Norm of the North, the first widely publicized animated movie of the year, opened over the weekend with a gentle roar. Some of the stars lending their voices for the film are, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Bill Nighy, and Loretta Devine. Rob Schneider voices a lovable polar bear named Norm who travels to New York in an effort to save the arctic from condos and theme parks.
We all know Schneider from his hilarious characters in just about every Adam Sandler comedy, (repeat after me, “You can do it!”), but you may have forgotten about some of his other roles. Below are a list of 10 movies you probably forgot Rob Schneider was in.
1.) 1991- Necessary Roughness
Role: Chuck Neiderman
A once mighty football program is forced to scrap all but one player (who never played a game) and hire a whole new coaching staff after years of illegal activity comes to light. The result is a ragtag team of lovable misfits with no hope of ever winning a game, let alone having a successful season.
2.) 1992 – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Role: Bellman
Once again, the McCallisters have misplaced their youngest offspring. This time, Kevin has boarded a plane to New York City instead of Paris. Thankfully he has his dad’s bag, which contains a wad of cash and credit cards. Plaza Hotel, here he comes… Oh, and his arch nemeses The Wet Bandits just happen to have chosen New York as the target of the greatest Christmas heist they have ever planned.
3.) 1993 – Surf Ninjas
Role: Iggy
This delightfully cheesy flick floated in during a swell of martial arts movies such as 3 Ninjas and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It stars Leslie Nielsen as a hapless villain trying to kidnap two boys, who are unknowingly heirs to the throne of the fictional Asian island of Patusan. Of course, once 16 year old Johnny finds out his destiny, he is endowed with crazy ninja skills. With the help of a mysterious one-eyed martial arts master, he battles the bad guys and tries to save his new found home.
4.) 1993 – Beverly Hillbillies
Role: Woodrow Tyler
A 1990s reboot of the classic television series of the same name. Jim Varney, best known for his Ernest films, plays Jed the patriarch of the Clampett clan. Cloris Leachman knocks it out of the park as Granny, and Lily Tomlin is adorable as Miss Jane Hathaway. In this version, Jed is hoping a change of scenery, and perhaps a woman in the house, will help his daughter Elly May become more ladylike and a little less rough and tumble.
5.) 1993 – Demolition Man
Role: Erwin (uncredited)
In 1996 a police officer played by Sylvester Stallone is charged with a crime he didn’t commit, and is frozen in the new California Cryo-Penitentiary. Also frozen is his arch enemy Phoenix, an ultra violent criminal who is responsible for his false imprisonment. Thirty-six years later, Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing and escapes. California has become a non-violent society and the police are ill-equipped to stop someone the likes of Phoenix. They are forced to thaw out the innocent law man, who will stop at nothing to catch the criminal and clear his name.
6.) 1995 – Judge Dredd
Role: Fergie
In the not so distant future, the world as we know it no longer exists. It is a barely inhabitable wasteland, forcing mankind to create overcrowded Mega Cities. The surplus population soon becomes too difficult for traditional law enforcement to control. The next step becomes to create Judges; officers who serve as on the spot law, jury, and executioner. When rogue Judges create havoc in the city, it is up to Judge Dredd, played by Sylvester Stallone, to bring order.
7.) 1996 – Down Periscope
Role: Executive Officer Martin “Marty” Pascal
Down Periscope is a slap stick comedy staring Kelsey Grammar as an unorthodox Navy Lieutenant. After being passed over for a promotion for the third time, he is forced to participate in a series of war games to test the navy’s ability to stop enemy vessels. He is given an out of date diesel submarine and a misfit crew to command.
8.) 1996 – The Adventures of Pinocchio
Role: Volpe
The classic tale of a puppet maker who longs for a child, and a puppet who wants to be a real boy. The little wooden boy is played by 90s teen heartthrob Jonathon Taylor Thomas, and Martin Landau is cast as the gentle puppet maker.
9.) 1999 – Muppets from Space
Role: TV Producer
Gonzo believes his real family has contacted him from outer space and goes to great lengths to respond. Meanwhile Miss Piggy is trying to catch her big break and get her own show, and poor Kermit is just trying to keep a roof over everyone’s heads.
10.) 2004 – Around the World in 80 Days
Role: San Francisco Hobo
A hilarious romp around the world lead by an eccentric inventor named Phileas Fogg. He is joined by his newly hired valet Passepartout, real name Lau Xing, and a painter named Monique La Roche. The goal is to circumvent the globe in eighty days or less, in order to win a bet and gain the role of Minister of Science at the prestigious Royal Academy of Science.
