following the death of series lead John Ritter. As the voice of the smart alec fly Scuzz, Spade provided many of the bigger laughs in the children's film "Racing Stripes" (2005) along with Steve Harvey. He then signed with Comedy Central to host "The Showbiz Show" a nightly half-hour series spoofing entertainment news shows in the vein of its hit "The Daily Show," which debuts in September 2005.


David's Family

* Brother: Andy Spade. Older; CEO of Kate Spade New York
* Brother: Brian Spade. Older
* Father: Sam Spade. Abandoned his family when David was young
* Mother: Judy Todd. Divorced from Spade s father in the late 1960s; remarried; second husband committed suicide; remarried two additional times
* Sister-in-law: Kate Spade. Married to Andrew Spade; co-founder of Kate Spade New York
* Step-father: Tom Todd. Committed suicide in 1981 (David was 17 years old at the time)


Education

* Saguaro High School, Scottsdale, AZ, 1982

CHRONOLOGY

* 1986 Began performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs, theaters and college campuses
* 1987 Feature film debut, played a bit part in the comedy sequel, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
* 1987 Performed his routine on FOX s The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers
* 1988 Earliest TV work included a guest role on an episode of the NBC sitcom, The Facts of Life
* 1989 Appeared on the HBO standup comedy special, The 13th Annual Young Comedians Show Hosted by Dennis Miller
* 1990 Joined Saturday Night Live (NBC) as a writer and cast member; earned three Emmy (1990, 1991, 1993) nominations for Writing
* 1992 Appeared in second feature film Light Sleeper
* 1992 Served as a creative consultant for the awards show, The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards
* 1993 Appeared in the SNL spin-off feature Coneheads
* 1994 Featured as a snooty conservative student in Hart Bochner s comedy PCU
* 1995 First leading role, opposite Chris Farley in the comedy feature Tommy Boy
* 1996 Re-teamed with Farley for the comedy Black Sheep
* 1997 Starred as snarky assistant Dennis Finch in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me ; garnered Emmy (1999) and Golden Globe (1999, 2000) nominations for Supporting Actor
* 1997 Co-starred in the feature 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag
* 1998 Lent his voice to the character of Ranger Frank in The Rugrats Movie
* 1998 Was star and executive producer of his own HBO comedy special David Spade: Take The Hit
* 1999 Executive produced the feature Jerome starring Just Shoot Me co-star Wendie Malick
* 1999 Wrote and starred in the feature comedy Lost and Found
* 2000 Created (also wrote and produced) the short-lived animated series Sammy (NBC) which was based on Spade s relationship with his father
* 2000 Voiced the title character in the animated feature The Emperor s New Groove
* 2001 Played the title role in the comedy Joe Dirt
* 2003 Played the title role of a former child actor in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
* 2003 Received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
* 2004 Joined the cast of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (ABC) as Katey Sagal s nephew
* 2005 Hosted the Comedy Central show, The Showbiz Show with David Spade
* 2006 Co-starred with Rob Schneider in The Benchwarmers
* 2007 Cast as single friend, Russell Dunbar in the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement
* 2010 Starred in ensemble comedy Grown Ups, about five friends who reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend; film also starred Kevin James and former Saturday Night Live cast members Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider

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