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David Adkins (born November 10, 1956), who uses the stage name Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing on several television series and starring in the feature films Houseguest (1995), First Kid and Jingle All the Way (both 1996).
Early yearsSinbad was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan to the Rev. Dr. Donald and Louise Adkins. He has five siblings, named Donna, Dorothea, Mark, Michael, and Donald.[1] He attended college between 1974 and 1978 at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado, where he lettered two seasons for the basketball team.[2] Military service
CareerUnder the professional name Sinbad,[6] he began his career appearing on Star Search, Sinbad won his round against fellow comedian Dennis Miller,[7] appearing a total of seven times. He soon was cast on The Redd Foxx Show, a short-lived sitcom, playing Byron Lightfoot. A Different WorldIn 1987, Sinbad landed a role in A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show 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 traditionally black college, it was modeled off Atlanta's Spelman College. While Bonet only stayed with the program for a season,[8] Sinbad stayed with the cast from 1988 until 1991 as "Coach Walter Oakes". With the exception of later addition Marissa Tomei to the cast, the students at Hillman were all high-achieving African Americans with unique personalities, contrary to the "token" roles 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."[8] Roles after World
After a playing a condom in 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 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. The Sinbad ShowBy the early 1990s, his popularity had grown enough for FOX to green-light The Sinbad Show, which premiered September 16, 1993. In the self-titled series, Sinbad plays 35-year-old David Bryan, a bachelor who decides to become a foster parent to two children, after becoming emotionally attached to them.[9] The series, which co-starred a young Salma Hayek, received praise from critics for its unique and realistic portrayal of African American life.[9] Around that time, Sinbad had recently received joint custody of his two kids, Royce,[10] then age 4 and Paige, age 7, and told the press that these experiences informed him of single parenting.[9]
The Sinbad Show had too small a following, and was cancelled, 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 projectsBy 1995, Sinbad had created a company called "David & Goliath Productions", located in Studio City by that point.[1] From 1989 to 1991, Sinbad was host of It's Showtime At The Apollo, returning in 2005 while regular host Mo'Nique was on maternity leave. He hosted a Soul Train episode that aired January 14, 1995; appearing as a contestant in a 1995 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!; and was the emcee the 2000 Miss Universe Pageant.[11] 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 native 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 $26m in North America. Sinbad's film roles also include First Kid and Jingle All the Way (1996). For Jingle All the Way, Sinbad won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Supporting Actor - Family". 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 Reily, an animal character in Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996), and later voiced the horse "Hollywood Shuffle" in Ready to Run. Sinbad won a 1995 Image Award for comedy special Sinbad Live from New York: Afros & Bellbottoms, and 1998 award for Sinbad's Summer Jam III: '70s Soul Music Festival. VIBE magazine started its own syndicated late-night talk show in August 1997, hosted by actor Chris Spencer. Spencer was fired in October, and replaced by Sinbad; the series lasted until the summer of 1998. 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.[12] Actor Mark Curry credits Sinbad and Bill Cosby for helping convince him not to commit suicide.[13] 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.[14] Erroneous death reportOn March 10, 2007, Sinbad's managers began receiving phone calls of condolence, after people began hearing unsubstantiated rumors of Sinbad's death.[15] Hundreds contacted his managers and production studio, including Lionel Richie.[15] This rumor spread to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on March 14, 2007, when his biography was edited by an anonymous user to include the claim of his death. The incorrect information was soon removed, but a fan spreading the initial rumor included a link to the old (and incorrect) revision of the article.[16] Sinbad joked the situation off, commenting that, "I wish that people would've called me back like this when I was alive. I gotta die more often. I'm writing a movie about this now. Seriously, my death is gonna be my comeback."[15] This is apparently the second time Sinbad was the subject of such a rumor.[15] He says such situations are harder on family and friends, who are led to believe it as truth, than on himself.[15] He believes such situations will become more commonplace with increased use of the Internet.[17] Sinbad has been an Internet user since 1990; he was the moderator for an Apple Computer forum as of 1995.[1] On the person who originated the rumor, Sinbad comments:
Sinbad in pop cultureSinbad was referenced on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when Will is aspiring to be a stand-up comic. His uncle Phil is none too enthused about the idea. Will argues, "I bet Sinbad's parents supported him," to which Uncle Phil replies, "They named him Sinbad! He had two options: pirate or comic!" Sinbad was also referenced in the "Candlejack" episode of Freakazoid!, where some kids were naming what "the scariest thing in the world" would be. Freakazoid says, "No, the scariest thing in the world would be if they gave Sinbad another TV show." The kids then run, screaming, into their cabins. Sinbad was also referenced in the Family Guy episode "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" where a bored Peter Griffin states, "This is about as funny as Sinbad. Not the comedian, he's hilarious, the sailor. Though I guess he wasn't meant to be that funny to begin with." Family Guy referenced Sinbad again in a scene where Stewie loses to him on Star Search. He was parodied by Phil LaMarr on MadTV (May 3, 1997), and David Alan Grier does an impression in his act. References
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