Rob Schneider

A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Rob Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Hot Chick, and Grown Ups.

He was born Robert Michael Schneider on October 31, 1963 in San Francisco, California and grew up in the nearby suburb of Pacifica. His parents, Marvin Schneider, a real estate broker, and Pilar Schneider (née Monroe), a former kindergarten teacher and ex-school board president, have five children. After graduating from Terra Nova High School, he set out on the club circuit to pursue a career in comedy. His maternal grandmother was a Filipina who met and married his maternal grandfather, a Caucasian American army private, while he was stationed in the Philippines.

His combination of self-deprecating humor and goofball antics earned him rave reviews, and he was soon opening for the likes of Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. Schneider got his big break in 1990, when Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels hired him on as a writer for the show. Soon, he was performing his own material and was a cast regular until 1994 when he left to pursue his film career.

After a rocky start on the big screen, Schneider appeared in two successful Adam Sandler vehicles, The Waterboy (1998) and Big Daddy (1999). He then landed the lead role in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, as a fish tank cleaner who assumes the identity of a high-living gigolo. Adored by audiences and panned by critics, it prompted a second film, The Animal, which met with equal success in 2001.

Schneider made his directorial debut with Big Stan in 2007. The prison comedy starred Schneider and David Carradine. Reuniting with Adam Sandler, Schneider had a small role in You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008). He has completed several film projects, which are awaiting release. The Chosen One marks his second directorial effort, and he also co-wrote the script and stars in the film.

Schneider was married to model London King from 1988 to 1990. They have one daughter. On April 23, 2011, Schneider married Mexican television producer Patricia Azarcoya Arce in Beverly Hills, CA.

Sources: Biography, Wikipedia