Allen Stephen Covert was born October 12, 1964, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer.
Allen Covert is 5’9” and is of German and Russian Jewish, Irish, English, and Scottish ancestry.
He is also generally affiliated with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions, appearing in many of Sandler’s projects.
Allen Covert is the son of Elizabeth Ann and Stephen Covert. Elizabeth Ann is of the Southern Baptist faith, while Stephen Covert is Jewish.
Allen Covert would study theater at New York University, eventually sliding into a performer, writer, and producer career.
He has also co-founded a children’s publishing company that publishes history books.
How did Adam Sandler and Allen Covert meet?
Adam Sandler and Allen Covert are extremely close friends, possibly even best friends, who met as classmates at New York University.
Allen Covert covers this story on a podcast called Kendall Talks. Allen Covert mentions that the two of them quickly bonded in a history of comedy class and would continue to hang out after.
I wanted to be an actor and you know I ended up going to NYU to take acting and I met this kid. We were in a class called History of Comedy and I sat down next to this guy and we made each other laugh and we both loves Caddyshack and his name was Adam Sandler.
And then him and I went back to his dorm room and he’s like this is my roommate, Tim Herlihy, who wrote Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Wedding Singer, Big Daddy and Water Boy.
We just all kind of had the same sensibility and then you know Sandler took off like a skyrocket and kicked the door open and we all snuck in.
They are still very close to this day, with Allen Covert occupying an increasingly behind-the-scenes producer role for Happy Madison Productions as his on-screen appearances have waned.
What roles is he known for?
Allen Covert is best known for two roles. His first movie where he was the lead, the 2006 comedy Grandma’s Boy, and his supporting role in Strange Wilderness in 2008.
However, his first film role was as a bartender in Adam Sandler’s 1989 film Going Overboard, which happened to be Adam Sandler’s first film. Before that and after, Allen Covert was also a producer on most Adam Sandler comedy albums.
Grandma’s Boy
Grandma’s Boy is a 2006 stoner comedy film. It was directed by Nicholaus Goossen and written by Barry Wenick, Allen Covert, and Nick Swardson. Happy Madison Productions produced the film.
The film stars Allen Covert as Alex, a mid-thirties game tester who is evicted from his home and stays with his grandmother and roommates.
Alex is a brilliant slacker programming his own game on the side, which becomes of interest to the film’s antagonist, the publisher. Being a stoner comedy, the film is filled with drugs, sexual situations, and gross-out scenes.
Covert led the cast, including several Happy Madison Regulars such as Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. The second lead was Linda Cardellini.
Wedding Singer
Allen Covert played the character of Sammy in The Wedding Singer. The Wedding Singer was a 1998 romantic comedy film. Sammy was the best friend of Adam Sandler’s Robbie Hart, the titular wedding singer.
The Waterboy
Allen Covert had a smaller role in The Waterboy, released in 1998. In the film, he played Walter, alongside Clint Howard’s Paco, as recurring fans of the football team. Covert would wear prosthetic teeth to distort his face for those scenes.
Big Daddy
Covert would have a more significant role in 1999’s Big Daddy. The film starred Adam Sandler as Sonny Koufax, a slacker who becomes the legal guardian of a child named Julian, played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse.
Allen Covert’s role in the film was as a gay lawyer and friend of Sonny, Phil D’Amato. In the film, Tommy Grayton, his partner in love and law, is played by Happy Madison-regular Peter Dante.
Mr. Deeds
Allen Covert would take another significant role in a Happy Madison Productions film with 2002’s Mr. Deeds. The film follows Longfellow Deeds, played by Adam Sandler, who inherits a billion-dollar empire from a late uncle.
Allen Covert would play the character of Marty, a junior reporter for a television magazine who was tasked to dig up information on Deeds.
Who is Allen Covert married to?
Allen Covert was married to Kathryn Ashley Hagstrom in February 2006. However, they seem to have recently filed for divorce, with some sources indicating that it finalized in 2019.
Details on what Kathryn Covert does is hard to dig up, as she seems to be private. Naturally, tabloids have speculated about the divorce, but it happened rather suddenly.
Does he have kids?
Allen Covert has four daughters. As at least one or more of the children were minors at the divorce, their parents have likely kept them out of the public eye.
How many Adam Sandler films has he been in?
In a featured, walk-on, or voice-over role, Allen Covert has been in at least 24 Adam Sandler movies. The full list of films he has starred in with Adam Sandler includes, in chronological order:
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Going Overboard (1989)
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Airheads (1994)
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Happy Gilmore (1996)
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Bulletproof (1996)
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The Wedding Singer (1998)
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The Waterboy (1998)
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Big Daddy (1999)
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Little Nicky (2000)
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Mr. Deeds (2002)
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Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
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Anger Management (2003)
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50 First Dates (2004)
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The Longest Yard (2005)
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Bedtime Stories (2008)
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Just Go With It (2011)
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Jack and Jill (2011)
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Hotel Transylvania (2012)
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Grown-Ups 2 (2013)
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Blended (2014)
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Pixels (2015)
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Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
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Sandy Wexler (2017)
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Murder Mystery (2019)
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Hubie Halloween (2020)
Who has been in the most Adam Sandler films?
According to Screenrant, Rob Schneider is considered the person who has been in most Adam Sandler films. This may be on a technicality, however.
The article claims the most famous person to be in the most Adam Sandler films and also considers Schneider’s roles on Saturday Night Live in that list.
If those were not included, Allen Covert would outpace Rob Schneider’s appearances, listed at 15, versus Allen Covert’s 24.
Not that it matters much, as both will likely continue to appear alongside one another in Adam Sandler’s movies and the larger slate of Happy Madison Productions.
Is Allen Covert related to Mel Gibson?
Allen Covert is not related to Mel Gibson. This is a case of the two actors having identical appearances. This often leads to confusion. Neither actor has appeared in a project with the other.