What The Happy Gilmore Cast Looks Like Today

Actor, writer, comedian, and producer Adam Sandler has had a lot of ups and downs over the years, creating a few critically acclaimed movies but also releasing several projects that were almost universally panned by critics and fans alike. One thing that everyone can largely agree on, however, is that "Happy Gilmore" is one of Adam Sandler's best comedy movies and is fondly remembered by fans of '90s comedies.

Following directly from the success of "Billy Madison," this tale of a hockey player who turns to golf after discovering he can drive the ball more than 400 yards established Sandler as a bankable comedy star. The story sees Gilmore becoming a professional golfer in an effort to rescue his grandmother's repossessed house. Along the way, he competes in a variety of championships while facing off against his new nemesis, Shooter McGavin.

With the movie launching in theaters way back in 1996, it might surprise you to learn just what the cast looks like today. Many of the actors involved in the film have gone on to bigger and better things in the more than two decades since it was released, but all of them look very different to when they appeared in "Happy Gilmore."

Before appearing in "Happy Gilmore," Adam Sandler had already established himself as a major player in the world of comedy. He was a regular cast member on "Saturday Night Live" between 1990 and 1995 and then went on to co-write and star in "Billy Madison." The movie proved successful enough, earning more than $25 million, that the actor was given further opportunities in Hollywood. His next project was "Happy Gilmore," the second movie he produced with writing partner Tim Herlihy and his first partnership with frequent collaborator Dennis Dugan.

While "Happy Gilmore" wasn't a blockbuster hit, it was commercially successful and praised enough by critics to ensure Sandler's Hollywood career would continue. He kept making comedies throughout the 1990s, including films such as "The Waterboy" and "The Wedding Singer."

While many of his more recent comedies have been heavily trashed by critics, Sandler occasionally manages to give highly lauded dramatic performances in films like "Uncut Gems," "Punch Drunk Love," and "The Meyerowitz Stories." Sandler has spent the last several years focused primarily on making Netflix original movies, including the likes of "The Ridiculous 6," "Sandy Wexler," "Hubie Halloween," "Hustle," and two "Murder Mystery" movies with Jennifer Aniston. With "Leo," an animated family movie, and an as-yet-untitled reteam with the Safdie Brothers in the works, Sandler has plenty of new projects on the horizon.

Every good hero needs a villain to battle against, and Christopher McDonald provided that in "Happy Gilmore." The actor played pro golfer Shooter McGavin, a man determined to keep golf free from Gilmore's wild antics and get his hands on the fictional — but highly coveted — gold jacket. As one of the top athletes on the pro tour, McGavin goes to extreme lengths to enforce golf etiquette and ensure that Gilmore doesn't succeed in winning the prestigious Tour Championship. He even goes as far as hiring a heckler to distract his rival on the golf course.

Before the actor was cast in the 1996 comedy, he was known for roles in acclaimed films like "Thelma and Louise" and "Quiz Show." He had a history of playing villains, along with credits in "Grease 2," "The Boys Next Door," and "Grumpy Old Men." After "Happy Gilmore," McDonald appeared in the likes of "Requiem for a Dream," "Flubber," and "The Faculty" before turning up in more recent movies such as "American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile" and "Deep in the Valley." In recent years, he has kept busy with recurring roles on the television shows "Ballers," "Hacks," "The Watcher," "Secret Invasion," and the third season of "American Crime Story" tracking the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski sex scandal.

As one of the three main characters in "Happy Gilmore," Julie Bowen portrays Virginia Venit, the public relations director for the Pro Golf Tour who becomes romantically involved with Gilmore. Although she initially spurns his advances, Venit later begins to fall for him after spending more time with the amateur golfer. The character ultimately plays a vital role in keeping Gilmore on the tour and helping him to establish sponsorship deals.

Bowen is perhaps best known for her role as Claire Dunphy in the hit ABC sitcom "Modern Family." She portrayed the character throughout the show's run and earned two Emmy Awards for her performance in 2011 and 2012, along with several other nominations.

Throughout the '90s and '00s, Bowen also had a series of roles in other television shows, including a stint on "ER" as Roxanne Please, a string of episodes on "Lost" portraying Sarah Shephard, and a long-running spot as Denise Bauer on the drama series "Boston Legal." As well as appearing on television, Bowen has also continued to take movie gigs, joining the cast of "Joe Somebody" in 2001, "Horrible Bosses" in 2011, and "The Fallout" in 2021.

Before appearing in "Happy Gilmore" as Happy's golf coach and mentor Chubbs Peterson, Weathers was a familiar face in a wide range of Hollywood movies. The biggest roles of his early career were as Dillon in "Predator" and Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" movies. Before acting, he played professional football for the Oakland Raiders, appearing in eight games before being released.

After "Happy Gilmore," Weathers continued his acting career and even reprised his role as Chubbs in the 2000 movie "Little Nicky" with Sandler. He then went on to play a fictional version of himself who helps tutor Tobias in the sitcom "Arrested Development." As a voice actor, he has portrayed Combat Carl in the "Toy Story" series across various movies, television series, and specials, and later voiced Omnitraxus Prime in "Star vs. the Forces of Evil." Over the years, Weathers has continuously branched out into other mediums including web series, music, and even video games like "The Artful Escape" and "Mortal Kombat X," the latter of which found him reprising his role from "Predator" for a special DLC skin. Most recently, he has been a pivotal part of "The Mandalorian" as Greef Karga in all three seasons of the show thus far.

Many people may not even recognize Allen Covert in "Happy Gilmore." That's because his character, Otto, sports a large shaggy beard for much of the film that hides a lot of his face. Otto is a homeless man who becomes Gilmore's caddy on tour and plays a prominent part in helping the golfer win the Tour Championship. He got the role in the movie after meeting Sandler at New York University, with Covert revealing that the pair have been good friends since their college days in an interview with Kendall Talks TV.

Like many of Sandler's close associates, Covert has collaborated frequently with the comedian. In fact, he has appeared in almost every single Sandler movie in some form. After "Happy Gilmore," he had more significant roles in the likes of "The Wedding Singer" and "Little Nicky." However, in the latest films, he has largely only had minor parts but is credited as part of the crew on IMDb. According to Variety, he is also an important figure at Happy Madison Productions, where he has served as a writer and producer on many films.

Although he's uncredited, Ben Stiller has a relatively large role in "Happy Gilmore" as Hal L. This character is a cruel and devious orderly who works at the nursing home where Gilmore's grandmother moves after leaving her repossessed house. While he outwardly appears warm and kind at first, it is later shown that he takes advantage of the elderly residents under his care, forcing them to work for him.

Stiller's uncredited role in "Happy Gilmore" might have been somewhat surprising, considering that the actor had appeared in a number of movies in the late '80s and early '90s and even had his own television series in the form of "The Ben Stiller Show." Yet Stiller and Sandler were both comedians who started on "SNL," and have even admitted in an interview with USA Today that fans often confuse the pair. Stiller later reprised his role as the orderly in the 2020 movie "Hubie Halloween."

After "Happy Gilmore," Stiller became one of the biggest names in comedy, writing and starring in films such as "Zoolander," "Dodgeball," "Meet the Parents," and "Night at the Museum." He also voiced Alex the lion in the "Madagascar" animated film series and directed "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" in 2013. Over the course of the last few years, he has largely remained behind the camera, working as a director and producer on numerous television and movie projects.

Nealon was a regular cast member on "SNL" at the same time that Sandler made his debut on the show and became a huge star, so it makes sense that they would collaborate during their early years. He appeared in "Happy Gilmore" as professional golfer Gary Potter, a man who plays alongside Sandler's character and offers some advice to the newcomer. Following this, he returned for a number of other Sandler movies, such as "The Wedding Singer," "Little Nicky," and "Anger Management."

In the early '00s, Nealon had a recurring role on "Still Standing" and then went on to portray Doug Wilson in the Showtime comedy-drama "Weeds," as part of the main cast alongside Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, and Alexander Gould. Meanwhile, he has also hosted "The Conspiracy Zone" and "World's Funniest Commercials" and played one of the lead characters in the stop-motion animated sitcom "Glenn Martin, DDS."

In addition to his TV and movie projects, Nealon has also produced his own internet series on YouTube called "Hiking With Kevin," where he invites a celebrity guest and interviews them while hiking on a variety of trails in Los Angeles.

Although fans of "Happy Gilmore" will recognize Dennis Dugan from the movie, he played a far bigger role than simply portraying one of the characters. In addition to playing Doug Thompson, the commissioner of the Pro Golf Tour and the man who decides the fate of Gilmore, Dugan actually directed the flick. Speaking to The Independent in 2013, he revealed that he got the job of directing the movie after previously trying to hire Sandler for another project he was shooting.

This first collaboration between Dugan and Sandler would not be the last. "Happy Gilmore" sparked a relationship that has lasted three decades, with Dugan directing many Happy Madison Productions films. These have included "Big Daddy," "Grown Ups," "Jack and Jill," and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan." He has also appeared in several of these projects in minor roles. In 2020, he directed and co-wrote the romantic comedy "Love, Weddings and Other Disasters," although it went on to gross just $900,000 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Jared Van Snellenberg will likely not be a name that many people recognize and that's because he has only been in a handful of movies and television series since his debut in "Happy Gilmore." The 41-year-old plays the golf caddy who is assigned to Gilmore at his first tournament at the Waterbury Open, before he hires Otto permanently. He only appears in the film for a few scenes and is likely forgotten by many viewers.

He did continue to act following the release of "Happy Gilmore" and appeared in a variety of movies and television series, including "Rat Race," "Robin of Locksley," and "Agent Cody Banks." According to IMDb, his final role was an uncredited appearance in "Air Bud: Spikes Back" in 2003.

Outside of acting, Van Snellenberg is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook Medicine, having gained his Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University in 2012. PubMed confirms that he continues to publish research papers and journals to this day.

From 1972 until 2007, Bob Barker was the host of the television game show "The Price is Right." As one of the most recognizable men on TV in the United States, it may have shocked some people to see him appear in "Happy Gilmore." The presenter plays a fictionalized version of himself who teams up with Gilmore in the Pepsi pro-am event. When Donald manages to put Gilmore off his game, he and Barker get into an argument that ends up in a fight. The confrontation between the pair won the 1996 MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.

Barker continued to present "The Price is Right" for more than a decade after "Happy Gilmore" was released, before retiring after 50 years in television, according to Reuters. However, he has made some special guest appearances on the show and worked on other projects, such as an autobiography that was released in 2009. He has also been involved in commercials for various companies and even made a guest appearance on an episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," where he played a snail rescue center operator known as Bob Barnacle (via Yahoo!).

Before his appearance in "Happy Gilmore," Verne Lundquist was already a familiar face and voice across America. That's because he was a well known sportscaster who has worked on a variety of different sports, including college football, NFL, golf, basketball, and the Olympics. Working with CBS, he has called the Masters almost every year since 1983 and Saturday Down South confirms that he still makes regular appearances. So he would seem like a natural choice to appear in a golf film to help it feel genuine.

He has since been inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in recognition of his more than 50 years of service as a commentator and announcer. Throughout the '90s, '00s, and even the last decade, Lundquist continued to call sports games but largely retired in 2016 (via SB Nation), although he has made appearances on television and has not completely stopped broadcasting.

Lee Trevino is a former professional golfer who was well known for not only being a great athlete but also a witty person. He could entertain viewers with his play and humor, so it makes sense that the producers of "Happy Gilmore" would come knocking on his door when they wanted a pro golfer to add to the cast and lend some credibility. Trevino won six majors during his career, coming first twice in the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

He appears as himself in the movie, often showing up for just a few moments to shake his head and disapprove of what Gilmore is doing. While Trevino's part in the film was inoffensive, he later revealed that he regretted doing the movie. Speaking at the University of Texas in 2013, he said (via the LA Times), "If [I'd known] they were going to use all those foul words in there, I never would have done it."

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he confirmed that he still plays golf regularly and takes part in events. While he has tried broadcasting and other jobs, his love of golf keeps him playing the sport rather than doing other things.

Although Frances Bay does not play one of the main characters in "Happy Gilmore," much of the action revolves around her. She plays Gilmore's grandmother and is distraught when the IRS takes her home because she owes $270,000 in taxes. Gilmore only joins the tour and becomes a professional golfer as a way of trying to save the home for his grandma. According to The Huffington Post, Bay had been an actress since the early 1930s, when she first worked on the radio before transitioning to television and film in the 1970s.

"Happy Gilmore" was far from her last role. Following the comedy, she appeared in a variety of movies and television shows, including "Inspector Gadget," "The Wedding Planner," "ER," and "Grey's Anatomy." Her final role was in the sitcom "The Middle," where she played Ginny Freehold during the first two seasons. Bay passed away in 2011 at the age of 92, with the New York Times stating that her death was due to complications from pneumonia.

Richard Kiel appeared in the 1970s James Bond movies "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" as Jaws, arguably one of the greatest villains in the history of the 007 franchise. During the height of his career, he also had roles in "The Longest Yard" and "Silver Streak" but found new fame after portraying Mr. Larson in "Happy Gilmore." Larson is Gilmore's former boss and someone who looks out for him as he becomes a professional golfer, threatening McGavin several times throughout the movie.

"Happy Gilmore" ended up being one of Kiel's final roles. According to Reuters, he largely retired from acting after suffering injuries in an auto accident. However, he did appear in "Inspector Gadget" as a parody of his Jaws character in 1999. His last major role came in 2010, when he provided the voice for the character of Vladimir in the Disney animated movie "Tangled." He passed away in 2014 from a heart attack at the age of 74.

"Happy Gilmore" arrived early on in the career of comedian Will Sasso. He plays one of the two movers who repossess Happy's grandmother's furniture and get Happy golfing for the first time when they wager over a driving contest. Sasso had already been in a couple of movies earlier on in the '90s, like "Ernest Goes to School," but "Happy Gilmore" was his largest film yet.

Just one year later, Sasso landed his real breakout role on the sketch comedy show "Mad TV." He was a key part of the show's ensemble cast for 135 episodes from Season 3 to Season 7, and he continued to return every once in a while for smaller appearances until the show came to an end in 2016. During his time on the series, Sasso kept busy with small roles in projects like "Best in Show," "Beverly Hills Ninja," and "The X-Files."

After Sasso's tenure on "Mad TV," he had a bit of trouble landing other leading roles for a while. At the start of the 2010s, he appeared in "The Three Stooges" and National Lampoon's "The Legend of Awesomest Maximus," but both films were poorly received, and his leading roles dried up once again. Most of the rest of his career thus far has been spent guest starring on television shows, with a few notable recurring roles on the likes of "Justified," "Young Sheldon," and especially "Loudermilk," in which he played one of the main characters.

Ken Camroux-Taylor — credited at the time as just Ken Camroux — played the role of Happy's hockey coach who cuts him from the team and subsequently gets beaten up near the start of the film. Camroux-Taylor is a hard-working character actor who has been working steadily since the beginning of the 1970s. He has racked up over 130 credits over the years, mostly in minor supporting roles.

"Happy Gilmore" is still probably one of his most recognizable roles, but he has also been in big movies and TV shows like "The X-Files," "The Outer Limits," "Saving Silverman," and "Reindeer Games." One of his most prominent performances in recent years was on CW's "The Flash" TV series. He played the recurring supporting role of Judge Hankerson in Seasons 3 through 6. His time on the series ended in 2019, and he has only been in a couple of projects since. Camroux-Taylor's latest role to date was in a 2021 episode of the Netflix original series "Firefly Lane," in the bit part of an unnamed pharmacist.

Ellie Harvie made a brief appearance in "Happy Gilmore" as the registrar who signs Happy up for the pro tournament. She had many other similarly sized roles in the earlier days of her time in the entertainment industry, but she went on to find considerable success later on in her career. She became best known for her starring role as Morticia Addams on the '90s "The New Addams Family." The revamped series lasted a single episode longer than the original "The Addams Family" TV series from the '60s. Ellie took over the role from Anjelica Houston, who had played Morticia in two feature films earlier in the decade.

Unfortunately, after this big starring role, Harvie's roles were mostly scaled back down a bit. She acted in notable films like "Miracle," "The 6^th Day," and "The Cabin in the Woods," albeit in smaller parts. In recent years, she has found more success in television with recurring roles on "Snowpiercer," the Hallmark Channel's "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries," and the CW reboot of "Nancy Drew." In addition to all of her work as an actor, Harvie also led a successful career as a standup comedian performing frequently around Vancouver, Canada.

Nancy Hillis played Terry, Happy's girlfriend who dumps him on the same day he is cut from the hockey team. Hillis went by the name Nancy McClure at the time of the film's release in 1996, but was also known by the name Nancy McGiffert, which she used when making her acting debut in 1991 with "If Looks Could Kill." Hillis hasn't acted all that much over the years, and "Happy Gilmore" has remained her largest feature film role. 

Most of her other roles were unnamed bit parts, playing an airline rep and a waitress in the made-for-TV movies "Nowhere to Hide" and "Convictions." She also worked briefly as a segment producer on the Nickelodeon game show "What Would You Do?" and served for a time as the personal assistant of Bobby Roth, a television director best known these days for his work on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Prison Break."

Just one year after "Happy Gilmore" was released, Hillis took an extended break from acting. For over two decades, Hillis lived her life outside of the entertainment industry altogether. She eventually made a surprise return to acting in 2018 with a role in the short film "Outage." Since making her return, she has continued acting on a sporadic basis. Her latest role, and also her biggest by far since "Happy Gilmore," was as Penelope Dearbon on two episodes of "The Flash."

Helena Yea was credited as "Chinese Lady" for her role in "Happy Gilmore," as the woman who hears Happy singing through the intercom and comes up to his apartment. It is then implied that they spent the night together. Yea began acting in television projects in the late 1980s. Her first big role was in the 1990 mini-series version of Stephen King's "It." She started acting regularly in comedies beginning with "Big Bully" in 1996, followed by "Happy Gilmore" right afterward. She also played the notable role of Aunt Mable in the Norm MacDonald and Dave Chapelle comedy "Screwed."

Yea was already in her advanced years by the 2000s, and most of her roles capitalized on her elderly age. She was frequently credited as "Old Lady" and a multitude of grandmothers throughout this final stage of her career. Her last role was also her largest as she appeared in 26 episodes of the Canadian television series "Robson Arms" as Grandma Tan. She was in all three seasons of the show from 2005 to 2008. After some years spent in retirement, Yea passed away in 2021.

Alongside Will Sasso, Dee Jay Jackson played the other mover who repossesses Grandma's belongings and gets Happy to try golfing for the first time. He had already been acting since the late 1980s with small roles in notable titles like "Look Who's Talking," but "Happy Gilmore" was the biggest film of his career at that point.

Jackson's career continued with similar small roles and bit parts over the years. Some of his most notable films and shows include "Screwed," "Agent Cody Banks," the animated series "RoboCop: Alpha Commando," the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot, "Smallville," "Slither," and "Scary Movie 3." Most of his roles have been small, but he has been in over 150 different projects throughout the course of his roughly 35-year career. He joined the cast of the CW's "Superman & Lois" in the first season and has stuck with the show since. In what is arguably the largest role of his career as Cobb Branden, Jackson remains an important part of the ongoing series.

John Shaw took on the role of Daniel Lafferty, Happy's first major golf opponent. Before "Happy Gilmore," Shaw had only acted in the 1994 version of "Little Women" and a couple of TV movies. Afterward, he soon graduated to bigger and better roles. One-off appearances on big shows like "Stargate SG-1," "The Dead Zone," and "Dead Like Me" provided stepping stones for the early years of Shaw's career. He later returned to the world of "Stargate" for both "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Stargate Universe."

One of Shaw's most recognizable roles is in Zack Snyder's "Watchmen." He plays Doug Roth, a reporter who interviews the titular heroes. You might also recognize him from his substantial roles in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" and the sequel "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" as Mr. Draybick, or from his roles in superhero TV shows like "Batwoman," "D.C.'s Legends of Tomorrow," and "Arrow."

Brett Armstrong played the more prominent of the villainous Shooter McGavin's two golf caddies. "Happy Gilmore" was only Armstrong's second acting role after appearing in the made-for-TV movie "Little Criminals" the prior year, but he was already working in the entertainment industry in other capacities. Armstrong was in a couple of other movies, including "Saving Silverman" and "Drone," but his acting resume is quite slim. It is clear that acting isn't and has never been his primary focus. Instead, that honor belongs to stunt work.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Armstrong has worked as a stunt performer and coordinator. He has amassed an incredibly prolific body of work in the world of stunts and continues to work on several projects per year. He is rapidly approaching 300 total stunt credits with more on the way. Some of the biggest movies Armstrong has been involved in include "The Predator," "I, Robot," "Star Trek Beyond," and the last two installments in the modern "Planet of the Apes" trilogy, amongst plenty of others.

Happy's first opponent in the pro tournament is Gary Potter (Kevin Nealon), and his caddie was played by Peter Kelamis. Before he shifted to live-action projects, Kelamis got his start in the industry by providing the voice of Goku for the English dub of multiple "Dragon Ball Z" movies and the main "Dragon Ball Z" animated television series. "Happy Gilmore" provided one of his first feature film roles, and Kelamis continued to bounce between animation, live-action films, and television moving forward.

Kelamis has racked up over 180 credits so far with multiple projects still currently in the works, including another English dub of a Japanese property, this time the video game "Guranburû Fantajî Ririnku." You are most likely to recognize Kelamis from his lead role on "Stargate Universe" as Adam Brody. He also played notable recurring characters in "Beyond" and "The Man in the High Castle," as well as the final season of "The Flash." Alongside his ongoing acting endeavors, Kelamis has also worked extensively as a stand-up comedian and has been featured on comedy programs like "Comedy Now!," "The Debaters," and "Comedy Night in Canada."

Joe Flaherty played the pivotal role of Donald, a fanatical Shooter McGavin fan who will do anything to get close to his idol. The pro golfer hires him to heckle Happy in an attempt to force him to lose his temper, so he will be kicked off the tour. By the end of the film, he is crazed enough to drive his car onto the course and hit Happy, injuring him in the final of the Tour Championship before crashing and getting set on fire.

Prior to appearing in "Happy Gilmore," Flaherty was known for being one of the main talents on the Canadian sketch comedy show "SCTV." He went on to appear in minor roles in a series of movies throughout the '80s. One of Flaherty's most recognizable roles was as Harold Weir in the 1999 series "Freaks and Geeks," where he was part of the main cast alongside the up-and-coming talents of Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, Jason Segel, and Samm Levine. He also played one of the leads on the short-lived "Police Academy: The Series," the television offshoot of the popular movie series. Flaherty continued acting steadily throughout the 2000s but his career was winding down by the start of the 2010s. His last professional production was a one-off appearance on an episode of the TV show "Call Me Fitz," and his final performance overall was in the six-minute-long 2014 short film "Nightlife" in which he played a vampire. Flaherty has been in retirement ever since.

Robert Smigel first came to the public's attention in 1985, when he became a writer and later a producer on "Saturday Night Live," working on over 400 episodes of the show. It was at this time that he met Adam Sandler, who became a cast member on the series in the early '90s. Smigel joined "Happy Gilmore" in a minor role, playing the IRS agent who repossesses Gilmore's grandmother's house and later puts it up for auction.

Smigel is well known for his frequent collaborations with Conan O'Brien and as the writer and voice behind "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog." Smigel recently went on O'Brien's podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" alongside Dana Carvey and his "Happy Gilmore" co-star Kevin Nealon to stage a reading of a movie they wrote back in the early '90s based on the "SNL" characters Hans and Franz, which was never made.

Smigel has continued to work regularly with Sandler on projects such as "The Wedding Singer," "Little Nicky," and "Pixels." Smigel is probably best known for co-writing and producing "Hotel Transylvania" and its sequel, in which he also voices Marty and a number of other characters. Sandler and Smigel are working together again on the upcoming animated film "Leo." Sandler voices the titular character, a 74-year-old lizard, while Smigel wrote the script and co-directed the film.