Peter Francis Dante (born December 16, 1968) is an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

and comedian. He frequently appears in films from

Happy Madison Productions Happy Madison Productions is an American film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films ''Happy Gilmore'' and ''Billy Madison'', two b ...

alongside his friend

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

Career

Dante's roles are usually alongside

Jonathan Loughran Jonathan Loughran is an American actor who is in most Happy Madison films with his friend and actor Adam Sandler. He is Sandler's longtime friend and assistant, who has at least 40 credits with Sandler to his name. Filmography * ''Sexbomb'' ( ...

and/or

Allen Covert Allen Stephen Covert (born October 12, 1964) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his starring role in the 2006 comedy film '' Grandma's Boy'', and his supporting actor role in the movie ''Strange Wildernes ...

. He played Peter in ''

Little Nicky ''Little Nicky'' is a 2000 American fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Brill, Adam Sandler, and Tim Herlihy, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., an ...

''. In '' Grandma's Boy'' he played Dante. He played a lawyer named Tommy in Adam Sandler's movie '' Big Daddy''. He played the quarterback Gee Grenouille in ''

The Waterboy ''The Waterboy'' is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy Bates ...

'' and Murph "Murphy" in ''

Mr. Deeds ''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. It w ...

''. He played a security guard in ''

50 First Dates ''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the story of Henry, a womanizing m ...

''. Dante was an actor and producer for the film '' Grandma's Boy''. In the film, Dante played a zany drug dealer with a pet chimpanzee, lion and elephant. He played a firefighter in the film ''

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (also simply known as ''Chuck & Larry'') is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters Chuck and Larry, respectively, two New Yo ...

'', and Danny Guiterrez in ''

Strange Wilderness ''Strange Wilderness'' is a 2008 American comedy-adventure film produced by Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison Productions for Paramount Pictures, directed by Fred Wolf (who co-wrote the film with Peter Gaulke), and starring Steve ...

''. He also played the role of Steve Spirou's son in Adam Sandler's 2012 film '' That's My Boy''. Dante also worked in ''

Grown Ups 2 ''Grown Ups 2'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It is a sequel to the 2010 film '' Grown Ups''. The film stars Sandler, Ke ...

'' as Officer Peter Dante who was paired up with

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

's character Officer Fluzoo. That was the last Happy Madison production he was involved in, followed by appearances in episodes of ''

Typical Rick ''Typical Rick'' is an American television series produced by Comedy Central, created by Nicholaus Goossen and Nick Swardson. Comedy Central declined to renew the series for a third season. Cast * Nick Swardson as Gary * Simon Rex as Rick * Mega ...

'' and '' Sugar and Toys''. On September 19, 2020, Dante was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday at 9:40 A.M. with a felony charge after an altercation with his neighbor. He was booked in Los Angeles county jail and was released that night after posting a $50,000 bond. According to the reports, Dante was bothered by loud noises from construction work being done at a neighbor's residence and allegedly "threatened to kill" his neighbor and harm his wife and kids. This is not Dante's first arrest for making threats, the outlet notes. He was kicked out of a hotel and arrested in 2013 for making violent threats and using racial slurs.https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/adam-sandler-collaborator-peter-dante-looks-unrecognizable-following-his-arrest-in-los-angeles The last film production he worked in was the independent film, The Pizza Joint, released in 2021.

Music

Dante is also a musician and singer/songwriter. He recorded with Adam Sandler and Buck Simmonds. He is a member of the music group Rad Omen along with

Dirt Nasty Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), is an American actor, rapper, comedian, and former model. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring in three films of the ''Scary Movie'' f ...

DJ Troublemaker A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

Steven Laing Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

, and

Benji Madden Benjamin Levi Madden ( né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Good Charlottefor which he has received various awardsas well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Brother ...

. In 2011 he released his debut album ''Peace, Love, and Freedom''. He also appeared in a music video with Afroman in 2015. As of 2020, his most popular songs are "Dirty Road" and "My Purple Tree And Me" a collaboration with indie artist Shadoe.

Education

Dante spent a post-graduate year (1987-1988) at

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

playing football and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

. He stated in an interview that "It was a good experience going down South".Peter Dante BNM Interview
/ref> He is a graduate of

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

, where he played lacrosse. He was an assistant coach for the lacrosse team at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

for the 2011 season, and has coached many club teams, including the Riptide lacrosse team, that made it to the state championships.Loyola Marymount University Lacrosse Lions 2011 Roster and Schedule

Filmography

*''

The Jeff Foxworthy Show ''The Jeff Foxworthy Show'' is an American sitcom television series created by Tom Anderson, starring comedian Jeff Foxworthy and based on Foxworthy's stand-up comedy routine. It originally aired from September 12, 1995 to May 5, 1997 on ABC (se ...

'' (1995, TV, 1 episode) *''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

'' (1995–96, TV, 3 episodes) *''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells the ...

'' as Dave's friend *''

'' as Gee Grenouille *'' Matters of Consequence'' *'' Big Daddy'' as Tommy Grayton *''

'' as Peter *''

'' as Murph *''

Eight Crazy Nights ''Eight Crazy Nights'' (also known as ''Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights'') is a 2002 American adult animated musical black comedy film directed by Seth Kearsley and produced, co-written by and starring Adam Sandler in his first voice-acting role ...

'' as Foot Locker guy (voice) *'' El Santurario'' *'' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' as himself *'' Stuck On You'' as Officer J.J. Hill *''

'' as Security Guard *'' Grandma's Boy'' as Dante *''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

'' (2007, TV, 1 episode) *''

'' as a NYC fireman *''

'' as Danny Gutierrez *''Costa Rican Summer'' *''

Just Go with It ''Just Go with It'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling, and produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Heather Parry. It is a remake of the 1969 film '' Cactus Flower'', ...

'' as Pick-Up Guy #2 *'' Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star'' as Dante *'' Renegade: Rebel Pilot'' *''

Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...

'' as Carol's Boyfriend *'' That's My Boy'' as Dante Spirou *''

'' as Officer Peter Dante

References and notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dante, Peter 1968 births Male actors from Connecticut American male film actors Hofstra Pride men's lacrosse players People from West Hartford, Connecticut Living people