Sinbad Biography (1956-)

Born David Adkins, November 18, 1956, in Benton Harbor, MI; son of Donald (aBaptist minister) and Louise Adkins; married Meredith, 1985 (divorced, 1992);children: Paige, Royce. Addresses: Agent: c/o David and Goliath Productions, 11330 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604.; Contact: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Office: 12031 Ventura Blvd., #3, Studio City, CA 91604-2636.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Comedian, actor, television series creator, producer, writer
Birth Details: 1956; Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Byron Lightfoot, The Redd Foxx Show, CBS, 1986
Cohost, Keep On Cruisin', CBS, 1987
Coach Walter Oakes, A Different World, NBC, 1987-91
Host, It's Showtime at the Apollo, syndicated, 1989-91
David Bryan, The Sinbad Show (also known as Sinbad), Fox, 1993-94
Host, Vibe, syndicated, 1997-98
Himself, Hollywood Squares, syndicated, 1998
Himself, The Remarkable Journey, 2000
Movies
Himself, Club Med, ABC, 1986
Isaiah Turner--the Cherokee Kid (title role), The Cherokee Kid, HBO, 1996
Voice of "Hollywood Shuffle," Ready to Run, 2000
Episodic
Davis Sarette, "Say Hello to a Good Buy," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1987
Late Show, 1988
Super Bloopers and New Practical Jokes, NBC, 1990
Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind, 1991
Ruben Stiles, "Roc and the Actor," Roc, Fox, 1992
Voice of Simpleton, "The Golden Goose," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, 1995
Voice of the frog prince, "The Frog Prince," Happily Ever After: FairyTales for Every Child (animated), HBO, 1995
Sinboo, "Okrha," All That, Nickelodeon, 1995
Del, "Now Is the Time, the Walrus Said," Cosby, NBC, 1998
Del, "The Awful Truth," Cosby, NBC, 1999
Del, "Afterschool Delight," Cosby, NBC, 1999
Professor LeCount, "The Nutty Moesha," Moesha, UPN, 2000
Himself, "Jamaic-Up?," Girlfriends, The WB, 2001
Also appeared in Star Search, syndicated; Comic Strip: Live, Fox; Today, NBC; as himself, Comic Justice; himself, Instant Comedy with the Groundlings, FX (three episodes).
Specials
"Take No Prisoners: Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime II," HBOComedy Hour, HBO, 1988
Stand-Up Comics Take a Stand!, syndicated, 1989
Motown Thirty: What's Goin' On!, CBS, 1990
A Laugh, a Tear, syndicated, 1990
America's All-Star Tribute to Oprah Winfrey, ABC, 1990
Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live ... Almost, ABC, 1991
"Sinbad: Brain Damaged," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1991
Muhammad Ali's Fiftieth Birthday Celebration, ABC, 1992
The 10th Annual Montreal Comedy Festival, 1992
Host, Back to School '92, 1992
Comic Relief V, HBO, 1992
Family Night, 1992
Free to Laugh: A Comedy and Music Special for Amnesty International, 1992
The All New Circus of the Stars and Side Show XVII, 1992
Disney's Countdown to Kid's Day (also known as Countdown to Kid's Day), The Disney Channel, 1993
New Year's Eve '94, 1993
"Sinbad Live from the Paramount--Afros and Bellbottoms," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1993
The Winans' Real Meaning of Christmas, syndicated, 1993
(Archive footage) Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America, 1993
Comic Relief VI, HBO, 1994
Fantasies of the Stars, NBC, 1994

A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman, NBC, 1995
Aric, "Aliens for Breakfast," McDonald's Family Theatre, ABC, 1995
Planet Hollywood Comes Home, ABC, 1995
Host, Sinbad's Summer Jam: '70s Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1995
Celebrate the Dream: 50 Years of Ebony, ABC, 1996
CityKids All Star Club, ABC, 1996
Nissan Presents a Celebration of America's Music, ABC, 1996
"Sinbad--Son of a Preacher Man," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1996
Host, Sinbad's Dynamite New Year's Eve 1997 (also known as NewYear's Eve Live in Las Vegas and Fox's New Year's Eve Live), Fox,1996
Host, Sinbad's Summer Jam II: '70s Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1996
The HBO Comedy Arts Weekend Highlight Show, HBO, 1997
Host, Sinbad's Summer Jam 4: 70's Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1998
Awards Presentations
The 3rd Annual Soul Train Music Awards, syndicated, 1989
The 16th Annual Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, syndicated, 1989
The 22nd Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1990
The 17th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1991
The 24th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1992
Host, The 19th Annual Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, 1992
The 6th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, 1992
The Essence Awards, 1992
Presenter, The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1993
Host, Soul Train Comedy Awards, 1993
The 1993 Billboard Music Awards, 1993
The 7th Annual American Comedy Awards, 1993
Presenter, The Walt Disney Company Presents the American Teacher Awards, The Disney Channel, 1993
Host, The 15th Annual CableACE Awards, 1994
The 26th Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1994
Host, The Essence Awards, 1994
The Soul Train 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Special, 1995
Presenter, Screen Actors Guild Awards, 1995
Cohost, The 25th Anniversary Essence Awards, 1995
The 10th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, 1996
Host, The 1996 Essence Awards, 1996
Host, The 23rd Annual American Music Awards, 1996
The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1996
Presenter, The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, 1996
Presenter, The 28th NAACP Image Awards, 1997
Host, The 10th Essence Awards, 1997
Host, The 24th Annual American Music Awards, 1997
Host, The ShoWest Awards, TNT, 1997
Himself, 26th Annual American Music Awards, 1998
Television Work
Series
Creator and executive producer, The Sinbad Show (based on a storyby Sinbad), Fox, 1993-94
Movies
Executive producer, The Cherokee Kid, HBO, 1996
Television Executive Producer
Specials
Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live ... Almost, ABC, 1991
"Sinbad: Brain Damaged," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1991
"Sinbad Live from the Paramount--Afros and Bellbottoms," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1993
Sinbad's Summer Jam: '70s Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1995
"Sinbad--Son of a Preacher Man," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1996
Sinbad's Summer Jam II: '70s Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1996
Film Appearances
Himself, That's Adequate, 1989
Andre Krimm, Necessary Roughness, Paramount, 1991
Himself, Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You, 1992
Otto, Coneheads (also known as Coneheads: The Movie), Paramount, 1993
Malik, The Meteor Man, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
Kevin Franklin/Derek Bond, Houseguest, Buena Vista, 1995
Sam Simms, First Kid, Buena Vista, 1996
Voice of Riley, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (also known as Incredible Journey), Buena Vista, 1996
Myron Larabee, Jingle All the Way, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996
Mr. Wheat, Good Burger, Paramount, 1997
Orderly, Crazy As Hell, 2001
Film Work
Executive producer, First Kid, Buena Vista, 1996
RECORDINGS
Albums
Albums include Brain Damaged.
WRITINGS
Television Specials
Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live ... Almost, ABC, 1991
Nonfiction
(With David Ritz) Sinbad's Guide to Life, Bantam Books, 1997

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 16, Gale Research, 1997

Periodicals

Ebony, April, 1990, p. 104; June, 1997, p. 84
Entertainment Weekly, April 5, 1996, p. 27; February 7, 1997, p. 63; October 31, 1997, p. 85
Essence, November, 1992, p. 78
Jet, November 22, 1993, pp. 56-58; July 13, 1998, p. 58; March 1,1999, p. 41; August 16, 1999, p. 45
TV Guide, July 14, 1990, p. 13
Variety, October 27, 1997, p. 27; January 19, 1998, p. 69

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:

forum