David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. His comedic style, in both his stand-up material and acting roles, relies heavily onsarcasm andself-deprecation.[1][2] For his roles on television, Spade has received nominations for fourPrimetime Emmy Awards and twoGolden Globe Awards. In 2003, he received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
Spade was born on July 22, 1964, inBirmingham, Michigan, to Judith J. (née Meek), a writer and magazine editor, and Wayne M. "Sam" Spade, a sales representative.[3][4][5][6] His older brothers are Bryan andAndy Spade.[7] The latter is an entrepreneur who, together with David's sister-in-lawKate Spade, co-founded the designer brandKate Spade New York.[citation needed]
Spade and his family moved toScottsdale, Arizona,[8][9] when he was four years old.[10] His parents divorced soon thereafter, and he and his brothers were raised for the most part by their mother, in relative poverty.[11]
Spade attendedSaguaro High School and laterScottsdale Community College before transferring toArizona State University and dropping out shortly thereafter since he was making a decent living doing stand-up.[12] He also was a member of theSigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.[13] Spade performed standup at the university's long-running sketch comedy show,Farce Side Comedy Hour, on numerous occasions. In the mid-1980s he also did stand-up in the Monday night comedy show at Greasy Tony's Pizza inTempe, Arizona.[14]
Spade began performing stand-up comedy after dropping out of college. After being spotted by a talent agent while performing atThe Improv in Los Angeles he was cast in the 1987 filmPolice Academy 4.[15] With the help of friend and fellow comedianDennis Miller, he joinedSaturday Night Live in 1990.[14] Spade started as a writer and eventually moved up to cast member. While there, he became known for his brand of sarcasm, and his characters in a number ofsketches were hits. Some of them include aflight attendant for "Total Bastard Airlines" who bids a dismissive "Buh-Bye" to each passenger upon disembarking; a receptionist forDick Clark who, as a matter of policy, asks people indiscriminately, "And you are?"; and the quick-witted "Hollywood Minute" reporter whoroasts celebrities with personalone-liners. Other characters include Christy Henderson from theGap Girls and Karl from the Karl's Video sketches. He also did impressions of various celebrities, includingBrad Pitt andMichael J. Fox. According to interviews with Spade, most of the material that he wrote early in his time at SNL was given toDana Carvey to perform on the show. Spade, alongsideChris Farley,Chris Rock,Adam Sandler andRob Schneider were known as the "Bad Boys" of SNL.[16]
After the major cast overhaul following the 1994–1995 season, Spade agreed to remain on the show for the 1995–96 season to serve as a bridge between the former cast and new cast membersWill Ferrell,Molly Shannon, andCheri Oteri. During this season, Spade was given a weekly segment called "Spade in America" which was a spin-off of his "Hollywood Minute" and "Weekend Update" commentaries. On December 9, 1995, Spade revived "Hollywood Minute" inside one of his "Spade in America" segments; Spade joked, "Look, children, it's a falling star. Make a wish!" next to a picture of formerSaturday Night Live cast memberEddie Murphy.[17] The one-liner referred to Murphy's lack of recent box office success, especially thebombVampire in Brooklyn. The quip made Murphy turn against both Spade andSNL for several years afterward.[18] Spade wrote in his 2015 memoir that he received an angry phone call from Murphy two days later at theSNL offices; the two did not reconcile until a chance meeting in 2011.[19][20] Spade left SNL in 1996. He returned to host an episode in 1998 and another in 2005.[21]
Spade starred with fellowSaturday Night Live cast memberChris Farley in twobuddy comedy films,Tommy Boy (1995) andBlack Sheep (1996), both of which were distributed byParamount Pictures. The two were planning a third film together, but Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33 and thus it was cancelled. When Spade declined to attend Farley's funeral, rumors abounded that there had been a falling out between the two. Spade stated that their friendship had been under some tension, partly because of Farley's drug problem and reckless lifestyle, which Spade admittedly could not keep up with. However, it never escalated to ill will, and that the reason he did not attend the funeral was simply because he could not handle it emotionally.[22]
Spade hosted both theTeen Choice Awards andSpikeTV'sVideo Game Awards in 2003. He voiced characters on several episodes ofBeavis and Butt-Head and produced his own TV seriesSammy in 2000. In 2004, he joined the cast of8 Simple Rules, following the death of the sitcom's star,John Ritter, for the show's third and final season. He hosted the Comedy Central TV showThe Showbiz Show with David Spade for three seasons, from September 2005 to October 2007. On the show, Spade made fun of Hollywood and celebrities in a manner similar to his old "Hollywood Minute" segment onSNL.[23]
In the 2006 video gameThe Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, Spade provided the voice of Spyro's dragonfly companion,Sparx.[24] From 2007 to 2013, he starred as Russell Dunbar in the ensembleCBS sitcomRules of Engagement. In 2010, he worked withTBS on a pilot for an animated series based onJoe Dirt, but it was eventually dropped.[25]
In 2014, Spade had a guest role on an episode ofABC sitcomThe Goldbergs (on whichGeorge Segal, his formerJust Shoot Me co-star, has a major role as "Pops", the protagonist's grandfather). The end credits featured an interaction between Pops and Spade's character.[26] In 2018, Spade appeared in his first major dramatic role in the movieWarning Shot co-starringBruce Dern andJames Earl Jones, with Spade playing the dangerous grandson of a powerful business tycoon (Dern).
In August 2020, Spadeguest hosted two episodes ofJimmy Kimmel Live! while Kimmel took a summer vacation.[29] In 2022, Spade began co-hosting theFly on the Wall podcast with fellowSaturday Night Live alumDana Carvey. Guests include former cast members and hosts ofSNL.[30] In 2024, theSuperfly video podcast (a spinoff ofFly on the Wall) co-hosted by Spade and Carvey was launched.[31] On April 18, 2023, it was announced that Spade would hostSnake Oil, a new game show broadcast byFox.[32][33]
On November 29, 2000, Spade was attacked by his assistant, David Warren "Skippy" Malloy, while he was sleeping. Malloy used a stun gun on Spade after breaking into his home in the early morning. In an interview withHoward Stern, Spade stated that he managed to get away from the 350-pound (160 kg) Malloy, run to his bedroom, grab his gun and defend himself by locking himself in a bathroom armed with the shotgun. Malloy pleaded guilty and avoided jail time on condition that he seek counseling for drug and psychological problems. He subsequently received five years' probation, was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Spade, and was required by the court to perform 480 hours of community service.[40][41][42]
^Todd, Tom (2012).Tombstone By Tombstone: Here Lies the Old West (Volume 1): Tom Todd: 9781470153854: Amazon.com: Books. Todd Publishing/CreateSpace.ISBN978-1470153854.
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