Known as the man that completed seven voyages, embarked on countless adventures, and most
recently took on the furries…
[Um, Jim?
That’s Furies.
And… also the wrong Sinbad.]
Oh, these writers think they’re so funny.
Well, I guess we just come from A Different World and I’ll have to Keep on Cruisin’
to avoid any Necessary Roughness…
If you haven’t guessed by now, we’re really here for comedian and actor David Adkins,
or as you may better know him, Sinbad.
A master of all mediums since the early 80’s, let’s take a look at what everybody’s
favorite mononymous Michiganian has been up to in this installment of Where Are They Now?
Early in his life, the young talent was a member of the United States Air Force, working
as a boom operator on KC-135 Stratotankers.
His military career wasn’t meant to be, however, as he was eventually discharged dishonorably,
allegedly for going AWOL and, as he puts it, “parking [his] car in the wrong position."
Had he stayed in the Air Force, chances are he may never have landed his first starring
role as Byron Lightfoot in The Redd Foxx Show, which came shortly after his appearance on
Star Search in 1985.
Donning the name Sinbad, chosen to pay tribute to the Middle Eastern sailor, the actor/comedian
took his humor to all sorts of outlets for a lengthy and eclectic career of movies, stand-up
specials, and television shows.
Sinbad’s earlier years focused heavily on television as he enjoyed a 57-episode-run
on A Different World, starred in the lead role of David Bryan on The Sinbad Show, appeared
on The Cosby Show, Cosby, and All That, and received the great honor of hosting Saturday
Night Live in 1992.
Amid his budding fame, Sinbad kept his comedy act alive through a series of specials, including
the HBO Comedy Showcase in 1995, and participation in events like the 10th Annual Montreal Comedy
Festival and the 7th Annual American Comedy Awards.
In 1995, he starred in Houseguests and, a year later, was back on the silver screen,
working alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All The Way.
Back on the small screen, from October of 1997 to summer of 1998, Sinbad took over as
host of VIBE’s syndicated talk show.
Go through the history of Sinbad’s career and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a period
of downtime.
Even during phases where his presence in film and television was non-existent, the comedian
still had his stand-up and gig-hosting to fall back on.
Though his schedule seemed to be pretty packed, in 2009, the funnyman made headlines for filing
Chapter 7 bankruptcy and revealing a multi-million-dollar tax bill.
Four years later, TMZ spotlighted the comedian again when he filed for bankruptcy a second
time, citing debts amounting to $374,979 to American Express and $2.3 million to the California
Franchise Tax Board.
Not to get caught up in the negativity, Sinbad kept working and, after his 2013 bankruptcy,
appeared in Comedy Bang!
Bang!, Steven Universe, The Scout, American Dad!, and Comics Unleashed.
Though he’s not slated for any known theatrical productions as of early 2017, Sinbad is still
in the comedian circuit, performing recently at the McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre and L Douglas
Wilder Performing Arts Center with future dates at Nyack Levity Live Comedy Club.
For April Fool’s Day in 2017, Sinbad showed he still had his comedy prowess by working
off the internet’s insistence that he starred in a ‘90’s genie movie called Shazaam.
The collaboration with College Humor was a clever nod to ‘90s writing and film style
and the gullibility of the web.
For those of you wanting to follow David on a daily basis, check him out on Twitter @sinbadbad
and his touring schedule at www.bandsintown.com/sinbad.