Which celebrities make cameos in Little Nicky? Directed by Steven Brill, the 2000 comedy marks Adam Sandler's first starring role for Happy Madison Productions, and also kicks off a shared movie universe. Little Nicky is currently streaming on Netflix and features a considerable roster of Sandler's industry friends.
In Little Nicky, Adrian (Rhys Ifans) and Cassius (Tiny Lister Jr.) plan to create a Hell on Earth after learning that their father, the Devil (Harvey Keitel), plans to keep his position. The title character (portrayed by Sandler) is tasked with bringing his siblings back, and learns to unleash his evil along the way. Produced for $85 million, Little Nicky was a critical and commercial failure, but has earned a loyal following over the years.
Happy Madison incorporates cameos into Little Nicky like other filmmakers use commercial songs - a generous amount. The special appearances are steady and always silly, which creates a weirdly wonderful comedic rhythm from beginning to end. Here's every celebrity cameo in Little Nicky.
Jon Lovitz As Peeper
American actor Jon Lovitz appears during the opening minutes of Little Nicky, portraying a peeper who watches Mrs. Dunleavy. Given that Kool & The Gang's "Ladies' Night" plays during the scene, it seems that Lovitz reprises his character from The Wedding Singer who performs the same song.
Lovitz is a former Saturday Night Live cast member. He portrayed Ernie Capadino in A League of Their Own and has voiced numerous characters in The Simpsons.
Dan Marino As Himself
Retired NFL quarterback Dan Marino meets with Satan and makes a proposition in Little Nicky - in exchange for one Super Bowl win, he'll accept eternal damnation for his soul. The Devil rejects the offer, and Marino complains that Joe Namath previously received a similar deal.
Marino was inducted in the National Football League Hall of 2005, despite never winning a Super Bowl for the Miami Dolphins. He portrayed himself in the movies Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Bad Boys II.
Quentin Tarantino As The Deacon
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino appears in Little Nicky as a blind street preacher, who first appears after the title character meets Mr. Beefy upon arriving in New York City.
In pop culture, Tarantino is best known as the director of classics such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown. As an actor, he portrayed Mr. Brown in Reservoir Dogs and Richard Gecko in From Dusk Til Dawn.
John Witherspoon As The Street Vendor
The late John Witherspoon portrays a street vendor who clashes with Little Nicky. When Sandler's character tries to intimidate with his eyes, Witherspoon comedically does the same.
Witherspoon portrayed Mr. Jones in the Friday franchise and John "Pops" Williams in The Wayans Bros. He passed away in October 2019 at age 77.
Dana Carvey As The Referee
American actor Dana Carvey portrays a possessed referee in Little Nicky. Sandler's character watches a Globetrotters game on television, and realizes that his brother has taken control of several players.
A former Saturday Night Live cast member, Carvey portrayed Garth Algar in the Wayne's World movies. He also starred as Pistachio Disguisey in The Master of Disguise and voiced Dana in Hotel Transylvania 2.
Bill Walton As Himself
Former NBA star Bill Walton portrays a broadcaster during the Globetrotters sequence in Little Nicky. At halftime, his hair lights on fire when Sandler's character releases evil before attempting a half-court shot.
Walton is best known for his collegiate career at UCLA, his NBA career, and for broadcasting games after retiring. He portrayed himself in the movies Forget Paris, He Got Game, and Uncle Drew.
Regis Philbin As Himself
The late Regis Philbin appears during a TV sequence in which he discusses beating a man who cut him off in traffic. As Nicky watches and eats chicken, Mr. Peeps states that Adrian and Cassius are upsetting the balance between good and evil.
Philbin is best known for hosting Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He also played himself in the Happy Madison film Jack and Jill. Philbin passed away in July 2020 at age 88.
George Wallace As Mayor Of New York
Comedian George Wallace appears during a religious service, in which the Mayor of New York is taken over by Cassius and the Cardinal is taken over by Adrian. The two demons start a party in the church, with "Let the sin begin" serving as their motto while dancing in front of the congregation.
Wallace portrayed The Mayor in Batman Forever and Sheriff Wyner in The Ladykillers. He also appeared as himself in Funny People and recently voiced Mr. Huggins in Bob's Burgers.
Clint Howard As Andrew/Nipples
Clint Howard makes a brief appearance as the crossdresser Andrew/Nipples. As Little Nicky looks for Valerie (Patricia Arquette), he spots the man rubbing his nipples.
Howard portrayed Sy Liebergot in Apollo 13 and Paco in The Waterboy. In the '60s, he portrayed Mark Wedloe in Gentle Ben.
Reese Witherspoon As Holly
Reese Witherspoon appears as an angel named Holly during the final act of the film. After sacrificing himself, Nicky arrives in heaven and learns that Holly is his mother.
Witherspoon starred as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and won an Oscar for portraying June Carter in Walk the Line. She also received an Academy Award nominating for Wild, and recently appeared as Madeline Martha Mackenzie in Big Little Lies, Elena Richardson in Little Fires Everywhere, and Bradley Jackson in The Morning Show.
Carl Weathers As Chubbs
Carl Weathers reprises his Happy Gilmore role in Little Nicky. During the heaven sequence, Chubbs appears as Holly's dance instructor who states that the mambo is "all in the hips." In Happy Gilmore, Chubbs was the title character's golf instructor and died after falling through a window. Weathers' cameo in Little Nicky unofficially kicks off a Happy Madison shared movie universe.
Weather is best known for portraying Apollo Creed in the Rocky movie franchise and Dillon in Predator. He currently appears as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian.
Henry Winkler As Himself
Henry Winkler makes a brief appearance during the Little Nicky climax as himself. Adrian introduces the actor to a large crowd, and surprises Winkler by having him covered in bees for the sake of some devilish entertainment.
Winker famously starred as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in the series Happy Days. He later portrayed Barry Zuckerkorn in Arrested Development and currently co-stars as Gene Cousineau in Barry.
Rob Schneider As The Townie
In Little Nicky, Rob Schneider reprises his role from The Waterboy. Shortly after Winkler is covered by bees, Sandler's character squares off against Adrian in a flask, resulting in The Townie delivering his now-familiar line "You can do it!"
Schneider is a former Saturday Night Live cast member who starred in the first Happy Madison production, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. He also starred as Marvin in The Animal and Jessica in The Hot Chick. Schneider recently portrayed Komante in The Wrong Missy and Richie Hartman in Hubie Halloween.
Ozzy Osbourne As Himself
Musician Ozzy Osbourne portrays himself in Little Nicky, and recreates an infamous on-stage moment by chewing into a live bat, which is actually Adrian. Ozzy then spits Nicky's brother into a flask and saves the day.
Osbourne fronted the rock band Black Sabbath and later starred in the popular MTV reality series The Osbournes. He also appeared as The Green Fairy in Moulin Rouge! and played himself in Austin Powers Goldmember.