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Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Later, alligator: Adam Sandler pens tribute to his reptilian ‘Happy Gilmore' co-star
Adam Sandler has no crocodile tears for 'Happy Gilmore' co-star Morris the alligator — he has fond jokes instead. The 'Punch-Drunk Love' actor and comedian on Wednesday shared a playful tribute honoring his reptilian co-star who died Sunday of old age at a gator farm in southern Colorado. In the tribute, shared to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), Sandler remembered the alligator's time on the set of his quirky 1996 golf comedy. 'We are all gonna miss you. You could be hard on directors, make-up artists, costumers — really anyone with arms or legs,' Sandler captioned a movie still featuring himself and Morris, 'but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film.' Jay Young, the owner and operator of Colorado Gator Farm, announced Morris's death in an emotional video shared to Facebook. 'He started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn't lunging at us and wasn't taking food,' Young said, stroking the reptile's head. 'I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals,' Young added. 'He had a happy time here, and he died of old age.' In 'Happy Gilmore,' Sandler's unlikely golf star confronts the feisty gator played by Morris after a golf ball lands in his toothy jaws. After an unsuccessful attempt, Happy dives into the golf course pond where he pummels the reptile and retrieves the ball. Morris was best known for 'Happy Gilmore,' but also appeared in numerous screen projects including 'Interview with the Vampire,' 'Dr. Dolittle 2' and 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' before he retired in 2006. He was found as an illegal pet in the backyard of a Los Angeles home and sent to the Colorado Gator Farm. In his tribute, Sandler said he learned a 'powerful lesson' from Morris on the set of their film after he refused to 'come out of your trailer' without the bait of 40 heads of lettuce: 'Never compromise your art.' The 'Wedding Singer' and '50 First Dates' star also reminisced on totally real encounters with the gator including sharing a candy bar. 'You let me have the bigger half,' he joked. 'But that's who you were.' According to Sandler, Morris was a Hollywood veteran with classy habits. The 'Uncut Gems' star joked that the alligator, despite his character's death in the first film, sent the 'Happy Gilmore' team a 'fruit basket and [a] hilarious note' ahead of the long-anticipated sequel, which premieres in July. '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,' Sandler concluded his eulogy. 'Thanks to Mr. Young for taking care of you all these years, and vaya con dios, old friend.' Colorado Gator Farm announced on Monday that it decided to preserve Morris' body via taxidermy 'so that he can continue to scare children for years to come.' 'It's what he would have wanted,' the farm said on Facebook. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The alligator from 'Happy Gilmore' has died; Adam Sandler offered tribute
The alligator from 'Happy Gilmore' has died; Adam Sandler offered tribute With the PGA Championship taking center stage in the golf world this week, the focus is on winning the Wanamaker Trophy, and not a gold jacket. But one of the stars of the classic golf movie "Happy Gilmore" died recently, which led to Adam Sandler paying tribute this week with a social media post in his honor. The Colorado Gators Reptile Park, an exotic animal sanctuary, confirmed the news of the retired movie star's death on Facebook, writing that they were "sad to report the passing away of our oldest alligator, Morris." Morris played a prominent role in the 1996 classic. Sandler, who co-wrote the movie, wrote the following on Instagram: "Goodbye, Morris. We are all gonna miss you. 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. The day you wouldn't come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art. I will never forget at craft service that time when we split the Three Musketeers bar and you let me have the bigger half. But that's who you were." More: Happy Gilmore: Here are 4 things you might not know about the movie Morris appeared in a variety of other films and television shows from 1975 to 2006, including "Dr. Dolittle 2," "Interview with the Vampire," "Eraser," "Night Court" and "Blues Brothers 2000," before retiring to the reptile park. He also made a cameo appearance with Steve Irwin on "The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno." "While we knew this was inevitable, we are very saddened by his passing to old age," the sanctuary wrote in a May 11 Facebook post. "RIP Morris." Jay Young, who runs the Colorado Gator Farm, told USA TODAY that he noticed something was wrong when he brought him food and he didn't eat it. More: Adam Sandler's golf movie 'Happy Gilmore 2' finally has an official release date "I thought, 'Well, maybe, he's just not hungry. He ate too much the other day,'" Young said. "Two weeks ago, he was trying to eat dogs and kids through the fence. He was fine a couple weeks ago." Young stepped into his closure to check on him and when Morris didn't attack him, which was not like him at all, he attempted to force-feed him. But Morris swam toward the other side of the pond and spit it up. "A lot of the times, it's like, 'Oh, we could have done this differently or sooner.' In this case, I don't think there's anything we could have done differently," Young said. "It's said, but it's not as tragic." The Colorado Gator Farm revealed May 12 that Morris would be taxidermied "so that he can continue to scare children for years to come." USA TODAY reporter Amaris Encinas contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Alligator that starred in ‘Happy Gilmore' dies of old age in Colorado
'I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals. ... He had a happy time here, and he died of old age,' he said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Morris, who was found in the backyard of a Los Angeles home as an illegal pet, started his Hollywood career in 1975 and retired in 2006, when he was sent to the Colorado Gator Farm in the tiny town of Mosca. He appeared in several films, including 'Interview with the Vampire,' 'Dr. Dolittle 2″ and 'Blues Brothers 2000.' He also appeared on 'Coach,' 'Night Court' and 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' featuring the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin. Advertisement But his most famous role was in 'Happy Gilmore,' a film about a failed and ill-tempered hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The title character played by Sandler confronts Morris after hitting a golf ball that ends up in the gator's mouth. Advertisement Sandler posted a tribute to Morris on Instagram on Wednesday. 'We are all gonna miss you. 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," Sandler wrote. 'The day you wouldn't come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art.' The Colorado Gator Farm, which opened to the public in 1990, said it plans to preserve Morris' body. 'We have decided to get Morris taxidermied so that he can continue to scare children for years to come. It's what he would have wanted,' the farm posted on Facebook on Monday.
Arab Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Alligator that starred in 'Happy Gilmore' dies of old age
DENVER, May 15, (AP): An alligator that appeared in numerous TV shows and films over three decades, most notably the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy "Happy Gilmore,' has died at a gator farm in southern Colorado. Based on his growth rate and tooth loss, Morris the alligator was at least 80 years old when he died, the Colorado Gator Farm said in a Facebook post Sunday. He was nearly 11 feet (3.3 meters) long and weighed 640 pounds (290 kilograms). "He started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn't lunging at us and wasn't taking food,' Jay Young, the farm's owner and operator, said in a video as he tearfully stroked Morris' head in an animal enclosure. "I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals. ... He had a happy time here, and he died of old age," he said. Morris, who was found in the backyard of a Los Angeles home as an illegal pet, started his Hollywood career in 1975 and retired in 2006, when he was sent to the Colorado Gator Farm in the tiny town of Mosca. He appeared in several films, including "Interview with the Vampire,' "Dr. Dolittle 2" and "Blues Brothers 2000." He also appeared on "Coach,' "Night Court' and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' featuring the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin. But his most famous role was in "Happy Gilmore,' a film about a failed and ill-tempered hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The title character played by Sandler confronts Morris after hitting a golf ball that ends up in the gator's mouth. Sandler posted a tribute to Morris on Instagram on Wednesday. "We are all gonna miss you. 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," Sandler wrote. "The day you wouldn't come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art.' The Colorado Gator Farm, which opened to the public in 1990, said it plans to preserve Morris' body. "We have decided to get Morris taxidermied so that he can continue to scare children for years to come. It's what he would have wanted," the farm posted on Facebook on Monday.
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
Alligator that starred in 'Happy Gilmore' dies of old age in Colorado
DENVER -- An alligator that appeared in numerous TV shows and films over three decades, most notably the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy 'Happy Gilmore,' has died at a gator farm in southern Colorado. Based on his growth rate and tooth loss, Morris the alligator was at least 80 years old when he died, the Colorado Gator Farm said in a Facebook post Sunday. He was nearly 11 feet (3.3 meters) long and weighed 640 pounds (290 kilograms). "He started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn't lunging at us and wasn't taking food,' Jay Young, the farm's owner and operator, said in a video as he tearfully stroked Morris' head in an animal enclosure. 'I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals. ... He had a happy time here, and he died of old age," he said. Morris, who was found in the backyard of a Los Angeles home as an illegal pet, started his Hollywood career in 1975 and retired in 2006, when he was sent to the Colorado Gator Farm in the tiny town of Mosca. He appeared in several films, including 'Interview with the Vampire,' 'Dr. Dolittle 2" and 'Blues Brothers 2000." He also appeared on 'Coach,' 'Night Court' and 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' featuring the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin. But his most famous role was in 'Happy Gilmore,' a film about a failed and ill-tempered hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The title character played by Sandler confronts Morris after hitting a golf ball that ends up in the gator's mouth. Sandler posted a tribute to Morris on Instagram on Wednesday. 'We are all gonna miss you. 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," Sandler wrote. "The day you wouldn't come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art.' The Colorado Gator Farm, which opened to the public in 1990, said it plans to preserve Morris' body. 'We have decided to get Morris taxidermied so that he can continue to scare children for years to come. It's what he would have wanted," the farm posted on Facebook on Monday.
