Adam Sandler, the iconic comedian currently earning the best reviews of his career—and even Oscar buzz—for his dramatic role opposite George Clooney in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, will be honored with the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the festival announced Wednesday.
Sandler will accept the award on February 5, 2026, during a
special evening at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre. The event will
feature a retrospective conversation about his career, complete with film
clips, and will be moderated by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, for
whom the award is named.
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“Adam Sandler won me over when he sang ‘The Hanukkah Song’
on SNL,” Maltin shared in a statement. “He built a huge following with
custom-made hits like The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer. I
admire how he’s stepped outside his comfort zone with powerful performances in Uncut
Gems and now Jay Kelly. I’m excited to join him on stage in Santa
Barbara.”
After rising to fame on Saturday Night Live, Sandler
became a box office staple with quirky comedies like Billy Madison
(1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), and The
Waterboy (1998). He’s also taken on more serious roles in films like Punch-Drunk
Love (2002), Spanglish (2004), Reign Over Me (2007), The
Meyerowitz Stories (2017), Uncut Gems (2019), and Hustle
(2023).
However, critics say his performance in Jay Kelly—as
the manager to Clooney’s title character—is his most acclaimed yet, praised for
its heartfelt mix of humor, emotion, and depth.
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