Despite the manyHappy Gilmore 2characters who returned from the first movie, there are several who did not. IfHappy Gilmore 2’s castcan be described as anything, it is bafflingly large. The film includes various main cast members who aid Happy on his new journey, and that is without mentioning the vast number ofHappy Gilmore 2cameos.
For instance, several ofHappy Gilmore 2’s characters link to Adam Sandler, be it his real family members or his crew of usual suspects having cameos. All of these surprise appearances become clear by the time ofHappy Gilmore 2’s ending, though there are some familiar faces from the first movie who did not return for the sequel.
8Allen Covert
Who Played Otto In Happy Gilmore
Perhaps the most notable absentee inHappy Gilmore 2is Allen Covert as Otto. In the firstHappy Gilmore, Otto was a homeless man who was originally seen offering to wash people’s cars during golf tournaments. Eventually, Sandler’s Gilmore hires Otto to be his caddie, with Otto accompanying the titular golfer throughout his journey.
Covert is a childhood friend of Sandler and has played a part in almost every single one of the latter’s movies.
However, despite playing a big role in the first movie, Covert’s Otto is not found inHappy Gilmore 2. This time around, Bad Bunny portrays Gilmore’s new caddie. Covert’s absence could be due to his exit from Happy Madison Productions in 2023, reportedly due to a family situation.
The film actually gives an in-universe reason for Otto’s absence.When Happy reunites with his original caddie before Otto inHappy Gilmore 2,professional golfer Will Zalatoris, he explains that his original caddie lives in Switzerlandfor tax purposes. Beyond this small reference, though, Allen Covert’s Otto is completely missing fromHappy Gilmore 2.
7Jared Van Snellenberg
Who Played Happy’s First Caddie In Happy Gilmore
Before hiring Otto inHappy Gilmore,the golfer is assigned a caddie whom he initially assumes is stealing his golf clubs. Jared Van Snellenberg plays this caddie and, despite having a fairly small role, is one of the more memorable characters in the first film due to his hilarious slapstick interactions with Happy.
Interestingly, the concept of Van Snellenberg’s return inHappy Gilmore 2is not straightforward. Technically, the character he played inHappy Gilmorereturns, only this time as a professional golfer. The caddie is revealed to be Will Zalatoris, one of the manyreal golfers who cameos inHappy Gilmore 2.
Of course, Will Zalatoris plays himself inHappy Gilmore 2. This means that,while the caddie from the first movie and Zalatoris in the sequel are supposed to be the same character, Jared Van Snellengberg is absent from the latter.
Van Snellenberg has not acted since 2003, now living his life as a professor of psychiatry at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
6Will Sasso & Dee Jay Jackson
Who Played Movers In Happy Gilmore
Prolific comedic actor Will Sasso and actor Dee Jay Jackson played smaller roles inHappy Gilmore.The first movie saw Sasso and Jay Jackson portray movers who were instrumental in uncovering Happy’s golfing talents. Sasso’s character is originally shown blowing off steam with a golf club, before Jay Jackson’s makes several bets regarding Happy’s long golf drives.
Sasso and Jay Jackson do not return inHappy Gilmore 2, though, likely due to their characters' small roles in the first movie. There were opportunities inHappy Gilmore 2for them to return, given the various moves the titular hero undergoes in the sequel, but, alas, Sasso and Jay Jackson’s movers do not come back.
5Richard Kiel
Who Played Mr. Larson In Happy Gilmore
A much bigger role inHappy Gilmorethan the aforementioned movers was Mr. Larson, played by Richard Kiel. Larson appears in the first movie as Happy’s former boss to support the now-golfer in his exploits. At the end of the film, Larson leads an angry mob against Shooter McGavin, retrieving Happy Gilmore’s golden winner’s jacket.
Kiel does not reprise his role inHappy Gilmore 2due to his unfortunate deathin 2014. That said, Kiel is succeeded by Boban Marjanović, a basketball player who also appeared in Sandler’sHustle.Marjanović plays Drago Larson, Mr. Larson’s son, continuing the character’s legacy, as well as Kiel’s.
4Joe Flaherty
Who Played Donald Floyd In Happy Gilmore
There are several other memorable roles akin to Kiel’s inHappy Gilmore, including Joe Flaherty as Donald Floyd. Floyd is a fanboy ofChristopher McDonald’s Shooter McGavin, with the latter taking advantage of this by hiring the former to heckle Happy Gilmore during several golf tournaments. Floyd has become iconic for his regular use of the insult,“Jackass!”
Sadly, like Kiel, Flaherty passed away beforeHappy Gilmore 2. Therefore, Donald Floyd does not return in the film, yet a memorable cameo from Eminem continues his legacy as Marjanović’s did for Kiel’s Mr. Larson. Eminem appears as the son of Donald Floyd, heckling Sandler’s Gilmore before the latter’s sons throw him in a pond full of alligators.
3Frances Bay
Who Played Happy’s Grandmother In Happy Gilmore
Frances Bay’s Anna Gilmore was the driving force ofHappy Gilmore. The entire plot of the first movie hinged on her issues with the IRS, leading to her house being repossessed. Happy’s golfing endeavors are thus driven by the motivation of earning enough money to buy the house back so that his grandmother can live in peace.
Nonetheless,Happy Gilmore 2does not feature the return of Bay as Happy’s grandmother. Anna is mentioned several times, given her importance to Happy, yet Bay unfortunately passed away in 2011. As with the other characters fromHappy Gilmorewho could not return due to actor deaths, the sequel pays adequate tribute to Bay’s Grandma Gilmore.
2Bob Barker
Who Played Himself In Happy Gilmore
One of the most memorable cameos inHappy Gilmoreis Bob Barker’s. Barker played himself as a celebrity golfing partner of Happy’s during a tournament. After Barker’s constant criticisms, however, a hilarious fistfight between the two ensues. A similar fight inHappy Gilmore 2was noted as a standout scene in my review of the film, though not involving Barker.
This sequel fight involved McDonald’s Shooter McGavin, but was heavily inspired by Bob Barker’s role in the first movie. Tragically, Barker passed away in 2023, explaining why he did not return in any capacity inHappy Gilmore 2.
The inspiration for the new fight is evident, though, with McGavin and Gilmore scrapping amid gravestones, one commemorating Bob Barker. Gilmore even says to McGavin,“Game over, b****,“with the camera positioning the shot as if he were saying it to Barker’s grave. Other gravestones reference characters who have passed in-universe, or their actors who passed away beforeHappy Gilmore 2:
Another direct reference to Barker is made after Gilmore’s insult to McGavin. McGavin’s hand comes up out of nowhere to choke Gilmore, much like Barker’s did in the first movie. Clearly, one ofHappy Gilmore 2’s funniest, best scenes is entirely inspired by Bob Barker, allowing the legendary game show host’s equally legendaryHappy Gilmorelegacy to endure.
1Carl Weathers
Who Played Chubbs Peterson In Happy Gilmore
The finalHappy Gilmoreactor who did not return inHappy Gilmore 2is Carl Weathers. Weathers played Chubbs Peterson in the first movie, Happy’s golfing mentor. Despite dying in the events of the first movie, Chubbs was meant to have a big part in dream sequences inHappy Gilmore 2, as Sandler revealed toCollider.
Sadly, Weathers passed away in 2024, causing several rewrites toHappy Gilmore 2. As alluded to via the gravestone sequence above, Weathers' Chubbs was still paid homage to in the sequel. Beyond that, Lavell Morrison appears as Chubbs' son, Slim Peterson, who takes on his father’s mentorship role for the final act ofHappy Gilmore 2.
