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Sinbad (entertainer)
Encyclopedia
David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian
and actor
. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness
, Houseguest
, First Kid
, Jingle All the Way
and Good Burger
.
, the son of Martha and the Baptist
Rev. Dr. Donald Adkins. He has five siblings, named Donna, Dorothea, Mark, Michael, and Donald. Sinbad attended Benton Harbor High School, where he was in the marching band as well as the math club. He attended college from 1974 to 1978 at the University of Denver
in Denver, Colorado
, where he lettered two seasons for the basketball team.
aboard KC-135 Stratotanker
s. While assigned to the 384th Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base
in Wichita, Kansas
, he would often go downtown to do stand-up comedy and competed as a comedian/MC in the USAF Talent Contest in 1981. Sinbad was almost dismissed with a dishonorable discharge for various misbehaviors, including going AWOL.
After a series of incidents, he was eventually discharged "for parking my car in the wrong position."
in order to stand out in the entertainment industry, he began his career appearing on Star Search
. Sinbad won his round against fellow comedian Dennis Miller
, He soon was cast on The Redd Foxx Show
, a short-lived sitcom, playing Byron Lightfoot.
for Lisa Bonet
's character Denise Huxtable. Previously, Sinbad appeared in two different one-off roles on The Cosby Show, as a principal and as "Davis Sarrette". Huxtable attended Hillman College, a fictional historically black college
. While Bonet only stayed with the program for a season, Sinbad stayed with the cast from 1988 until 1991 as "Coach Walter Oakes".
With the exception of later addition Marisa Tomei
to the cast, the students at Hillman were all high-achieving African Americans with unique personalities, contrary to the "token" roles popular media previously focused on. At a July 2006 cast reunion promoting the series syndication on cable channel Nick at Nite
, Sinbad reflected on the program: "The show was a problem. You look back, black shows were just happening...It wasn't supposed to succeed and it did. This show was never given the accolades it should have." In A Different World, Walter began to fall in love with a girl named Jaleesa played by Dawnn Lewis
. She was not interested in him until he asked her to marry him. The two decided to cancel the wedding due to differing outlooks on life.
in Necessary Roughness
, where he played Andre Krimm, a college professor recruited for the defensive line, after NCAA sanctions force the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos to start from scratch. The Paramount Pictures film opened September 27, 1991, and grossed over $
20 million at the box office
.
After playing a condom
in the 1992 video Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You, and hosting the November 21, 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live
, he found small roles in The Meteor Man
and Coneheads
. Other appearances during this hiatus from episodic television were in the 1994 telefilm Aliens for Breakfast, and two appearances on Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
to green-light The Sinbad Show
, which premiered September 16, 1993. In the self-titled series, Sinbad played 35-year-old David Bryan, a bachelor who decides to become a foster parent to two children after becoming emotionally attached to them. The series, which co-starred a young Salma Hayek
, received praise from critics for its unique and realistic portrayal of African American
life. Around that time, Sinbad had recently received joint custody of his two kids, Royce, then age 4 and Paige, age 7, and told the press that these experiences informed him of single parenting.
The Sinbad Show was canceled, with the last episode airing April 21, 1994. The role earned him a 1995 Kids' Choice Awards nomination for "Favorite Television Actor".
In 1990, Sinbad did his first stand-up comedy special for HBO called Sinbad: Brain Damaged. The special was recorded at Morehouse College
in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1993, Sinbad did his next stand-up special in New York City
's Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden called Sinbad - Afros and Bellbottoms for which he won a 1995 Image Award
. The show was such a success that he was brought back in 1996 for Sinbad - Son of a Preacher Man and again in 1998 for Sinbad - Nothin' but the Funk. All of these shows have been released on VHS and DVD.
Sinbad again won a 1998 Image Award
in 1998 for Sinbad's Summer Jam III: '70s Soul Music Festival.
By 1995, Sinbad had created a company called "David & Goliath Productions" that was located in Studio City.
From 1989 to 1991, Sinbad was host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, and returned in 2005 while regular host Mo'Nique was on maternity leave. He hosted a Soul Train
episode that aired January 14, 1995; appeared as a contestant in a 1998 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!; and was the emcee for the 2000 Miss Universe
Pageant.
During the 1990s, Sinbad guest-starred on an episode of Nickelodeon's All That
. In one sketch, he played the father of recurring character Ishboo, dubbed "Sinboo". He also made a cameo appearance
in the comedy movie Good Burger
, starring Kenan & Kel
, as "Mr. Wheat", a short tempered teacher whose car gets crushed by a giant realistic hamburger. His character was modeled after Gough Wheat, a past teacher of the movie's producer at White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee
.
He and Phil Hartman
co-starred in the comedy film Houseguest
, where he plays Kevin Franklin, a Pittsburgh resident who owes $50,000 to the mob. Hartman, as Gary Young, comments to his children that they're waiting to pick up a black man. Taking who they think to be a well-known dentist home, Young's family is stabilized by Franklin's own unstable nature. Released January 6, 1995, the film grossed $26 million in North America.
Sinbad's film roles also include First Kid
, which he starred in, and Jingle All the Way
(1996). For Jingle All the Way, Sinbad won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Supporting Actor - Family". He also performed his HBO comedy special "Son of a Preacher Man" at the Paramount Theatre
in Denver, Colorado.
In 1996, Sinbad joined First Lady Hillary Clinton and musician Sheryl Crow
in a USO tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
The NAACP Image Awards recognized his 1996 role in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, nominating him in the "Outstanding Performance in an Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special" category. He lent his voice to Riley, an animal character in Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
(1996), and later voiced the horse "Hollywood Shuffle" in Ready to Run
.
VIBE
magazine started its own syndicated late-night talk show in August 1997 which aired on UPN
, hosted by actor Chris Spencer
. Spencer was fired in October, and replaced by Sinbad; the series lasted until the summer of 1998. At that same time, Sinbad performed his HBO comedy special "Nothin' but the Funk" in Aruba
's Guillermo P. Trinidad Memorial Stadium
.
He was also featured in a 1999 infomercial
for Tae Bo
, where he claimed that he was successfully using the Tae Bo system to become an action star.
In 2004 he was named the #78 greatest stand-up comic of all time on "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time".
In 2006 Maxim
Magazine ranked Sinbad as the "Worst Comic of All Time".
Actor Mark Curry
credits Sinbad and Bill Cosby
for helping convince him not to commit suicide. Sinbad was responsible for discovering R&B trio 702
; convincing their parents to let him take them to a music convention/competition, under the name "Sweeta than Suga", eventually being heard by music producer Michael Bivins
.
Sinbad also made a cameo appearance on the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
as himself in a rehab center in the episode Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, which originally aired October 23, 2008. His cameo was met with positive acclaim from fans of both him, and the series.
Sinbad was the host of Thou Shalt Laugh 3. The DVD was released on November 11, 2008
He recently performed his Comedy Central
television special "Where U Been?
at Club Nokia, which was later released on DVD to even greater success.
On March 14, 2010, he debuted on the Celebrity Apprentice
and was fired on the second episode (March 21, 2010) after losing in the Kodak challenge as project manager, placing 13th.
On January 25, 2011, he was the celebrity speaker of MacWorld Expo 2011.
Sinbad currently has a reality show on WE tv
called Sinbad: It's Just Family that airs on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m.
On December 11, 2009, Sinbad filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
On February 5, 2010, it was reported that Sinbad put up his 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) hilltop home for sale in order to alleviate his tax burdens.
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness
Necessary Roughness (film)
Necessary Roughness is a 1991 comedy film starring Scott Bakula and Sinbad. The film was directed by Stan Dragoti, who has also directed the movies Mr. Mom, She's Out of Control, and The Man With One Red Shoe. In addition to Bakula and Sinbad, Necessary Roughness has an additional cast of Héctor...
, Houseguest
Houseguest
Houseguest is a 1995 feature film starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman and directed by Randall Miller.-Plot:Kevin Franklin is an inner-city Pittsburgh native; raised in an orphanage, has delusions of grandeur, and talks about getting rich and driving a Porsche one day...
, First Kid
First Kid
First Kid is a 1996 Disney comedy film directed by David Mickey Evans and stars Sinbad and Brock Pierce. It was mostly filmed in Richmond, Virginia.-Plot:...
, Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way is a 1996 American family comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, James Belushi and Robert Conrad...
and Good Burger
Good Burger
Good Burger is a 1997 American comedy film by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon Movies, released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Brian Robbins, and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell...
.
Early life
Sinbad was born in Benton Harbor, MichiganBenton Harbor, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo. The population was 10,038 at the 2010 census. It is the lesser populated of the two principal cities included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, the son of Martha and the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Rev. Dr. Donald Adkins. He has five siblings, named Donna, Dorothea, Mark, Michael, and Donald. Sinbad attended Benton Harbor High School, where he was in the marching band as well as the math club. He attended college from 1974 to 1978 at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he lettered two seasons for the basketball team.
Military service
Sinbad served in the US Air Force as a boom operatorBoom operator (military)
In the USAF the position of boom operator is a position held by an enlisted aviator, who is responsible for safely and effectively refueling other aircraft while in flight. The official Air Force title for boom operators is "In-Flight Refueling Technician" but this title is usually reserved for...
aboard KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
s. While assigned to the 384th Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base
McConnell Air Force Base
McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. The base was named in honor of Wichita brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell, both Air Force pilots and World War II...
in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, he would often go downtown to do stand-up comedy and competed as a comedian/MC in the USAF Talent Contest in 1981. Sinbad was almost dismissed with a dishonorable discharge for various misbehaviors, including going AWOL.
After a series of incidents, he was eventually discharged "for parking my car in the wrong position."
Career
Under the professional name Sinbad, which Adkins chose out of admiration for Sinbad the SailorSinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
in order to stand out in the entertainment industry, he began his career appearing on Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
. Sinbad won his round against fellow comedian Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
, He soon was cast on The Redd Foxx Show
The Redd Foxx Show
The Redd Foxx Show is a short-lived sitcom that premiered January 18, 1986 on ABC. The show ended after four months on air.-Overview:It followed the life of Al Hughes , a New York City newsstand owner who adopted a "street-wise" teenager named Toni...
, a short-lived sitcom, playing Byron Lightfoot.
A Different World
In 1987, Sinbad landed a role in A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
for Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
's character Denise Huxtable. Previously, Sinbad appeared in two different one-off roles on The Cosby Show, as a principal and as "Davis Sarrette". Huxtable attended Hillman College, a fictional historically black college
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
. While Bonet only stayed with the program for a season, Sinbad stayed with the cast from 1988 until 1991 as "Coach Walter Oakes".
With the exception of later addition Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
to the cast, the students at Hillman were all high-achieving African Americans with unique personalities, contrary to the "token" roles popular media previously focused on. At a July 2006 cast reunion promoting the series syndication on cable channel Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
, Sinbad reflected on the program: "The show was a problem. You look back, black shows were just happening...It wasn't supposed to succeed and it did. This show was never given the accolades it should have." In A Different World, Walter began to fall in love with a girl named Jaleesa played by Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles on sitcoms such as A Different World and in the first season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.-Career:...
. She was not interested in him until he asked her to marry him. The two decided to cancel the wedding due to differing outlooks on life.
Roles after A Different World
Sinbad co-starred with Scott BakulaScott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
in Necessary Roughness
Necessary Roughness (film)
Necessary Roughness is a 1991 comedy film starring Scott Bakula and Sinbad. The film was directed by Stan Dragoti, who has also directed the movies Mr. Mom, She's Out of Control, and The Man With One Red Shoe. In addition to Bakula and Sinbad, Necessary Roughness has an additional cast of Héctor...
, where he played Andre Krimm, a college professor recruited for the defensive line, after NCAA sanctions force the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos to start from scratch. The Paramount Pictures film opened September 27, 1991, and grossed over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20 million at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
.
After playing a condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
in the 1992 video Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You, and hosting the November 21, 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, he found small roles in The Meteor Man
The Meteor Man (film)
The Meteor Man is a 1993 superhero film written, directed, and starring Robert Townsend, and featuring an ensemble cast. Townsend stars as a mild-mannered schoolteacher, who becomes a superhero after his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. is terrorized by street gangs.Although the film is set in...
and Coneheads
Coneheads
The Coneheads is a sketch on Saturday Night Live which originated on the January 15, 1977 episode, and starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat, and Laraine Newman as daughter Connie.-Summary:...
. Other appearances during this hiatus from episodic television were in the 1994 telefilm Aliens for Breakfast, and two appearances on Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
The Sinbad Show
By the early 1990s, his popularity had grown enough for FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
to green-light The Sinbad Show
The Sinbad Show
The Sinbad Show is an American sitcom starring comedian Sinbad that premiered on September 16, 1993 on Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphaned children. Chuck Brown performed this sitcom's theme music...
, which premiered September 16, 1993. In the self-titled series, Sinbad played 35-year-old David Bryan, a bachelor who decides to become a foster parent to two children after becoming emotionally attached to them. The series, which co-starred a young Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
, received praise from critics for its unique and realistic portrayal of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
life. Around that time, Sinbad had recently received joint custody of his two kids, Royce, then age 4 and Paige, age 7, and told the press that these experiences informed him of single parenting.
The Sinbad Show was canceled, with the last episode airing April 21, 1994. The role earned him a 1995 Kids' Choice Awards nomination for "Favorite Television Actor".
Films and other projects
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1993, Sinbad did his next stand-up special in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden called Sinbad - Afros and Bellbottoms for which he won a 1995 Image Award
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety - Series or Special
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Variety - Series or Special:...
. The show was such a success that he was brought back in 1996 for Sinbad - Son of a Preacher Man and again in 1998 for Sinbad - Nothin' but the Funk. All of these shows have been released on VHS and DVD.
Sinbad again won a 1998 Image Award
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety - Series or Special
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Variety - Series or Special:...
in 1998 for Sinbad's Summer Jam III: '70s Soul Music Festival.
By 1995, Sinbad had created a company called "David & Goliath Productions" that was located in Studio City.
From 1989 to 1991, Sinbad was host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, and returned in 2005 while regular host Mo'Nique was on maternity leave. He hosted a Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
episode that aired January 14, 1995; appeared as a contestant in a 1998 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!; and was the emcee for the 2000 Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
Pageant.
During the 1990s, Sinbad guest-starred on an episode of Nickelodeon's All That
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
. In one sketch, he played the father of recurring character Ishboo, dubbed "Sinboo". He also made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the comedy movie Good Burger
Good Burger
Good Burger is a 1997 American comedy film by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon Movies, released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Brian Robbins, and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell...
, starring Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...
, as "Mr. Wheat", a short tempered teacher whose car gets crushed by a giant realistic hamburger. His character was modeled after Gough Wheat, a past teacher of the movie's producer at White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
He and Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
co-starred in the comedy film Houseguest
Houseguest
Houseguest is a 1995 feature film starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman and directed by Randall Miller.-Plot:Kevin Franklin is an inner-city Pittsburgh native; raised in an orphanage, has delusions of grandeur, and talks about getting rich and driving a Porsche one day...
, where he plays Kevin Franklin, a Pittsburgh resident who owes $50,000 to the mob. Hartman, as Gary Young, comments to his children that they're waiting to pick up a black man. Taking who they think to be a well-known dentist home, Young's family is stabilized by Franklin's own unstable nature. Released January 6, 1995, the film grossed $26 million in North America.
Sinbad's film roles also include First Kid
First Kid
First Kid is a 1996 Disney comedy film directed by David Mickey Evans and stars Sinbad and Brock Pierce. It was mostly filmed in Richmond, Virginia.-Plot:...
, which he starred in, and Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way is a 1996 American family comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, James Belushi and Robert Conrad...
(1996). For Jingle All the Way, Sinbad won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Supporting Actor - Family". He also performed his HBO comedy special "Son of a Preacher Man" at the Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre (Denver, Colorado)
The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denver's famous 16th Street Mall. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,870, but is a popular destination for large acts looking for a smaller concert setting...
in Denver, Colorado.
In 1996, Sinbad joined First Lady Hillary Clinton and musician Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
in a USO tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
The NAACP Image Awards recognized his 1996 role in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, nominating him in the "Outstanding Performance in an Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special" category. He lent his voice to Riley, an animal character in Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco is the 1996 sequel to the 1993 film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Directed by David R. Ellis, the film features the three animals from the first film, Shadow the Golden Retriever , Sassy the Himalayan cat , and Chance the American Bulldog Homeward...
(1996), and later voiced the horse "Hollywood Shuffle" in Ready to Run
Ready to Run
Ready to Run is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot summary:Ready to Run is the story of 14-year-old Corrie Ortiz, an energetic girl who dreams of becoming a jockey in the predominantly male sport of Thoroughbred horse racing...
.
VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
magazine started its own syndicated late-night talk show in August 1997 which aired on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
, hosted by actor Chris Spencer
Chris Spencer (actor)
Chris Spencer is an Jamaican American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was the first host of the syndicated late night talk show Vibe, based on the magazine of the same name. He has gone on to star in several film projects such as The Sixth Man, Significant Others, and Postal...
. Spencer was fired in October, and replaced by Sinbad; the series lasted until the summer of 1998. At that same time, Sinbad performed his HBO comedy special "Nothin' but the Funk" in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
's Guillermo P. Trinidad Memorial Stadium
Trinidad Stadium
Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Oranjestad, Aruba. It is Aruba's National Stadium, named after Guillermo Trinidad, a politician from the same neighbourhood...
.
He was also featured in a 1999 infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
for Tae Bo
Tae Bo
Tae Bo is an aerobic exercise routine that became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks and was one of the first "cardio-boxing" programs to enjoy commercial success. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness...
, where he claimed that he was successfully using the Tae Bo system to become an action star.
In 2004 he was named the #78 greatest stand-up comic of all time on "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time".
In 2006 Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
Magazine ranked Sinbad as the "Worst Comic of All Time".
Actor Mark Curry
Mark Curry (actor)
Mark G. Curry is an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the star of the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo.-Early life and education:...
credits Sinbad and Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
for helping convince him not to commit suicide. Sinbad was responsible for discovering R&B trio 702
702 (band)
702 , named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, is an American platinum-selling R&B trio. Originally a quartet, the group became a trio, which includes sisters Irish , and LeMisha 'Misha' Grinstead, and lead singer Kameelah 'Meelah' Williams...
; convincing their parents to let him take them to a music convention/competition, under the name "Sweeta than Suga", eventually being heard by music producer Michael Bivins
Michael Bivins
Michael Lamont Bivins, a.k.a. Biv , is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe...
.
Sinbad also made a cameo appearance on the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
as himself in a rehab center in the episode Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, which originally aired October 23, 2008. His cameo was met with positive acclaim from fans of both him, and the series.
Sinbad was the host of Thou Shalt Laugh 3. The DVD was released on November 11, 2008
He recently performed his Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
television special "Where U Been?
Where U Been?
Where U Been? is a stand up DVD by comedian Sinbad, released by Comedy Central. “Sinbad. Where U Been?” DVD was released by Comedy Central on February 23rd 2010. Containing speacial features, deleted scenes and all completely uncensored and uncut....
at Club Nokia, which was later released on DVD to even greater success.
On March 14, 2010, he debuted on the Celebrity Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. season 9)
The Celebrity Apprentice 3 is the ninth installment of the United States version of the reality television series, The Apprentice. On April 29, 2009, NBC officially announced the renewal of Celebrity Apprentice for Spring 2010. The show premiered on Sunday, March 14, 2010...
and was fired on the second episode (March 21, 2010) after losing in the Kodak challenge as project manager, placing 13th.
On January 25, 2011, he was the celebrity speaker of MacWorld Expo 2011.
Sinbad currently has a reality show on WE tv
WE TV
We TV is the third TV channel from Malayalam Communications Ltd, in Kerala and based at Trivandrum. The other two channels of this company are Kairali TV and People TV. WE TV is mainly aimed at the youth and was officially launched on April 14, 2007. Mr...
called Sinbad: It's Just Family that airs on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m.
Tax issues
In 2009, Sinbad was placed in the top 10 of the 250 worst tax debtors for the state of California. The comedian owed the State $2.5 million in personal income tax.On December 11, 2009, Sinbad filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
On February 5, 2010, it was reported that Sinbad put up his 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) hilltop home for sale in order to alleviate his tax burdens.