The 1998 romantic comedy The Wedding Singer won viewers' hearts with its fun songs, lighthearted comedy and dreamy love story. Directed by Frank Coraci and written by Tim Herlihy, the movie grossed more than $123 million worldwide on an $18 million budget. Set in 1985, aspiring rock star Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) makes his living by playing at weddings. He’s finally on track to have his own fairy-tale nuptials when Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) enters his life and everything goes awry.
Eight years later, the film was turned into a Broadway musical under the same name. With music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, the production was nominated for five Tony Awards, including best musical. The film’s stars themselves are still Hollywood mainstays even though some have drifted behind the scenes.
In honor of theWedding Singer’s 20th anniversary (the movie hit theaters Feb. 13, 1998), The Hollywood Reporter breaks down what its stars have been up to since the beloved film debuted.
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Robbie Hart, portrayed by Adam Sandler
Comedian Adam Sandler stars as the eponymous wedding singer, Robbie Hart, a musician who once dreamed of becoming a rock star, but is now happy living a simple life crooning for newlyweds. When his own marriage gets called off, he has to reevaluate what makes him happy and what he wants his life to look like. After The Wedding Singer, Adam Sandler continued starring in comedies. In 2014 he inked a deal with Netflix to produce and star in four feature films that would premiere exclusively on the streaming service. Two-and-a-half years later, after the first two movies released under his initial deal became the biggest film releases at that time for Netflix, he signed another four-film deal.
Julia Sullivan, portrayed by Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore played kindhearted waitress Julia Sullivan. Recently engaged, Julia thinks she's found the one – that is, until she meets Robbie. A former child star, Barrymore has continued to act in and produce movies like Never Been Kissed, Charlie's Angels, Fever Pitch and He's Just Not That Into You under her Flower Films banner. She made her directorial debut in 2009, with the Ellen Page starrer Whip It, which she also starred in and produced. Barrymore reunited with Sandler twice since The Wedding Singer, for 50 First Dates (a Flower Films production) and Blended. Barrymore will next be seen in the second season of the Netflix original series, The Santa Clarita Diet, which she stars in alongside Timothy Olyphant. Outside of the entertainment world, the actress owns a cosmetics company called Flower Beauty.
Holly Sullivan, portrayed by Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor played Julia's wild but supportive sister Holly. Initially set up to date Robbie, Holly actually helps the singer realize his true feelings for Julia. Taylor has starred in films like Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder. She's worked on a myriad of small-screen comedies including Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Name Is Earl and Arrested Development. Most recently, she played Gail on TBS' Search Party.
Sammy, portrayed by Allen Covert
Instead of searching for love like his best friend, Robbie, Sammy spends his time trying to pick up different women. But that life can get lonely, and it’s certainly not what he wants for Robbie. This isn’t the last time Covert took a role in an Adam Sandler film. He went on to act in Little Nicky, 50 First Dates and Sandy Wexler. His first and only lead role is for the comedy Grandma’s Boy, which Sandler executive produced. In recent years, Covert stepped back from the limelight, but now produces films at Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions.
Glenn Guglia, portrayed by Matthew Glave
Glenn Guglia, Julia’s fiance, is the main antagonist in The Wedding Singer. Glenn is revealed to be cheating on Julia, and Robbie makes it his mission to protect her from him. Actor Matthew Glave has since acted in all kinds of television shows, including ER, Stargate SG-1, Army Wives, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and Angie Tribeca. On the film side, his credits include Rock Star, Get Smart and Argo.
Linda, portrayed by Angela Featherstone
Robbie’s fiancee Linda leaves him on their wedding day after realizing he’s no longer the man she fell in love with. Since 1998, Featherstone has worked steadily, appearing in TV shows like Providence, The Guardian and others.
George, portrayed by Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette played George, a singer in Robbie’s band whose signature tune was her cover of Culture Club's “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me," with her character's name a reference to Boy George. Arquette landed roles in movies and television shows across all genres. Her credits included the TV shows Friends and Xena: Warrior Princess and the film She's All That. Her last role before her death in 2016 was in Barrymore and Sandler's 2014 film Blended. Her character in that film was named Georgina, another homage to Boy George.
Rosie, portrayed by Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow played Robbie's singing teacher, with a flair for rap, in The Wedding Singer. Her character is best known for her performance of “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang. Dow's post-Wedding Singer credits included Road Trip, Wedding Crashers and Not Another Not Another Movie and numerous TV guest roles. She died in 2015 at the age of 101.
