Adam Sandler pays tribute to 'Happy Gilmore' rival, late alligator costar Morris

USA Today

16-05-2025

Adam Sandler pays tribute to 'Happy Gilmore' rival, late alligator costar Morris
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'Happy Gilmore 2' has been confirmed by Netflix
Netflix has confirmed "Happy Gilmore 2" is in the works, with Adam Sandler set to reprise his role as the titular golfer.
Bang Showbiz
Adam Sandler is paying tribute to his "Happy Gilmore" reptile costar and onscreen rival, Morris the alligator.
The movie star alligator was at least 80 years old and 11 feet long when he died in his retirement home, the Colorado Gator Farm said in a Facebook post on May 11. Morris was best known for his scene-stealing role in the 1996 comedy "Happy Gilmore," where he faced off against Sandler's ill-tempered golfer after swallowing his golf ball.
Even though the alligator ended up decapitated by golf club in the comedy, Sandler remembered their real moments fondly with a heartfelt May 15 Instagram post.
"Goodbye, Morris. We are all gonna miss you," Sandler wrote in the poignant tribute. "You could be hard on directors, make-up artists, costumers – really anyone with arms or legs – but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film."
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Adam Sandler remembers 'Happy Gilmore' memories of Morris the alligator
The post harkened back to the Vancouver set where Morris taught Sandler Hollywood life lessons.
"The day you wouldn't come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce," Sandler wrote. The episode "taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art."
On screen, Gilmore pummeled the one-eyed alligator, who had previously taken the hand of mentor Derick "Chubbs" Peterson (Carl Weathers). Gilmore eventually presented Chubbs with the alligator head at the end.
Yet, Sandler, who has "Happy Gilmore 2" coming out on Netflix on July 25, recalled when the duo shared a Three Musketeers bar from the set's craft services.
"And you let me have the bigger half," wrote Sandler. "But that's who you were."
Will Morris the alligator appear in 'Happy Gilmore 2'?
Morris was a big alligator star in his day, appearing in movies like "Interview with the Vampire," "Dr. Doolittle 2" and "Blues Brothers 2000," and beating out other leading reptiles to play the rogue killer in 1980's "Alligator" and its 1991 sequel, "Alligator II: The Mutation."
After an unforgettable "Happy Gilmore" performance, Morris will not appear in "Happy Gilmore 2."
"The decapitation in the first movie precluded your participation in the sequel," Sandler wrote. "I will miss the sound of your tail sliding through the tall grass, your cold, bumpy skin, but, most of all, I will miss your infectious laugh. Vaya con dios, old friend."