Did You Know...

Soon the stand-up gigs gained him local fame. Spade decided to concentrate more on his comedy career so, like most aspiring performers, he moved to Los Angeles. He began his comedy tour by performing at nightclubs and on college campuses where he had crowds rolling in the aisles. During a show in a Los Angeles club, a casting agent was taken by Spade's talent and wit and cast him in his first major Hollywood film, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. Though the film was not well received by critics, Spade's performance got him noticed. In 1989 he was invited to perform in the HBO special Young Comedians Show. The show was hosted by Dennis Miller, who quickly became a fan of Spade's comedic talent and helped him get a role on Saturday Night Live in 1990.

During his days with the SNL crew, Spade made a friendship that would be important to both his personal and public lives. This friendship was with co-star and fellow comedian Chris Farley. Their friendly banter and teamwork earned them more airtime on SNL as well as their first movie deal. SNL producer Lorne Michaels saw the talent in the pair and produced Tommy Boy in 1995. Fans of Farley and Spade on SNL swarmed the box offices when Tommy Boy was released, making it a smash hit. Spade and Farley received the MTV Movie Award for Best Onscreen Duo for their debut film. Spade and Farley made another film in 1996. Black Sheep hit the big screen to big laughs. With the success of his acting career Spade decided to step away from sketch comedy and retired from SNL to take a part on the NBC comedy series Just Shoot Me.

The show premiered in 1997 with Spade playing the snide assistant Dennis Finch. While still keeping up his part in the NBC series, Spade continued to make films between seasons. In 1997 he appeared next to Joe Pesci in Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag. In 1998, 1999, and 2001 Spade appeared in Senseless, Lost & Found, and Joe Dirt respectively. He provided the voice for King Kuzco in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove in 2000, which quickly became a favorite of Disney fans.