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Peter Francis Dante (born December 16, 1968) is an American character actor, comedian and singer. He appeared in films from Happy Madison Productions alongside Adam Sandler 7 times until his controversial arrest led to the pair separating.
 |
Peter Dante | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Francis Dante December 16, 1968 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Cynthia Pett-Dante |
| Children | 2 |
Dante's roles are usually alongside Jonathan Loughran and/or Allen Covert. He played Peter in Little Nicky. 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 and Murph "Murphy" in Mr. Deeds. He played a security guard in 50 First Dates.
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, and Danny Guiterrez in Strange Wilderness. 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 as Officer Peter Dante who was paired up with Shaquille O'Neal's character Officer Fluzoo.
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On November 19, 2013, after the release of Grown Ups 2, Dante got kicked out of a hotel, after saying the n-word to the staffer, who didn't recognize him as an actor. Due to the incident, he has not appeared in any further Happy Madison films.[1] On September 22, 2020, Dante was arrested in Los Angeles with a misdemeanor charge after an altercation with his neighbor. He was booked into Los Angeles County Jail and was released that night after posting a $5,000 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.[2]
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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, DJ Troublemaker, Steven Laing and Benji Madden.[citation needed] In 2011 he released his debut album Peace, Love, and Freedom.[3] He also appeared in a music video with Afroman in 2015.[citation needed] As of 2020, his most popular songs are "Dirty Road" and "My Purple Tree And Me" a collaboration with indie artist Shadoe.[citation needed]
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Dante spent a post-graduate year (1987–1988) at Fork Union Military Academy playing football and lacrosse.[4] He stated in an interview that "it was a good experience going down South".[5]
He is a graduate of Hofstra University, where he played lacrosse. He was an assistant coach for the lacrosse team at Loyola Marymount University for the 2011 season and has coached many club teams, including the Riptide lacrosse team, which made it to the state championships.[6]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Wedding Singer | David's Friend | |
| The Waterboy | Gee Grenouille | ||
| 1999 | Masters of Consequence | Peter | |
| Big Daddy | Tommy Grayton | ||
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Peter | |
| 2002 | Mr. Deeds | Murph | |
| Eight Crazy Nights | Foot Locker Guy (voice) | ||
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Himself | |
| The Sanctuary | — | ||
| Stuck on You | Officer J.J. Hill | ||
| 2004 | 50 First Dates | Security Guard | |
| The Dana & Julia Show | Petey | Television film | |
| 2006 | Grandma's Boy | Dante | Also associate producer |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Tony Paroni | |
| 2008 | Strange Wilderness | Danny Gutierrez | |
| 2009 | 28 Drinks Later | — | Short film |
| 2010 | Costa Rican Summer | Dinger | |
| 2011 | Just Go with It | Pick-Up Guy #2 | |
| Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star | Dante | ||
| Jack and Jill | Carol's Boyfriend | ||
| 2012 | That's My Boy | Dante Spirou | |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Officer Dante | |
| 2015 | Lord of the Freaks | Himself | Documentary |
| 2017 | Green is the New Gold | Himself | Documentary |
| 2021 | The Pizza Joint | Bill |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | The Larry Sanders Show | Steve / Delivery Man | 3 episodes Also producer; 14 episodes |
| 1995 | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Howard's Golf Friend | Episode: "A Non-Affair to Remember" |
| 2007 | The King of Queens | Justin Ravo | Episode: "Mild Bunch" |
| 2011 | Nick Swardson's Pretend Time | Blaze | Episode: "Legalize Meth" |
| 2017 | Typical Rick | Slim | Episode: "Glock'n'Roll" |
| 2019 | Sugar and Toys | Peter from Bakersfield | Episode: "Burning Scouts" |
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